Why prize and toy vending is now a key ingredient within the amusement mix.
The role of novelty, capsule and vending within children’s entertainment is an important one. Children are keen to see that their play experience continues beyond the arcade and here, vending comes into its own.
Parents, too, are keen to see that they get value for money so spending money on a game that lasts only a few seconds will be less appealing than their child being able to take an item home with them to continue playing with or to collect. Today, prizes range from sweets to high-end consumer electronics – finding the correct balance between desirability and playability is therefore key.
In short, said Sega Amusements Europe’s Justin Burke, vending enables amusement location operators to introduce a retail element to their operation. This, he said, can broaden the consumer base quite considerably. “It’s an opportunity to offer decent prizes and introduces a retail angle, enabling operators to become a retailer in some sense. It also allows you to introduce machines that are different to traditional amusement equipment and attract a more casual, transient crowd.”
Sega’s Keymaster has proven to be a “phenomenon” in this area, he said, thanks to its simple and intuitive playability.
This article can be read in full in the December issue of InterGame.
