Will everything in the future be sold remotely? How does that trend affect the Vending business?

Unattended retail sales have been around for longer than you might think. You may have heard the word automat. It was a type of fast-food restaurant that first appeared in 1895 in Germany and became a big fad in New York City in the 1950s. It was a pretty cool business idea. Automats sold home-style food and drinks from coin-operated vending machines along the walls inside them. They had communal-style seating as well as a stand-up counter for “vertical meals”. They satisfied the needs of consumers looking for affordable, good-tasting food that was quick and convenient.

image from: New York Public Library’s Public Domain Archive

Self-service checkouts are also considered unattended retail sales. Invented in the 1990s by an American who was tired of standing in long grocery store line-ups, the number of self-service checkouts has steadily been increasing since they were first introduced. By the 2000s, they weren’t uncommon, and these days many grocery stores, plus stores like Canadian Tire and Walmart, have made at least some of their checkout aisles self-service. Again, consumers use them because they are quick and convenient. Store owners like them because they don’t require a paid cashier at every checkout.

Image: CC by 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Another example of unattended retail sales are the phone and other device charging stations now commonly found in public places like airports. Sometimes use of the charging port has no cost, other times, users are required to pay for the service. These stations require no human supervision.

The trend toward unattended retail sales continues. A 2021 report from Raydiant (a digital signage and experience platform provider) found that almost half of consumers use self-service checkouts exclusively and 85% strongly believe that they’re faster.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, unattended retail sales have become even more popular with consumers. Self-service checkouts and premium, designer vending machines make it easy to follow social distancing protocols. Contactless payment options help customers feel more comfortable with the shopping experience.

Vending machines are unattended retail that have been around for a long time, but manufacturers like Vive Vending Inc., a vending machine business in Canada, are keeping up with the times and taking advantage of the “return to new normal” with designer machines targeting today’s consumers.

Interactions with on-location staff and cashiers may be decreasing as customers buy more things online and more things through unattended retail sales, but there will always be purchases where people want face-to-face interactions, so sales will never be 100% remote. Still, there’s no doubt that unattended retail sales are here to stay and will only represent an increasing proportion of sales in the future.

Image: vive vending inc.

Other strong trends include the growing concern about the quality of food we eat. Vive vending machines are able to stock a wide variety of products from Vitamin Water to Mango Slices to Pop Corners.  They also offer contactless payment and time-saving remote monitoring for operators. The high-resolution LCD screen can feature information about products or create extra revenue by advertising for local businesses. There’s a hand sanitizing station mounted right on the machine. They have eye-catching graphics with clean lines that compliment any business premises or public space. Vive Vending machines are perfectly positioned to capitalize both on the move toward premium snacks and beverages and on the trending customer preference for unattended retail.