Coke: 21st century distribution

Picture_coke
Continuing the theme of distribution as a growth driver from my last post on Vodafone and Carphone Warehouse, I was intrigued by the new vending machines Coke have been trialling in Ireland. These machines, made by a cool company called the Inspired Gaming Group, sell not only Coke, but a range of other services including ringtones and top-up vouchers for mobile phones. The machine also acts as a digital music jukebox, updated remotely to be always up to date and can burn CDs.

The trial of 200 machines has been positive, with revenue per machine twice as high as normal machines. The Sunday Times reported that if these results were repeated on the top 10% of Cokes 2.8m vending machines (accepted this is a bit of a leap), revenue would be boosted by a staggering $1.5 billion.

5-minute workout: what opportunity could you have to use interactive technology to make your distribution channel more of an interesting customer experience, and generate new revenue streams?