'Smart' Vending Machines Triple Sales 234
bossanovalithium writes "A vending machine in Japan which recommends drinks to customers based on facial recognition data has tripled sales. JR East Water Business has previously installed two vending machines in JR Shinagawa station and it is believed that the recognition technology is responsible for a vast increase in sales in comparison to traditional machines. The vending machines recommend beverages after physical attributes of customers are picked up by sensors which allow the machines determine age, sex and other attributes, before offering a number of suggestions."
Re:Lawsuit city! (Score:5, Interesting)
When I was in Japan a few times earlier this decade I drank a ton of Coke. I don't know what it was about it but it was super delicious. I'm guessing it was real sugar instead of HFCS. So yeah, I hope they recommend Coke!
The catch in Japan is that it's not socially polite to walk around with drinks, you're encouraged to hang out at the vending machine and finish it off right there. Of course, taboos be damned, we had cheap electronics stores to explore.