The kiosk shift, part 4: The real cost starts after deployment

by Ben Wheeler — Dir. of Business Dev. - Automated Retail, T-ROC

Operating a kiosk fleet takes more than low-cost hardware. Remote management, security updates, diagnostics, standardization and long-term support shape total…

Vending people and company news, week ending Nov. 5, 2026

by Richard Slawsky — Editor, Connect Media

Gary Crompton, president and CEO of Aramark's Workplace Experience Group, has received the Jay B. Silverstein Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for…

The kiosk shift, part 3: From USB chaos to smarter kiosk architecture

by Ben Wheeler — Dir. of Business Dev. - Automated Retail, T-ROC

Modular kiosk design separates customer interfaces, payments and mechanical controls, helping operators diagnose faults, replace components and standardize…

People and company news, week ending Oct. 30, 2026

by Richard Slawsky — Editor, Connect Media

Intercard has appointed Marcos Gonzalez as its Latin America and Caribbean sales manager, according to a press release. Gonzalez brings more than 15 years of…

The kiosk shift, part 2: Beyond USB — how Android is rethinking kiosk I/O

by Ben Wheeler — Dir. of Business Dev. - Automated Retail, T-ROC

Android and ARM are changing kiosk design by enabling modular systems that connect and manage complex peripherals without relying on traditional Windows PCs.

People and company news, week ending Oct. 23, 2026

by Richard Slawsky — Editor, Connect Media

Sacoa Cashless System has expanded its partnership with Play Game with a new installation at the Play Game Panda World entertainment center in Haifa, Israel.

Beyond remote monitoring: Turning equipment data into restocking, merchandising and service decisions

Connected vending machines generate valuable data, but visibility alone doesn't improve profitability. Nathan Yin of NexMart Smart explains how operators can…

Inside the 2026 NACS Show: Self-checkout, smart vending, and the rise of the autonomous convenience hub

by Ben Wheeler — Dir. of Business Dev. - Automated Retail, T-ROC

The 2026 NACS Show highlighted the growing convergence of convenience retail, vending and self-service technology. From AI-powered checkout and smart coolers…

The kiosk shift: Why Android and ARM are gaining ground in automated retail

by Ben Wheeler — Dir. of Business Dev. - Automated Retail, T-ROC

As Android and ARM-based hardware gain ground in automated retail, Windows faces growing competition. T-ROC's Ben Wheeler examines how licensing, energy…

People and company news, week ending Oct. 16, 2026

by Richard Slawsky — Editor, Connect Media

NCR Voyix and the National Association of Convenience Stores have integrated the TruAge digital age-verification system into NCR Voyix point-of-sale…

LTL vs. dedicated trucking: What really gets a kiosk to revenue faster?

by Ben Wheeler — Dir. of Business Dev. - Automated Retail, T-ROC

Less-than-truckload, or LTL, shipping gives operators the ability to move individual kiosks or smaller groups without waiting to fill an entire truck.

Beyond the storefront: ARKI keynote explores future of autonomous commerce

by Richard Slawsky — Editor, Connect Media

Linda Johansen-James, founder and CEO of International Retail Group, will keynote, "Retail Without Walls: The Rise of Autonomous Commerce," at the upcoming…

Purpose-built automated retail: Designing for payment security and resilience

by Ben Wheeler — Dir. of Business Dev. - Automated Retail, T-ROC

A common mistake is designing every function of the kiosk around one shared connection and assuming that connection will always be available.

Automated retail is never "ship and forget"

by Ben Wheeler — Dir. of Business Dev. - Automated Retail, T-ROC

A kiosk should never be treated as a product that gets shipped to a location and forgotten. It should be treated as one endpoint in a larger operating network.

Leaner automated retail, part 2: Give the hardware a second life

by Ben Wheeler — Dir. of Business Dev. - Automated Retail, T-ROC

For operators managing large fleets, one of the most practical sustainability strategies may be extending the useful life of equipment already on the balance…

Leaner automated retail, part 1: Cutting energy and unnecessary service miles

by Ben Wheeler — Dir. of Business Dev. - Automated Retail, T-ROC

The sustainability conversation in automated retail should start somewhere practical: How can we operate the network with less waste?

Beyond the kiosk: Why AI in retail still needs a human purpose

We’re moving from technology that waits for the customer to figure out what to ask toward systems that can participate in the conversation, but the opportunity…

The fresh food frontier, part 3: The cold chain becomes a data problem

by Ben Wheeler — Dir. of Business Dev. - Automated Retail, T-ROC

Fresh automated retail creates an unusual challenge. The store may be unattended, but the food cannot be unmanaged.

The fresh food frontier, part 2: Fresh vs. frozen is an operating decision

by Ben Wheeler — Dir. of Business Dev. - Automated Retail, T-ROC

Once an operator decides to offer meals through automated retail, another question appears quickly: Fresh or frozen?

Protecting the unattended: Let's count the ways

by Dale Laszig — Founder, DSL Direct LLC

As vending machines lean into the digital world, transmitting temperatures, inventory levels, machine health and other data to vending management systems…