vending machines
Smart vending
Developments in control electronics enable a
vending machine that’s much more capable
than simply vending products
By Fabrizio Petris, Senior Business Development Manager, Omron Electronic Components
Europe B.V. – www.components.omron.eu
Vending machines are a relatively
unrecognised, but fast growing, market
opportunity for the electronics industry.
That growth is being driven by a new
class of unit: the intelligent vending
machine, which marries the convenience
and accessibility of instant, on the spot
transaction fulfilment with the tailored,
entertaining and connected retail
experience that customers now expect.
According to a March 2017 report
from Grand View Research, this market
is expected to reach USD 11.84 billion
by 2025. Each and every one of these
machines will encompass electronic
systems to facilitate the interaction with
the user, to control product and cash
dispensing and to manage energy use.
What solutions are available to create
this new breed of intelligent vending
machines?
Intelligent vending machines
Essentially, this new breed of intelligent
vending machines offers a purchasing
experience that is personal and
individual for each user. The machines
themselves can be tailored to the
application, in terms of colour, size,
space and dispensing rate, which is
essential as roll-outs can be quite small.
They also embrace the Internet of Things
paradigm, and are fully connected
offering cloud-based server support,
scanning tools, and value added services
based on web-based interaction.
Vendors can use the Internet to update
content for their interactive platforms
and present custom advertising.
What are these new vending
machines selling? While the range
of goods on offer is huge, food and
beverage is one of the largest markets:
especially hot drinks. Research and
Markets found that the hot drinks
segment dominated the industry,
accounting for more than 62% of the
overall volume due to the surging
demand for refreshment drinks. Many
of these machines are located in offices,
as they facilitate employees grabbing a
quick snack in between breaks without
the need of placing an order and waiting
for it to be processed.
Identifying the customer
The barista in your favourite coffee shop
will quite naturally greet a business
executive, an elderly lady and a teenager
very differently. The more engaged
staff will try and tempt the customer
with a croissant, a cake or a healthy
snack depending on their experience of
what this kind of customer or even this
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