Brands Can Benefit from PopCom’s Intelligent Kiosks
PopCom Combines Vending and IOT
Legend has it that the first vending machine was invented in the first-century by a Greek inventor and professor who wanted to prevent temple visitors from taking more holy water than they paid for.
Now, two thousand years later, vending machines have evolved to kiosks, and the Internet of Things (IoT) has become technology’s holy grail.
PopCom is an automated retail technology company at the forefront of this game-changing wave. The startup produces software for intelligent vending machines and digital kiosks.
PopCom Kiosks Combine Elegance with Innovation
Not only are the kiosks very cool-looking; there are so many things these machines can do, from selling products, to gathering customer demographic data, to delivering targeted messaging.
With an advertising screen to deliver targeted content and a point of sale screen to complete the sales transaction, or whatever call-to-action the brand selects, PopCom kiosks attract crowds.
“People like to play with technology,” said Dawn Dickson, PopCom CEO. “They want to be hands on. For example, in exchange for an email, a potential customer can play a game to earn a discount in the retailer’s store. The kiosk can gain market intelligence through questionnaires, surveys, and product demonstrations.”
The kiosks also feature facial recognition, which opens the way for all kinds of exciting marketing initiatives.
Bringing Marketing Creativity to Visionary Technology
“We’ve been building the technology for the last two years for brands and retailers who want to use our patent-pending design to create a new way to sell products and generate leads,” Dickson said.
PopCom has partnered with KIOSK Information Systems, a leading U.S. manufacturer of high-quality self-service solutions. KIOSK is ISO9001:2008 certified and is compliant with American (ADA) and European Disability Access). More than 50 percent of the firm’s production is custom solutions.
More than a dozen companies are evaluating the PopCom software and kiosks. Walmart invited PopCom to participate in the Walmart Pop-Up Shop at the 2018 Essence Festival in New Orleans in July.
PopCom Chooses Columbus for Its Concentration of Retailers, Talent, and Livability
Dickson, a Columbus native who brings more than a decade of experience as a serial entrepreneur, relocated PopCom from the East Coast to Columbus. “Central Ohio mirrors national demographics and is ideal for market testing and validation,” she said.
“I wanted to work with some of the flagship retail brands,” she said. “There are so many executives with strong national brands in the retail sector in Columbus. We are looking forward to signing up local businesses to do pilots with us. We want our hometown companies to benefit from the solid business case for our technology and the competitive advantages PopCom can bring.”
Dickson’s dream is to have a kiosk in Easton Town Center “There are so many brands that would do well in one of our kiosks in that environment,” she said.
Dickson echoes what a lot of entrepreneurs and investors are saying about Columbus—that it’s a great place to start a company.
“The cost of living and the lack of traffic is great,” she said. “Great talent is affordable; so is the cost of office space, and being an Ohio State graduate, it’s great to come back. We want to build a big business here. We are looking for businesses in the community to work with as partners. We want to hire from the community; we want to be all about Columbus and Central Ohio.”
