USA Technologies Inc. recently announced that the number of vending machines equipped with its wireless ePort Connect Service technology enabling credit and debit card acceptance has increased 58% within the past year and is on track to hit 100,000 by yearend.
The Malvern, Pa.-based company said 82,000 of its card-acceptance devices were installed on vending machines in the U.S. as of June 30, compared with 52,000 a year earlier. The company expects to install another 18,000 devices by the end of 2010.
Vending machines equipped with ePort technology averaged $1,508 in credit and debit card transactions over an 18-month period that began in January 2009, according to a survey USA Technologies conducted of 41,000 traditional vending machines dispensing beverages, food and snacks.
Credit and debit card transactions accounted for 21% of all sales through the 41,000 vending machines measured, USA Technologies says, up from 15% a year ago.
Certain channels are performing better than others. Card transactions at ePort-equipped vending machines installed in education, business and entertainment venues accounted for about 30% of all sales within the past year, while cards drove 50% of sales through vending machines installed in military locations, the company said.
USA Technologies says 1,050 vending-machine operators have adopted ePort, and the company added 150 customers between April and June.
“Some of our customers are telling us that they already see the day when half of all purchases made in vending machines, kiosks and unattended point-of-sale terminals will be cashless,” Jim Turner, vice president of ePort Deployment for USA Technologies, said in a statement.
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