CORONA, Calif., Oct. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AVT, Inc. (formerly Automated Vending Technologies), (Pink Sheets: AVTC), said today that Automatic Merchandiser, a leading publication in the vending industry, is reporting that AVT has done more extensive testing than any other company of liquid crystal display (LCD) screens for vending machines.
"In recent years, AVT has successfully placed its machines, equipped with proprietary hardware and software, at diverse vending locations," says the article, entitled "Digital Media Revolution is Coming," and authored by Michael Kasavana, Ph.D., who is an endowed professor at Michigan State University and an expert on vending technologies.
"AVT is both a vending machine operator and manufacturer and has developed its own vending management software and hardware," Dr. Kasavana writes. The thesis of his article is that digital media will effectively increase traffic, sales, revenues and loyalty for the vending industry.
Dr. Kasavana writes that AVT's glassfront machines feature a 7-inch wide LCD screen, located above the selection keypad, playing pre-recorded, streaming video advertising content. Video and media content are downloaded to the systems PC via a connection to the Internet, which allows content to be transferred to the machine remotely. The LCD screen relies on the same PC connection that allows remote access of other machine activities such as cashless vending, machine sales activity and system diagnostics.
During the past year, AVT tested streaming video commercials in 10 of its machines in cooperation with select vending product suppliers. These machines displayed commercials for a variety of products, including Otis Spunkmeyer Inc., Living Essentials Inc. (maker of 5-hour Energy) and Tropicana Products Inc.
Another 10 machines serving similar populations were configured with identical product offerings but without the video screens for comparison purposes. As a side note, the machines involved in the test did not have cashless readers.
The company has reported that the machines featuring the video commercials experienced sales increases of 20 to 30 percent over the machines without the broadcast content. While these tests are only a first step, they demonstrate the potential impact digital media can have on sales of promoted items.
One AVT representative compared the content of the vending video screens to TV infomercials, which have proven to be a successful sales tool. Simply stated, this approach is a powerful form of point of sale advertising, Dr. Kasavana concludes.
AVT founder Shannon Illingworth stated, "We are delighted with this important article and the understanding that Dr. Kasavana has that the revolution we are bringing to the vending industry combines both the real opportunity for increased merchandising of products in the machine as well as obtaining revenues from saleable advertising spots. It was recently reported that the sales in the vending industry totaled $23 billion in 2007. We are pleased to be a key part of such a growing industry."
ABOUT AVT:
AVT, Inc. (Pink Sheets: AVTC - News) is a vending solutions provider based in Corona, California that has developed several significant vending machine technologies that yield a more efficient and reliable yet technically advanced system. This advanced technology provides methods for cashless payment, credit card and debit card use, dynamic advertising with remote tracking and inventory management. AVT has grown privately for five years and has a strong balance sheet with current revenues, inventory and assets. AVT currently serves more than 300 government and commercial vending accounts in Southern California.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including the failure to complete successfully the development of new or enhanced products, the Company's future capital needs, the lack of market demand for any new or enhanced products the Company may develop, any actions by the Company's partners that may be adverse to the Company, the success of competitive products, other economic factors affecting the Company and its markets, seasonal changes, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The actual results may differ materially from those contained in this press release. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any statements in this press release.
Contact:
AVT, Inc.
James Winsor
951-737-1057
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