Over the years, there was always talk among operators about somehow using the front of a vending machine for advertising. Or maybe the little screen on a bean to cup brewer would work. Or – how about a monitor in a micro market? Ten years ago, it was just talk and it seemed like science fiction.

Today, advertising in micro markets and on other payment devices is a reality – and a nice profit center for operators. Leave it to the folks at 365 Retail Markets to deliver with an entity they call Advana.

In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, the podcast for the convenience services industry, host Bob Tullio looks at the explosive growth of micro market advertising. For Tullio, this podcast really belongs in the file that’s entitled - “I can’t believe this wasn’t available when I was operator.”

As Jacob McNulty from 365 put it, every operator starts out by pressing the easy button – allow advertising and watch the checks come in. It can get even better than that as revenue multiplies with more screens and supplier support.

While 365 Retail Markets is the advertising frontrunner with Advana – in this episode, Elyssa Steiner talks about the advertising program that Cantaloupe has brought to the table for their customers, leveraging the vast number of screens and devices in their network.

Either way – it’s a win for operators. In the podcast, Tullio asked McNulty, “Doesn’t this seem like a no brainer?” Allow advertising. Cash checks. He agreed.

That’s why Tullio calls it, “easy money.”