February/March 2023 - 30

between $4,000 and $5,000, and they only had a two-line
display. Telxon, Psion and Intermap were among the first
handhelds employed by the industry.
DATA STANDARDS
As the vending management system emerged, the industry's
data communication protocols were also under development.
Trade leaders began working on the DEX standard about
30 years ago, and it would be an important integration for
PC-based VMS products. Creating the DEX standard had its
challenges, Kronenberg observed.
" A lot of major companies had proprietary technology, so
Automated Retail Associates
Telxon handheld (front left) with 2-line text display and
proprietary operating system, a vending application
introduced in 1988. Psion HC110 handheld (front center) with a
monochrome graphic display, a vending application introduced
in 1993. It was first handheld with an application for drivers,
which could use DEX. Intermec handheld (front right) with
4-line monochrome text display, a vending application
introduced in 1991. Intermec CN3 (back left) had a graphical
color display and used Windows Mobile; this operating system
was adopted by most handheld manufacturers and provided
flexibility, a vending application introduced in 2008. Psion
Workabout Pro handheld (back right) had a monochrome
graphic display and ran proprietary operating system, a
vending application introduced in 1998.
there were lots of conflicts, " he said. " As a result, negotiations
between companies were extensive, as nobody wanted to give
up their technology. So, the first DEX generation was very
loosely defined and much was left up to interpretation. The
data basically would come from vending equipment and be
sent to the company or implementer via the VMS. "
A big boost to the implementation of VMS came with
the introduction of the Vending Data Interchange (VDI)
standard. In 2009, the National Automatic Merchandising
Association formed a task force to develop machine
standards that guide data-sharing between competing
technologies. Simply, VDI enabled the reliable passing
of information from one application service provider to
another so that multiple providers can contribute to a single
networked solution.
VMS PLANNING
Costs involved in deploying a VMS today are much less and
depend on whether equipment is managed online and offline.
Providers usually charge more for managing online machines,
and there are added costs for cashless payment processing.
" All VMS systems today are based on subscriptions, "
Kronenberg noted. " In the early days, until Vendsys came
along, there was a completely different pricing model. You
purchased the software in a one-time sale, and fees could
be spread out over time. And then you would pay for an
annual maintenance agreement, which was either required or
optional. But until cloud-based solutions arrived at the start
of the new millennium, all software had the same pricing
model: you bought it and paid for support. "
Among today's leading VMS providers are Cantaloupe
Gimme
Gimme's VMS app requires drivers to take pictures of
machines and markets. This provides visuals of planograms,
stockouts and cleanliness.
Inc., Gimme Vending and Nayax, along with machine
manufacturing giant CPI. Additionally, micro market
titan 365 Retail Markets, which recently acquired Parlevel
Systems, provides a variety of management solutions for
markets and vending. ECRS, PayRange and Vagabond
Vending also offer VMS products with distinct features and
loyal users. The following brief overview of Cantaloupe and
Gimme's products shows what VMS products can do today.
30 Automatic Merchandiser * February/March 2023
February/March 2023

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