Issue Date: Vol. 52, No. 1, January 2012, Posted On: 1/4/2012
Japanese Venders Draw Patrons With WiFi
by Staff Reporter
vending, vending machine, Asahi, Asahi soft drinks, Wi-Fi vending machine, Japanese vending machine, soda vending machine
TOKYO -- Japanese drink giant Asahi is planning to deploy 1,000 vending machines equipped with WiFi over the next 12 months. The beverage company, which currently operates about 250,000 vending machines in Japan, is reportedly targeting 10,000 WiFi machines in the field by 2017.
The service is free and doesn't even require users to buy drinks from enabled machines. Service is available in 30-minute intervals to users within the hotspot, which covers 150 ft. to 200 ft. They can log back in for another round once their initial 30 minutes times out.
Asahi's hope is that people will end up buying drinks after standing near the vending machine to get a WiFi signal.
TOKYO -- Japanese drink giant 
