The vending machine industry is growing rapidly and expanding to different areas well beyond traditional food and drinks. There are gadgets, electronics and other necessary equipment in vending machines now.
- Cashless payments
It’s no secret that using cash is more than inconvenient, that’s why more and more people prefer to use bank cards or mobile payments.
Vending machines accept coins and bills for a long time. Now you can swipe your card and the machine will accept the payment. In addition, modern vending machines can be used through mobile apps, not only to make a payment, but also to see what is in stock.
- Payment security
Cashless payment is the reason for the second trend in the smart vending machine business – making payments more secure. Due to fraud and data breaches, the vending industry works with financial institutions to ensure a high security level.
In 2019 the European Union passed a Payment Services Directive in 2019. It provides strong customer authentication, thereby protecting data and bank accounts from hacking and unauthorized money withdrawals.
- Automated shops
In 2016, Amazon launched the first automated Amazon Go store. It was a breakthrough in shopping automation.
The level of automation can significantly improve and bring the entire field closer to digital standards. There is no need to confirm the fact that people are accustomed to some level of automation in all areas of their life.
- Variety inside vending machines
When you think of vending machines, you probably think of a fridge full of chips, drinks and snacks. But today it’s not like that.
Retailers have begun to focus more on a variety of food options to meet consumer needs. Next-generation vending machines offer a variety of alternatives such as vegan and gluten-free healthy foods and quick snacks.
- System management
We can talk about automated smart fridges as much as we want to, but so far nothing happens without a maintenance team.
Many problems in their work arise from bad planning and scheduling of the employees’ work. This is pushing companies to implement digital software that will help plan operations.
- Interactive, personalized and smart fridges
In the near future, vending machines will develop their own algorithm.
The advantage of this process is that it allows you to customize the user path. The app knows what customers like and the next time they log in, the app will present with recommendations and notifications about new products.
The possibilities of this new kind of technology are endless as the app can direct you to the nearest vending machines or inform you if one of them is closed. Consumer interaction with vending machines will become more interactive, dynamic and results-oriented.
