When building a Smart Vending solution, we aimed to solve problems that affect a vending machine owner’s bottom line. To do this, we needed to understand when items were sold out and when machines failed — generating alarms so these problems could eventually be resolved. We had to know the location of the machines as well as the stock items that required replenishment so drivers could act fast before items were sold out (resulting in lost revenue). Finally, we had to monitor overall cash collected and the machine performance according to location.