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Mike Sweeney

Mike Sweeney

Teach a Dog New Tricks

I tried to teach my dog, Enzo, a new trick the other day.  Enzo is a rescue, saved from a puppy mill.  Standing at about 14 lbs, this Lhasapoo (poodle-Lhasa Apso mix), is now about 13 years old.  Pretty old for a dog.  Apparently, the Lhasa Aspo originated with Tibetan Monks as guards.  True, not from intimidating size rather they barked- I’ve learned very annoyingly- when anyone came near a monk.  We are trying to teach Enzo to not bark.  It’s not working.  I guess the saying IS true- at least where Enzo is concerned-it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks.

Rooted in change management initiatives belies the idea of “Teach an old dog new tricks”.  If you are said “old dog” this saying may not be the most motivating.   I suppose most of us that have been in the industry have developed experience that helps us understands what works and what takes more effort than what it’s worth.  We shouldn’t confuse learning new “Tricks” with continuous improvement.  This “old dog” IS interested in finding new ways to make current tasks more efficient and existing investments more productive.  Growth requires that new technology and approaches be explored to unlock new revenue streams or extract more output from our organization.

How many coolers to we have in the market?

I was floored the other day talking to a Beverage Industry Executive about how many coolers they had deployed across the United States.  Tens of Thousands. There are some companies that have over 1 million coolers deployed across the world.  Crazy! The most overused term in the beverage industry is “If it’s cold, it’s sold” and it’s true.  Tens of thousands of cooler assets translation to tens of MILLIONS of dollars invested in selling beverages.   These investments are for the assets themselves, triple the investment for placement fees and labor to service.  In today’s inflationary environment, we need to make sure that coolers generate the maximum revenue possible wherever they are placed.

A watched pot never boils

The shopper is unpredictable.  You never really know when the impulse to “grab a coke” hits you.   Like waiting for water to boil, investing in someone to sit and wait for someone to purchase a beverage doesn’t always pay out.  There is a reason why “Self-Checkout” is one of the biggest retail movements in the past decade.  Self-serve.  I want it now.  Don’t patronize me, I’m capable of paying for this without you.  Besides, have the time no one is available to check me out anyway.  The shopper is consistently telling retailers to “get out of the way, I’ve got this”.

Frictionless Retail

Technology exists today to leverage this shopper behavior by retrofitting beverage coolers with AI-Technology that makes nearly any cooler a self-serve, vending machine.  Using your phone to unlock the cooler while cameras record what was bought.   “If it’s cold, it’s sold” meets “I’ve got this” by leveraging current assets and AI-Technology to capture more sales.  The company doing this is InstaGNG.com.  Check them out.  When we make buying things easier, anywhere especially impulse beverages, we sell more.  When we take “Friction” out of the selling things with AI Technology, we free up traditional retailers to sell beyond traditional hours, even 24/7.

Please check out other blogs that take on topics where  InstaGnG helps Brands, Retailers, Distributors and Wholesalers expand their vending offerings.

For more information contact Ricardo Silva at +1 (737) 222-3470.

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