Bank Machine Ltd. is issuing cents off coupons for a popular candy through more than 100 ATMs in the United Kingdom as part of a pilot program, said Steven Rathgaber, CEO of Cardtronics Inc., Bank Machine’s parent company.
The ATMs issue 50-pence (U.S. 27 to 28 cents) off coupons for a box of Maltesers, which have a malt honeycomb center surrounded by milk chocolate. Mars Inc., a worldwide confectionary manufacturing company, which is based in McLean, Va., makes Maltesers, which are extremely popular in the U.K.
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The coupon is separate from the receipt cardholders receive for cash withdrawals. The coupon is issued after a cardholder withdraws funds from the ATM, Rathgaber added.
Bank Machine ATMs that dispense the coupons are deployed Welcome Break Service Area Shops. The Newport Pagnell, England-based company operates 26 motorway service stations throughout the U.K. A barcode is printed on the coupon and customers only can use it in Welcome Break shops.
Rathgaber said Mars is happy with the results, and he told an analyst last week during Cardtronics' first-quarter conference call that he sees coupon issuing as a “sales-generating tool” for ATMs.
Ron Delnevo, managing director of Bank Machine, said the one-month pilot illustrates the power of ATMs. "It is good to see a world-renowned business such as Mars appreciating the tremendous power of ATMs to deliver marketing messages to consumers," Delnevo said.
Rathgaber added that Cardtronics is planning a similar coupon pilot with some of its ATMs in the United States. Houston-based Cardtronics operated 18,870 ATMs at the end of the first quarter. Bank Machine operated 3,025 ATMs in the U.K. at the end of the first quarter, which ended March 31.
Mars makes M&M’s, Milky Way and Snickers candy bars. Mars also issues coupons online.
