Vending Hot & Cold Drinks
Product: Hot OR Cold Drinks
Brand: Various
Retailer: Vending
Type: Vending
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Vending machines that serve hot AND cold drinks are everywhere in Japan. In this picture, the drinks with the price in red are served hot and the drinks with the price in blue are served cold. Seems obvious that this would be available everywhere (since hot and cold drinks are enjoyed worldwide) but they are not. Why not? I know that I often have wished that I could get a hot cup of coffee out of a vending machine… Even if it is in a ready-to-drink can or bottle…
Sometimes the retail limitations of a given market seem to limit innovation. In this example, US marketers might say that c-store retailers are not setup to serve hot drinks, or that US vending machines can’t serve hot drinks. However, there are numerous examples of how smart marketers have overcome this type of challenge and in the process differentiated themselves from their competitors. Breakthrough products often come from the delivery of a better solution or product delivered to consumers in new ways.
Innovation Pattern: Redefine the Retail Delivery Model
Sparks: (Ideas for how to reapply this pattern in another product category)
- How could new retail hardware enable a better consumer solution?
- Where (non-typical retail locations) would consumers really want to buy your product?
- How could your product be perceived as being more premium?
- How could you make the delivery of your product more sensorial?
