Pepsi vending machines connected by wireless

CHICAGO -- U. S. Wireless Data and PepsiAmericas are expanding a wireless vending initiative that Pepsi started in Memphis last January. You can now pay with plastic at Pepsi vending machines at Chicago's Navy Pier and Woodfield Mall.

The new vending machines will not only accept coins and cash, but credit cards too, which means consumers will be able to enjoy their favorite Pepsi beverage even when they are short on change. Initial plans will place as many as 80 new machines at the two locations.

It addition to providing more options for payment, the new technology also connects vending machines to a wireless network, allowing PepsiAmericas, the nation's second largest Pepsi bottler, to go online and view real-time vending machine status. Knowing exactly when to re-fill their vending machines and provide service will help PepsiAmericas operate with increased efficiency. For consumers, the resulting improvements will help ensure that they always find machines full and in good working order, the company said.

Wireless vending

"We're optimistic about the upside potential of this expansion," said Mark Schafer, vice president of on premise strategy and customer development of PepsiAmericas. "Not only will we gain real-time insight about the status of the wireless vending machines, we also hope to gain incremental sales because customers won't be limited by the cash on-hand when they want one of the many refreshing beverages Pepsi offers."

"Our tests in other cities have shown that our Synapse wireless technology dramatically improves the vending experience," said Dean M. Leavitt, Chairman and CEO of U.S. Wireless Data. "We are excited to be expanding the program to include one of the largest Pepsi bottlers in the country."

PepsiAmericas is the number-two anchor bottler in the Pepsi system with operations in 18 states as well as Puerto Rico, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Republic of Slovakia. In total, the company serves an area with a population of more than 117 million people. PepsiAmericas manufactures, distributes and markets a broad portfolio of Pepsi-Cola and other regional brands. PepsiCo holds approximately a 37.3 percent equity interest in PepsiAmericas. 

U.S. Wireless Data makes credit card and ATM transactions faster and more cost effective. USWD connects credit card processing companies to their merchant clients. Using wireless and landline technology, USWD provides improved transport, data translation, and value-added processing. In addition, by enabling wireless point of sale terminals, USWD adds speed and mobility that has been unachievable in the past. USWD now handles more than 600 million transactions each year through its centralized computer center and nationwide network.