Pepsi takes vending machines high-tech

There are some things that really need to have massive touchscreens, WiFi connectivity, and YouTube integration. PepsiCo believes that soda vending machines do, in fact, fall into that category. The company has been testing out what is quite easily the most high-tech vending machine in the country, and plans remain underway to roll out more of them in 2013.
They’re called Pepsi Interactive Vending machines, and for the most part their purpose is still to just sell you an overpriced bottle of sugar water. For those who want to have an online social experience before getting your ice-cold beverage, though, these newfangled machines offer exactly that.
The most interesting feature is the ability to “gift” a soda to a friend. You pay for it, the machine sends an email or text message to your friend with a unique code, and then that friend can enter the code on any other Pepsi Interactive machine to redeem your very generous gift. There is also an option to watch featured Pepsi-related YouTube videos on the large display, fully angering the people standing behind you who want to get their own soda.
If this concept sounds familiar, you’re not crazy. Pepsi first introduced this machine last year, but the company has been hard at work trying to figure out how to optimize the experience.
The machines now have a new interface, and the integration with YouTube is also deeper than it was last year, offering newer and a wider selection of videos. In addition, the machines now also include a mini-game that players can try out in order to win a free soda.
Perhaps with a future firmware update, customers could also post updates to Facebook and Twitter about their Pepsi purchase. Who knows what else this could lead to? For now, the machines are only available at malls in Oregon, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Pennsylvania, but PepsiCo will be launching more of them next year.
More at Pepsi Interactive Vending via The Daily Meal