It’s Time to Get Excited about Out of Store Shopping

Historians credit first century engineer Heron of Alexandria with the design for a machine that dispensed holy water with a coin; now, two thousand years later, global annual sales of products through vending machines is approaching $200 billion. While advanced merchandising and cashless payment are two key growth drivers, the rapid adoption of smart-phones and digital micro-payments is rapidly recasting the vending machine as a successful enabler of advanced Out of Store Shopping (OSS).

At R/GA, we’re creating breakthroughs at the intersection of OSS, internet of things, and advanced payment systems.  Working closely with forward-thinking global brands, together we’re creating personalized user experiences tightly coupled to key micro-markets.  As a bonus, important customer insights are coming to light based on data derived from payment-in-kind (PIK) solutions that are, in turn, rooted in quantified self.

And this is just scratching the surface. We could tell you more but for now, the work is top secret. Check back at the end of the year and we’ll have an exciting case study to talk about!