Finalists announced for 2022 Self-Service Innovation Awards| Self-Service Innovation Summit 2022Vending Times

For the third straight year, the Self-Service Innovation Summit will honor products and companies that have excelled in improving the self-service experience. The annual Self-Service Innovation Awards are a highlight of the Summit, which will be Dec. 14-16 at the Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida.

Following the education sessions on Dec. 15, the Summit will present the 2022 Innovation Awards at 5 p.m.

Awards will be presented in five categories: Innovation of the Year B2B, Innovation of the Year B2C, Accessibility, COVID-19 and the Reader’s Choice award.

Readers of Vending Times and Kiosk Marketplace submitted nominations from August through October. A judges panel reviewed the nominations and selected the finalists.

Readers voted on the nominees in the Reader’s Choice Innovator of the Year category.

Following are the finalists in each of the five categories. Photos were provided by companies except where otherwise noted.

Innovation of the Year B2B

Cantaloupe Seed Pro With Hivery Enhanced Integration

Submitted by Cantaloupe Inc.

Image: iStock.

The combination of Cantaloupe Inc.‘s Seed Pro with Hivery Enhance brings the power of AI and machine learning to vending machine merchandising. This integration within the Seed platform lets operators choose the most optimized product mix for their machines, simultaneously saving time and effort on restocking trips and maximizing the sales potential for each machine.

For operators using Seed, this integration provides:

With the combination, operators no longer have to make their best educated guess on how to stock their machines. They can now create customized planograms for each vending machine in their fleet within seconds.

Farmer’s Fridge

Submitted by Farmer’s Fridge

Farmer’s Fridge’s proprietary technology enables its fridges to keep green salads vibrant and tomatoes crisp without any modifications or preservatives in even the most unexpected and underserviced locations. Proprietary software and cost function algorithms forecast demand for each fridge, and Farmer’s Fridge prepares fresh meals and snacks in its Chicago kitchen based on prediction and recommended allocation.

Consumers can view live inventory on a mobile app, ensuring their favorite menu item is available in real time.

The technology not only ensures fridges are optimally stocked based on consumer preferences, but also minimizes food waste and optimizes revenue by only preparing exactly what each fridge is forecast to sell.

A touchscreen menu shares ingredients and nutritional information for full transparency.

Samsung Kiosk Powered by Grubbrr

Submitted by Grubbrr

The Samsung and Grubbrr all-in-one self-ordering kiosk is a comprehensive solution, including both hardware and software, accessible to businesses and locations at a lower price point to further democratize access to kiosk technology.

The solution provides an out-of-the-box kiosk, fully equipped with an FDA-approved antibacterial and antimicrobial screen, high-resolution touch display, speaker, printer, scanner and payment solution that is easily deployed to have a kiosk up and running within a matter of days.

Digital menu boards enable consumers to view high-resolution images of menu items.

The AI software is customizable to feature more popular items prominently, eliminate items that are out of stock or curate menu choices by time of day.

Order progress boards indicate the stage at which the order is progressing operationally.

A kitchen display system routes the order to different preparation areas in the restaurant, advising what items need to be prepared at that station to complete the order.

The kitchen staff place the completed order in the food locker, after which the guest gets a text message advising them to pick up their order in a specified locker.

Innovation of the Year B2C

OrderAI Talk by HungerRush

Submitted by HungerRush

OrderAI Talk by HungerRush allows restaurant guests to place phone orders with an AI powered bot using natural language processing technology.

The solution increases restaurant efficiency and customer satisfaction through improved order accuracy, accurate and complete voice recognition, full-menu integration, no hold times and a fully integrated POS system with order confirmation, delivery and payment options.

Complex menus can be integrated so that phone-in customers can customize orders just as they would if they were in a store or talking to a live person.

OrderAI Talk learns consumer behaviors to engage in upselling and targeted marketing with each call. It also automatically sends customers a text marketing message one week later giving them the ability to reorder via text.

OrderAI Talk allows restaurants to take more orders, cut down on order errors and allow staff to focus their time on customer satisfaction and food quality.

Mashgin, a touchless self-checkout kiosk, now includes multi-tray functionality.

Rather than using barcodes or RFID readers, the Mashgin touchless checkout system uses AI-powered computer vision to recognize and ring up objects up to 10 times faster than traditional checkout with a cashier. Mashgin instantly identifies packaged goods, produce and open plated food items (e.g., a piece of fruit, a salad, combo meal plate, etc.) from any angle.

The multi-tray functionality captures multiple trays of food and combines them into one transaction at checkout.

Where other systems require customers to sign up online, download an app or walk through a turnstile into a store with ubiquitous personal surveillance, Mashgin requires no prior tasks by shoppers.

