Sponsored by Lancer Worldwide
Want to elevate the fountain beverage experience for your customers while reaping higher profits? Upgrade to a beverage dispenser with higher performance, more intelligent management control and superior merchandising.
The new IBD Bold 30i dispenser by Lancer Worldwide does all the above and more. It accomplishes more in less space, pouring 24 brands, 16 chilled and 8 ambient, from a small 30-inch footprint. Its large 32-inch digital merchandiser displays programmable content that drives promotions and stimulates impulse purchases. Uniquely positioned beverage and ice dispense points boost customer throughput. What’s more, an Internet of Things (IoT) platform collects and analyzes beverage dispensing data so you can run a smarter fountain program.
Location-by-location management
The Bold 30i is helping Country Fair, a convenience store chain based in Erie, Pennsylvania, rebuild fountain beverage sales interrupted by the pandemic. With its 30-inch footprint, the machine is an efficient use of store space and engages customers with vivid video merchandising. Another key feature standard with the machine, Lancer Link IoT connectivity, collects robust, real-time beverage management data on fountain performance.
The latter is a particularly beneficial attribute. “I wanted to be able to manage location-by-location and see what brands are actually poured to make the fountain more profitable,” says Lisa Luben, foodservice sales manager at Country Fair.
“It shows me how many cups are pouring and which brands are performing per location,” says Luben. “So, in stores in different markets and regions, I actually see what’s moving and what’s not.”
“This helps you make the right decisions to drive different markets,” says Blaine Berr, director of sales at Lancer Worldwide. “The flexibility to readjust and realign what you sell is crucial.”
Adds Luben, “This data is very valuable when I consider whether to stay within a brand or venture out into other brands based on the movement of the products.”
Importantly, those detailed fountain performance insights can give operators more leverage when they negotiate with beverage vendors. “Before, with fountain, you’re locked into an agreement based on your purchases,” says Luben. “Well, purchases are not always the true story of what's actually being poured by the machines.”
Berr notes: “Our goal is to provide our customers with the tools to make informed decisions, analyze data in real time, and digitally engage with consumers which ultimately helps to drive incremental impulse sales.”
Brand and flavor variety
In addition to the major carbonated soft drink brands, the Bold 30i is an effective merchandiser of craft sodas and specialty beverages that are trending in the market, such as sparkling waters, organic drinks and cane sugar-sweetened sodas. “With 24 valves, it’s a platform for mixing and matching, both the staple brands and the new products that are entering the industry,” says Berr.
On top of that, the machine can accommodate flavor shots in two formats—blending and dosing—for patrons who enjoy creating custom flavor medleys.
The variety in ice selection is also a nice feature that appeals to customers. The machine can dispense all common types of ice, including nugget or chewable ice, a common customer favorite. “There is not another manufacturer who can put a nugget ice machine on a fountain machine without adding a kit,” says Berr.
Boosting throughput
Getting customers through the fountain line quickly adds to their satisfaction and sets the stage for impulse buys. Here, too, the Bold 30i stands out. The easy-to-use digital touchscreen and uniquely located twin dispense points on the left of the machine and the ice delivery system on the right, it helps customers reach the ice, fill their cups and step along quickly. Also helpful in that regard are the machine’s fast-pouring valves, which have a flow rate as high as 4 ounces per second.
Also noteworthy is the is the large digital touchscreen merchandiser of the Bold 30i. It has 32 inches of high-resolution display for programmable content, LTO promotions and brand enhancements and can be programmed to display a playlist of content videos in a loop or at specific times.
“Impulse buying is essential for businesses,” says Berr. “Having what feels like a motion picture right in front of the customer as they pour their drink will help drive those impulse buys, and that kind of high quality advertising is far better than any poster you could hang up.”
With its impactful merchandising, varied beverage and customization options and data collection capability, the Bold 30i can help an operator stand out from the competition in fountain beverage dispensing and build a loyal customer following.
To find out more about shifting your fountain program into higher gear with the new Lancer Worldwide IBD Bold 30i beverage dispenser, visit lancerworldwide.com.
