NEC, Suntory, and Kirin are eyeing vending machines that take multiple forms of E-money.
Some 10 other firms are in on the plan as well.
By next year the group wants to deploy the beginning of 500,000 vending machines that will have an e-money reader that can accept up to eight kinds of e-money including Suica, Edy, and iD.
Coca-Cola can accept e-money but no one company can handle all e-money types.
NEC will process payments.
With e-money, there is no need to collect coins and the risk of theft is reduced.
E-money will also be able to keep track of buyer's age and gender.
The 12 Japan Automatic Merchandising Association (JAMA) members own and operated about 1.3 million vending machines, half of the total in Japan.
Each year Japan sells Y2.5 trillion worth of soft drinks via vending machines.
Sanden Corp will make the new e-money vending machines.
So I can buy calpis with my keitai?! great.
There is a neat book that talks about how certain technological innovations (like the convergence of so many technologies into one little phone) are flattening the world. It's called The World Is Flat, good book (it talks a lot about India and China too). Have you heard of it?
Posted by: Tori | November 18, 2007 11:03 PM | Permalink to Comment