Some of the best creators of science fiction envision technological advancements decades before they become reality. All you have to do is watch one episode of The Jetsons from 1962 to see the first Zoom, Facetime, online classes, and telehealth appointments. Whether the inspiration comes from stories, science, or one’s own creative genius is neither here nor there; what matters is that those innovations are, frankly, pretty darn cool.

One such innovation is Digital Media Vending International’s (DMVI) Giant Automated Retailers. Simple minds might call them vending machines, but if you have ever stood frustrated in front of an actual vending machine with your potato chips hanging from a coil, stuck, then you would know that these automated retailers have very little in common.

DMVI co-founder and CEO, David Ashforth explains, “Our Giant Automatic Retailers are transforming the concept of vending machines and locked cabinets. Our versatile Automatic Retailers span from 5 feet to 36 feet in width, seamlessly replacing one shelf or an entire store aisle. We've evolved beyond the usual locked cabinets, introducing high-security automated showcases. It's far from your ordinary vending machine; it's where cutting-edge technology elegantly intertwines with design.”

Built by the same manufacturer as all the Apple Products, they mimic luxury store shelves with shiny new goods for purchase. There are no coils to be found, thankfully. The technology behind the retailers is far superior, giving consumers the ability to access the goods they want and need with a swipe of a card.

DMVI isn’t stopping with cool designs and convenience. David explains, “Some really exciting things we're developing right now are artificial intelligence features. Imagine being able to go up to a machine. Let’s say the machine's name is Tina. Customers can say, ‘Hey, Tina, show me all the products inside here that are vegan, or show me all the drill bits that can go through masonry, or show me all the phones that have at least 20-gigabyte cameras.’”

They also have AI technology that will answer any questions without having to find a store employee. David adds, “It will come back with thoughtful, meaningful, correct answers because the answers essentially are provided by the manufacturer of those products, right? We can aggregate all that with artificial intelligence and communicate directly with customers. There are many uses that we can utilize with the touch screen and the consumer user interface that will enhance the customer experience and help them make better decisions.”

The automatic retailers' AI has other advantages as well. The software reports functionalities like how much inventory is left inside. It can also generate reports on what needs to be collected from the warehouse to fill the machine and report what products are and aren’t selling to forecast future sales.

David’s Inspiration

Ashforth started his first company in the UK in 2002, eventually growing it to 330 vending machines before selling it and immigrating to San Francisco in 2009. In San Francisco, he noticed the absence of high-tech vending machines despite the city's tech-centric reputation.

Inspired to bring the future of vending to the city, he worked with an engineer to bring his vision to life. David explains, “This was a brilliant engineer who had never been involved in vending before. So, he really approached it from an angle that was not clouded by previous iterations of vending machines or how the industry already worked. He had a completely different vision for this hardware, and so it meant that he approached it very differently. Our machines with that hopper going around on the inside are very unique. There's really no one who does it like that.”

David adds, “We can dispense a wide variety of products. It opened up the planet and the number of products we could dispense from this hardware.”

Recently, DMVI partnered with a telecommunications company. They will use one of the automatic retailers to dispense phones, tablets, and SIM cards. The machine can grab those devices, activate them while they're still in the machine, and then deliver the person a phone that works right away.

These automated retailers aren’t just convenient for consumers and cool to look at; they are also helping to slow down a $112 billion retail theft crisis as well. Retail theft (or shrinkage as they call it in the industry) is primarily made up of a small fraction of products (10%) that are high-value items such as cosmetics, medications, cigarettes, and electronics.

In response to these thefts, retailers have resorted to locking these items away. While this practice reduces theft, it also hampers sales, as research shows that customers prefer to access products themselves. This barrier can drive customers to other stores for their purchases. As a result, retailers are exploring alternative solutions in order to combat theft.

DMVI's Giant Automatic Retailers provide an effective alternative to traditional lock and key methods. They protect a retailer's most valuable items while maintaining accessibility for consumers, offering a solution that minimizes theft without hindering sales.

David Ashforth’s vision is part science fiction come to life, part functional art, but certainly a solution to retailers' issues. Next time you need a bottle of wine, want to rent a camera, get some hair product, or buy a cupcake, be on the lookout for the futuristic Giant Automated Retailers that are not only cool but convenient for consumers and retailers alike.

To see more fantastic uses of DMVI’s machines, go to digitalmediavending.com