A vending machine usually earns when a customer makes a purchase.

A coffee is sold.
A snack is selected.
A drink is paid for.

That will always be the core business.

But in strong locations, a vending machine also has another value: attention.

People stop in front of it. They look at the products. They wait while a drink is prepared. They see the screen before they decide what to buy.

For operators, that attention can have commercial value.

With Elysium, the Coges smart screen, selected vending machines can become more than points of sale. They can also become visible digital spaces for advertising, product promotion and brand campaigns.

The machine has the location.
The screen creates the space.
The audience gives that space value.

And that can create a potential new income stream for operators.

1. Rent out screen space in high value locations

Some vending machines are placed in locations that brands want to reach: offices, universities, gyms, hospitals, factories, transport areas and business centres.

With Elysium, the screen can become advertising space in those locations.

A brand pays to appear on selected screens. The location owner approves the content. The operator receives income for making that screen space available.

This is not about turning every machine into an advertising channel. It only works where the location has enough audience value.

A similar model is already used in adjacent unattended retail. Olyns uses reverse vending machines with large digital screens as part of a retail media network. The useful principle is simple: when a machine has a visible screen and a valuable audience, that screen can become commercial space.

For vending operators, the question becomes practical:

Which machines in the estate have enough visibility to be worth more than their product sales alone?

2. Promote brands already sold in the machine

The second opportunity is closer to the operator’s existing business.

Operators already work with food and drink brands. But inside a vending machine, even good products can be missed. A new drink, premium snack or seasonal product may need more visibility than the shelf can provide.

Elysium can promote those products directly on the screen while the customer is choosing.

Broderick, a Coges customer and one of the UK’s leading vending operators, shows how this can work in practice. Through MediaVend, Broderick gives brands visibility on vending machine screens in high footfall areas. In its Monster Energy case study, the campaign used video advertising and point of purchase communication directly where customers were making buying decisions.

For operators, this creates real business value.

It can support supplier funded campaigns.
It can help launch new products.
It can make selected items more visible.
It can strengthen commercial discussions with FMCG partners.

The operator is not only offering distribution. They are offering distribution plus digital visibility at the machine.

That is a stronger offer for brands.

3. Turn machines into campaign points

Some brands want more than visibility. They want people to try a product, scan a code, claim a discount or take part in a campaign.

A smart vending machine can support this without staff on site.

The screen shows the campaign. A QR code guides the customer. The machine distributes the sample, discount or campaign product.

This model is already used in smart vending. Dropfoods presents connected vending machines as a channel for video advertising, product sampling, QR interactions and brand activation campaigns.

For brands, it is a practical way to reach people in real locations. For operators, it gives the machine another role: not only selling products, but supporting paid brand activity.

This can be relevant in offices, campuses, gyms, hospitals and other locations with a clear, repeatable audience.

A closer look at what you can show on the screen

Advertising value depends on attention.

Elysium supports video or static content in two useful moments: during drink preparation, when the customer is already in front of the screen, and in standby mode, when moving content can attract passers by.

It also allows operators to adapt product images, brand logos, product names and prices. This makes the screen useful not only for the customer interface, but also for product visibility, brand campaigns and local promotions.

You can read more about these screen options in our article: Elysium: a closer look at what you can customise on the screen

A more commercial way to look at high value machines

Not every machine needs to become an advertising point.

But some machines already have the location, traffic and audience that brands want to reach.

Elysium gives those machines a modern customer interface and a visible space for product promotions, partner campaigns or approved advertising.

For operators, this creates a more commercial way to evaluate selected upgrades: not only by the screen itself, but by the value of the location behind it.