Lifestyle | Globe and VEND Partners to Pilot First Vending Machine with Cashless Payment

We advocate for cashless transactions to have more paperless dealings. It is a good development in the side of the Philippines as it is adapting to the digital lifestyle. Globe Telecom tapped VEND or Vending Experst Night and Day Philippines, Inc. to make the first vending machine in the country that will be using QR code to its transaction. 

According to Globe's Chief Finance Officer, Rizza Maniego-Eala,  “Mobile technologies continue to evolve to make our life easier and we now see cashless payments using mobile phones gaining traction in the Philippines. Anyone who has used the QR code for payments will realize that it is much more convenient and secure than credit cards or cash.” She also added that, “This initiative with VEND is also a prime example of how closely we work with our partners in developing new business models with innovation and sustainability in mind.”

Just a brief history, in 2013, Globe started using GCash as payment for goods inside the company headquarters.  It then went cardless in 2017 when GCash scan-to-pay was launched.  However, coffee vending machines in the building were not capable of contactless payment, prompting Globe to look for ways to shift to the QR system. Payment via this method is performed by scanning a QR code from a mobile app like GCash.

“Technology continues to move forward and we believe that vending operations should also be aligned with the times.  We are thankful to Globe for bringing this idea to us.  We are proud to be the first vending company in the Philippines to successfully launch a cashless coffee vending machine through a QR code payment scheme utilizing GCash,” said Gilbert Dela Cruz, President and CEO of VEND.

Vending Machine Instruction and QR Payment 

This vending machine will accept payment through GCash app by scanning the QR displayed on the machine and put the price of the item intended to buy. After the payment is successfully received, that's the time that you can press the button of the drink of choice. This is currently being used at the Globe corporate headquarters in Taguig with 18 QR-operated vending machines.

This is one of Globe's sustainability campaign. This is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure and 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production.There are more to come and will be realized not only by the workers of Globe but by the public as well.