august2024 - 16

ing the micro market concept to
current and potential clients. " People
just love micro markets, " added
Jen. The company began working
with 365 Retail Markets from the
beginning, which Jen says has been
a valuable partnership. " We do all of
our micro market, equipment and
software kiosks through them. "
Jen and Jon particularly like the
fact that the 365 Connected Campus
allows customers to stay connected
on one system. " We can offer an allinclusive
food and beverage program
through one software, one system
and one market card, which has
allowed us to be this one-stop-shop
for some of our larger customers, "
said Jen. This technology offering not
only appeals to customers, but it is
also important to the advancement
of the industry, the Cortos believe.
" Vending companies can't stay
stagnant in this industry, because
someone will step in with something
bigger and better, so you've got to
stay up on the technology, " Jen said.
Buffalo Strive began using
Lightspeed Automation early on,
which helped transform the warehouse
by streamlining operations.
OPERATION PROFILE
Buffalo Strive
Vending
Founded: 2011
Headquarters: Orchard Park,
N.Y.
Number of Employees: 70
Number of Vending Machines:
Over 350
Number of Micro Markets:
Over 80
Number of Routes: 11
she said. " That's so different from
today where everything connects. All
of the technology talks to each other
now. It's amazing. I think without
technology in this industry, you're
not moving forward, " she added.
Technology has been important
to Buffalo Strive since the beginning
because they have always wanted to
They also integrated VendSys vending
management software in 2015 to
bring the company's data into one
convenient place. Both Lightspeed
and VendSys have allowed Buffalo
Strive to grow and expand. When
she thinks about how she picked
routes in the early days, Jen laughs.
" I think we started with technology
that pulled up one route at a time
and you could print a packing slip, "
give customers multiple ways to pay.
" We wanted to do vending in a new
light, with innovation and technology, "
Jen said. Since 2011, the company
has offered credit card readers
on every machine and has included
other forms of digital payments as
they've become available. " Jon goes
to the NAMA Show every year to see
what's out there and to see how we
can do things better, bigger and how
can we 'wow' people with the newest
technology out there, " Jen added.
One of the newest technological
additions to the company has been
the integration of ZippyAssist,
which allows operators to provide
immediate refunds to customers. A
form of artificial intelligence (AI),
ZippyAssist automates customer
service by sending a customer complaint
or product request directly to a
Offering fresh food in its micro markets, prepared by its chefs in a large onsite commissary at its facility, is one of the ways
Buffalo Strive differentiates itself from other companies - and delivers the customer service it values. " Customers can tell when
a sandwich is frozen, thawed and put in a cooler, and it doesn't taste as good as one made fresh that morning, " said Jen Corto.
16 Automatic Merchandiser * August 2024

august2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of august2024