Karla Rendon stood in front of the vending machine at Maplewood Mall in St. Paul, Minn., staring at an assortment of items — diapers, baby wipes, sippy cups, bottles, grape juice and diaper rash ointment.
Just what a mother shopping with her 13-month-old baby needed.
“I wish there had been one of these when I was at the Mall of America,” said Rendon of Maplewood, Minn., recalling a recent excursion with daughters Makayla, 5, and Daisy, 13 months. On that day, Rendon had forgotten Daisy’s bottle.
The vending machine, called Diaper Bag Basics, is the brainchild of two Twin Cities mothers and debuted at Maplewood Mall about three weeks ago. It’s one of the many twists in the evolution of vending machines as companies embrace the potential of “v-commerce.”
“There’s a significant trend, especially for an already established retailer,” said George Van Horn, senior industry analyst with market research firm IBISWorld. “They have a brick-and-mortar, they have mail order, they have a website, so the vending machine itself is just one more extension of the brand.” [Read more...]





