A healthy lifestyle is the sum of many small parts. Each small part on its own may not seem important, but when it is part of something bigger, it is easier to see the role it plays. Making healthy snack choices from a vending machine when you are at work or your child is at school is one way to help maintain a healthy lifestyle. While most of us think about our food choices, many of us don’t realize that the vending machine itself is one of the small parts that plays a role in the bigger picture.

Lighting

An important and necessary component of every healthy vending machine in New York City is lighting; otherwise, it is difficult to see which healthy snack or beverage to choose. The switch from fluorescent light bulbs to light-emitting diode (LED) light bulbs in breakroom vending machines continues to occur as LED bulbs offer unique benefits. Compared to other types of light bulbs, the LED light bulb emits light in a specific direction without substantial loss of light and emits less overall heat. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Energy states that “today’s LED bulbs can be six-seven times more energy efficient than conventional incandescent lights and cut energy use by more than 80 percent.”

Sweet or Sour

Conserving energy through light bulb choice is just one reason to consider using LED light bulbs in your New York City vending machine. According to a recent study at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) titled “Retail Lighting and Packaging Influence Consumer Acceptance of Fluid Milk,” the type of light and packaging used in retail beverage coolers has an impact on the taste of the milk stored in that container. The researchers found that LED light bulbs caused less oxidation of the milk than fluorescent light bulbs did regardless of packaging type. In other words, the LED light bulbs caused the least amount of change to the structure of the milk resulting in what their participants described as better tasting milk. 

A Healthy Beverage

The taste or flavor of milk is important for New York City residents as they are more likely to purchase milk again if it tastes good. Per the Virginia Tech study, milk stored under LED lighting also retains more nutrients such as riboflavin, vitamins A and D, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and other vitamins and minerals because there has been less breakdown. Calcium, another mineral in milk, helps to build and maintain bones, teeth, and muscle mass in adults and children. In addition to the vitamins and minerals it provides, milk is an excellent source of high-quality protein as there is more protein in one cup of milk than in one large egg.

What combination of small parts do you use to help maintain a healthy lifestyle? Have you considered adding healthy snack and beverages to your office breakroom or local school lunch room? Contact Healthy Vending at 917.572.3671 for more information.

Have you seen the Capital One TV commercial that asks, “What’s in your wallet?” It’s no longer just about what’s in the object that holds the cash and credit cards that you carry in your back pocket or handbag. It’s now about what type of wallet you use – a mobile wallet that holds a variety of credit card, bank account, and loyalty program information, or the one that holds actual cash and credit cards.

Historically, vending machines accepted only cash. As technology changed, so did the types of payments that vending machines allowed. Today, a new option is available that has the potential to increase sales at New York City’s healthy vending machines–the contactless transaction. This type of transaction is not only cashless but also credit cardless. The person purchasing a healthy snack or beverage needs only to carry a smartphone that has a mobile payment app, and he or she can quickly buy that item. Many universities and colleges have already seen an increase in the use of mobile wallets by students. Some of the more well-known mobile payment systems are Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Android Pay, but banks and credit cards are also creating their own mobile payment apps.

Do you use a mobile wallet? If you do, you are part of a segment of the population that is moving toward a cashless society. A June 2016 Gallop Poll found that fewer Americans are using cash for purchases today than they did five years ago. In November 2016, Capital One surveyed 1,805 individuals and found that 24.4% of the participants use a mobile wallet for purchases, and 63.3% of those individuals adopted the technology during the past year. That leaves 76.7% of those who participated in the study who do not use a mobile wallet. Another way to look at it is that there are 1,364 potential new mobile wallet users in the Capital One survey. Or 1,364 potential vending machine users in New York City that could purchase a healthy snack using a mobile wallet.

Digital advertising for contactless transactions or mobile payments also impacts the volume of sales at vending machines. A recent study by USA Technologies, Inc. (USAT) examined the relationship between digital advertising and the use of mobile wallets, specifically Apple Pay, at 35 vending machines in New York and Louisiana. They found that there was a 36.5% increase in overall sales at the machines that promoted the availability of Apple Pay.  Maeve McKenna Duska, senior vice president of marketing and sales at USAT, stated, “Based on our study, we believe that when businesses and operators present consumers with the option to pay for items with Apple Pay, the number of mobile payments made and the amount spent increases.” Given the large volume of vending machines currently being used in New York City and the increasing number of individuals who are switching to mobile wallets, there is an opportunity for growth as sales typically increase when mobile payments are available.

If you are looking for mobile payment options for your New York City healthy breakroom vending machine, contact Healthy Vending at 917.572.3671.