Submitted by Vispero

JAWS, a screen reader customized specifically for kiosks and closed systems, is now available for kiosks running Android operating systems, opening Android kiosks to the same functionality and usability to serve all customers, including blind and low vision guests.

The original JAWS for Kiosk product is available for Windows and is deployed on thousands of kiosks worldwide, including McDonald’s kiosks nationally.

JAWS for Kiosk adds text-to-speech audio output to self-service kiosks, enabling blind or low vision users to enjoy increased independence when performing tasks such as ordering at a quick service restaurant, filling out private information at a doctor’s office or job application site, voting in an election and more.

Features include a dictionary that administrators can use to customize how JAWS pronounces specific words or abbreviations.

No Internet connection is required for full functionality.

Google Chrome Hardware for Digital Signage Kiosk

Submitted by Google Inc.

Chrome devices offer several features for users with varying degrees of vision loss.

ChromeVox is the built-in screen reader which makes content accessible through synthesized speech and braille. It’s full-featured, giving users enough functionality at their fingertips to accomplish daily tasks.

Chrome devices also have several full screen magnification options, including a docked magnifier that lets the user keep context while zooming in the part of the screen they wish to focus on.

“Select to Speak” is a feature for users who need synthesized speech, but may not need to use a full-featured screen reader. When active, “Select to Speak” allows users to highlight text they want to hear, then reads it aloud.

Chrome devices also have features for users with motor disabilities.

Dictation lets users speak to type text into any edit field.

Automatic clicks pairs with mouse, joystick or head control for users who don’t have the ability to put pressure on the mouse to click.

Switch access is for those with more significant mobility challenges and allows them to interact with their device using one or more switches.

COVID-19

LG Touchless Solutions for Premium Retail Experience Amidst COVID-19

Submitted by Merge

LG Vendor Pad provides moments of immersion and excitement in a retail environment, along with guided product demos.

All of the interactions are trackable digital touchpoints, where LG is able to monitor shopper interactions, session length, shopper pathways, content engagement and mobile versus physical engagement of the tablet through a digital-first framework.

To convert traditional in-store demos into contactless experiences, LG used motion sensors to replace buttons and brought the physical tablet experience to shoppers’ mobile phones, allowing them to control LG displays and demos without having to touch buttons.

Shoppers are able to control the TVs via their mobile devices after scanning a QR code.

Monyx Wallet

Submitted by Nayax

Monyx Wallet is a mobile wallet from Nayax Ltd., which incorporates a touch-free feature that can be configured by operators integrating Nayax’s VPOS Touch cashless payment solution into their vending machines using protocol 4.3 MDB and above. This enables consumers to purchase and pay at a vending machine, directly through the digital app.

Operators can configure the product maps in the Nayax management suite to enable this functionality in Monyx Wallet. When consumers choose the machine within the app, they see a product map display to choose the desired product. Once the product is chosen, payment is performed within the app. The product is then released from the machine.

Monyx Wallet is suitable for closed and open environments. In addition to the touch-free feature, Monyx Wallet lets the operator digitize the refund process, thereby reducing operational costs.

The wallet also enables customizable digital loyalty programs to enrich the customer experience by providing happy hour sales, cashback, gamification and more.

Reader’s Choice Innovator of the Year

Brooklyn Dumpling Shop

Submitted by Fransmart

Launched in 2021, Brooklyn Dumpling Shop is a fast casual dumpling restaurant based on the historic Automat vending machine concept that keeps food at the proper temperature. But unlike the Automat, which used a coin insert to unlock the food locker, Brooklyn Dumpling Shop uses a code texted to the guest or delivery driver for pickup.

The marked locker opens automatically when the guest scans their texted barcode.

Pickup lockers storing hot food feature red lighting, indicating they are at 100 degrees. Chilled lockers are blue-lit and set at 28 degrees, while auburn-lit lockers are at room temperature.

The company has also implemented online/app ordering and kiosk ordering.

GoTab Inc. has introduced point-of-sale, on-demand mobile ordering and payments and kitchen display systems to help restaurants, bars, food halls, sports, hotel and event food and beverage retailers improve sales and reduce labor costs.

This past July, GoTab launched its EasyTab that bridges traditional service with digital, on-demand ordering, reordering and payment.

Guests can open a tab via QR code or through a server. When prompted to keep the tab open, the server or guest dips or swipes the card provided for payment and enters the guest’s mobile number.

A link to the open tab is then sent via text allowing the guest to access the tab on their mobile device, enabling them to order, reorder and pay from anywhere in the venue. And since the payment method is automatically applied to the open tab, guests can split or settle the tab without waiting for a check or going to the counter.

To register for the Summit, click here.