August 9, 2010—Apriva, the leading provider of end-to-end wireless transactions and secure information solutions, has announced that it is working with MWJ LLC, the operator of numerous food concessions at the Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport, to manage a cashless vending solution at 48 vending machines throughout the airport’s concourses. The machines offer travelers an array of food and beverage items, such as Coca-Cola products, along with ice cream and packaged snacks.
“We operate in an environment where long concession lines and harried, time-pressed customers are the norm,” explains Casandra Harmon, MWJ’s director of operations. “Many times, passengers do not have the coins or bills required to make purchases at cash-only vending machines. Our cashless vending initiative allows us to better serve customers by giving them the convenience of paying by card if they choose and avoid the long lines of food courts between flights. Not only does it offer a benefit to our passengers, cashless has helped grow our sales by some 18 per cent—a staggering number within our industry.”
An end-to-end solution, Apriva Vend gives operators the ability to cost-effectively integrate cashless vending into their operations. The comprehensive services incorporate system hardware and software, wireless connectivity, reporting capabilities, and integration with leading payment processors and financial institutions. Apriva Vend also includes participation in Apriva’s “Cashless Coach” program, providing operators with ongoing guidance and support to ensure peak performance.
According to Harmon, MWJ has witnessed steady growth in the usage of card-based payments. In 2008, MWJ reported that some 10 per cent of all vending machine sales were cashless. In 2010, MWJ has seen that figure rise to 18 percent. Harmon feels that the growth in credit card sales has helped MWJ maintain a steady bottom line, even in a down economy.
“Accepting credit cards has allowed us to tap into a growing consumer market that has now become very comfortable with the notion of paying by card,” explains Harmon. “In environments like ours, where customers may not have ready access to small bills and coins, it makes a noticeable difference in boosting sales.” MWJ also finds that cashless vending is less time-intensive than its cash operations, where money must be collected, counted, bagged, and sent to the bank.
Mollie Roseman, who oversees MWJ’s financial operations, agrees with this assessment. “From an accounting and financial performance perspective, cashless payments are far easier—and less expensive—to process than cash. From a reporting perspective, Apriva provides us with comprehensive data that allows us to keep tabs on the business on a continuous basis. These solutions have played a major role in allowing us to remain efficient and profitable.”
“Operators like MWJ are proving that with the right locations and business profiles, cashless vending enables operators can grow sales and reduce costs across the entire business,” says Bill Clark, executive vice president and general manager for Apriva. “Its ability to provide new levels of convenience is proven to attract new customers, increase retention of existing ones, and improve profitability across the organization.”
“The Apriva team has proven to be a responsive, knowledgeable, and vested partner,” concludes Harmon. “They have made our transition to cashless solutions a completely positive experience.”
For more information, visit www.AprivaVend.com.
About Apriva
Founded in 1999, Apriva is the leading provider of end-to-end wireless transactions and secure information messaging solutions that meet the exacting security and reliability requirements of financial services providers, government entities, and public service sectors. Through its two operating groups, Apriva Point of Sale (POS) and Apriva Information Security Systems (ISS), the company offers customers fully-managed, end-to-end, security solutions that incorporate hardware, software, network infrastructure and management tools. For more information, visit www.apriva.com.
Apriva Contacts:
Robin Houston
Apriva
480-421-7033
rhouston@staging.apriva.com
Glenn Goldberg
Parallel Communications Group
516-705-6116
ggoldberg@parallelpr.com