Coke uses RFID for drink dispensers

If there is one, cool way to implement RFID technology that makes perfect business sense, it would be Coca-Cola's new Freestyle drink dispensers, which are on trial at some fast-food joints this summer. The company plans to eventually roll out tens of thousands of these new drink dispensers across the nation, which will be able to serve more than 100 varieties of sodas and various flavored drinks.

What make the Freestyle drink dispenser so special is on the inside, where the 30 RFID-tagged cartridges of various flavors are used to mix the staggering combination of drinks. RFID readers inside the machines monitor the status of the cartridges while the dispenser itself actively collects data on what customers are drinking. And all these business intelligence is then transmitted each night via a private Verizon wireless network to Coke's SAP data warehouse system in Atlanta.

In this manner, Coca-Cola is able to test new drink flavors and concepts by sending out new recipes wirelessly. In addition, it is also able to identify the machines by regions and hence isolate drink preference across segments of the country. And it doesn't stop there--fast-food restaurants that lease the Freestyle will have access to an e-portal that will rank drinks sold during specific time periods.

While the initial roll out of the Freestyle will be limited to the United States, there could be global deployment in the near future. So watch out for a Freestyle near you soon.

For more on this story:
- check out this article at InformationWeek

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