BW Confidential - Issue #17 - March/April 2014 - (Page 50)

Retail Vending machines The automatic sale Will vending machines become a serious distribution platform for beauty? by Naomi Marcoulet V ending machines have been successful for snacks and beverages, but the fact that there are not more selling beauty has been telling. Trials from a handful of companies, including Sephora, Chanel and World Duty Free Group, have proven that beauty vending machines work in certain situations and with certain products. One company that has tapped into the market is 3FLOZ, which distributes travel-sized essentials in places like airports and holiday resorts. "Our business continues to expand both through the placement of additional stores in airports and our 3FLOZ.com e-commerce platform. The true travel essentials are what sell best for us," says 3FLOZ co-founder and co-ceo Kate Duff. "It all comes down to convenience and making it easy for people to get the 50 products while they are on the go." Neil Mackay, director of Beautiful Vending UK, also points to the convenience factor in locations like bars, nightclubs, gyms and " With vending machines for beauty brands, you don't have to worry about theft. You can also have a limited, almost edited, array of products " BeautyMart co-founder and managing director Millie Kendall shopping malls. "Customers don't plan to use the machine in advance; if it's there and they need it, then they will use it," he explains. Location is one of the keys to success in automated vending. "The vending machine has its uses in a place where there cannot be a store or a salesperson," explains Bertrand Esclasse co-founder and associate director of retail design agency Design Day. "It requires little thought about the purchase, is inexpensive and does not surprise. I don't think a consumer necessarily wishes to address a machine more than a human, or that much interest lies in putting a machine in a perfumery like Sephora, where there is a salesperson." Meanwhile, pop-up vending machines have been good at generating buzz and March-April 2014 - N°17 - BW Confidential http://www.3FLOZ.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BW Confidential - Issue #17 - March/April 2014

Cover
Comment
Contents
Update
Brand & retail news recap
Companies on the move
Take note Market facts, figures & trends
Best of BW Highlights from our e-publication
Launches The latest in fragrance, skincare & make-up
Interview Guerlain ceo Laurent Boillot
Insight: Make-up
Category overview
Budget brands
The latest trends
Retail
Innovative strategies
Retail
Vending machines
Store concepts
Digital Social media content
Market watch: Latin America
Regional overview
Mexico: country analysis
Mexico: prestige retailing
Colombia: country analysis
Colombia: prestige retailing
Argentina: country analysis
Argentina: prestige retailing
Radar A profile of six up-and-coming beauty brands
Emerging markets Company profile: Mahogany
Travel retail: Brazilian travelers
Analysis
Industry viewpoint
Packaging: Decoration techniques
Trends analysis
Innovations
Last word Diagonal Reports analyst Jacqueline Clarke

BW Confidential - Issue #17 - March/April 2014