Food, drink and even SIM card vending machines have become fairly commonplace, but now we welcome the new generation of automated vendors: the beauty machine. Benefit Cosmetics has launched a new initiative in airports over America and they call them Glam Up And Away cosmetic vending machines.
Benefit is the brainchild of twin sisters in San Francisco who sought to solve beauty issues. The brand has evolved over the past 30 years and now with its consistent and appealing retro branding, catchy and desirable slogans and high quality products, Benefit have secured a comfortable seat for themselves in the cosmetics market.
Their new beautifying machines bring Benefit’s revered beauty solutions one step closer to us as the stations are stocked full of Benefit’s 30 best-selling products, including POREfessional primer and They’re Real mascara. The vending machines offer both full-sized and travel-friendly cosmetics, thereby allowing customers to pick up their last minute beauty fixes before they fly out.
Jean Andre Rougeot, Benefit’s CEO, said: “High traffic airports are the next beauty battleground for prestige cosmetics brands. Benefit is grabbing first mover advantage,” and he did just that; pipping Sephora to post as the multi-brand makeup giant announced plans to open Sephora stores within airport terminals.
“Once the TSA [Transportation Security Administration] changed the rules, people started having to arrive at the airport much earlier, and they’re looking for ways to shop and have fun,” said Julie Bell, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing for Benefit. “Airports used to be these doom-and-gloom places—now I view them as the new shopping mall.”
And indeed if the idea of a beauty vending machine wasn’t novel enough, the aesthetic of the pink beauty stations are fun and fanciful too – inspired by food trucks and combined, of course, with Benefit’s signature 1960′s glamour influence; the machines do resemble an ice cream truck of sorts; or even a minivan, packed and ready to go on holiday.
The pink vending kiosks also come equipped with interactive screens that allow customers to browse through tips and tricks on using the products before they make their purchase. This interactive approach was designed to blend traditional in-store shopping with online shopping – and this is good news, not only for the customer, but for the brand too as these convenient machines will generate revenue without the overheads of regular stores.
Benefit partnered with ZoomSystems to bring about these ingenious cosmetic vendors. Jack Lawrence, the ZoomSystems President & CEO, stated, “ZoomSystems and Benefit Cosmetics are giving travelers on-the-go access to the beauty products they need and love” – and that is just what is happening in American airports including JFK, Austin and Las Vegas, with further plans to open in a total of 25 major airports across the US this Autumn.
By placing these interesting and progressive vendors in airports, Benefit hope to further raise brand awareness with a view to expanding both domestically and internationally. Although the Glam Up And Away vendors are yet to be installed in all 25 airports, the aspiration of international expansion may not be that far off as there has been a call to bring the beauty vendor to London Heathrow’s state-of-the-art Terminal 5.
The Glam Up And Away automated vendors are not only a great marketing initiative, but also a much more convenient way for those who are on-the-go to get their hands on their favorite beauty products in mere minutes.
Cosmetic vending machines Benefit airports in Amercia
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