The vending machine industry is estimated to be worth roughly $7 billion per year and that is just for the Untied States alone.
Vending machines have come a long way and they sell a wide variety of items, it's not just your standard selection of pop, chips, cigarettes, and condoms any longer; which many of us are familiar with.
Now, in vending machines across the country, you can find items like headphones and other electronics, makeup, cupcakes, pet food, toys, champagne, and even gold for sale.
Around the world you can also find a wide range of vending machines, selling everything from homemade curry and rice meals, to lobsters, fruit, lettuce, cannabis, umbrellas, first-aid products, pizza, cheese, books, oysters, bikes, guitars, shoes, and more.
One Japan-based retailer, Uniqlo, is looking to add to the variety in the US by opening up a number of vending machines in various states that it plans to stock with its unique clothing line. They will be placing their machine at 10 different locations in airports and malls; in the next couple of months.
The largest vending machine market in the world is said to be in Japan, which is estimated to be around $26 billion, followed by Spain which is in second place with a market of about $8 billion, and the US is in third place.
For the time being, the most common item that Americans still go to purchase when they go to a vending machine is either going to be a drink or some snack like chips, gum, cookies, or chocolate etc. Followed by junk food choices, the other most popular choices are movies and games, electronics, magazines, and toys. Clothing isn't high on the list, maybe that might change in the future?
It's expected that the vending machine industry will continue to grow, seeing as this platform offers business owners an opportunity to sell their products to consumers without having to invest in rent or have to hire any employees for the endeavor.
One Chinese company, Alibaba, is looking to make buying a car in China as easy as walking into the store and buying a can of coke and they are going to soon be unveiling their car vending machine that will be able to carry out the transaction. And they aren't the only ones, they will be following Autobahn Motors who unveiled their own car vending machine in Singapore last year (pictured above).
The growing travel demand has helped the vending machine market to flourish and it's expected that the travel retail market will grow by more than 8 percent by 2021.
Vending machines have gotten a negative stigma throughout the years because of the less-than-optimal food choices that they've offered in schools, health centers, hospitals, and other locations. But they've changed drastically over the years, they've reinvented themselves, as far as the variety of options that they now provide consumers in the US and elsewhere.
Pics:
Pixabay
Simpsons via Metro.co.uk/2017/04/05/this-vending-machine-is-helping-people-make-healthier-snack-choices-6556056/
Fortune via fortune.com/2017/05/16/singapore-car-vending-machine-worlds-tallest/
Simpsons via rebloggy.com/post/gif-simpsons-dance-condom-vending-machine/4613024657
Sources:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/clothes-meat-champagne-and-electronics-coming-to-a-vending-machine-near-you-2017-08-03
http://www.businessinsider.com/uniqlo-adds-vending-machines-airports-malls-2017-8
http://www.businessinsider.com/uniqlo-adds-vending-machines-airports-malls-2017-8ng-machine-next-year/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/08/08/chinese-firm-alibaba-open-car-vending-machine-next-year/
http://time.com/4887616/oyster-vending-machines-france/
https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/vending-machine-industry-hopes-to-lure-back-customers-with-healthier-offerings/article19518114/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com&
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/g1041/8-high-tech-vending-machines/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/trangho/2016/03/19/shark-tank-kevin-oleary-and-lori-greiner-buy-into-millennial-firm-revolutionizing-vending-machines/#526a781474ff
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2016/04/22/current-and-future-trends-in-vending-machines/#3c92d9fc127a
http://fortune.com/2017/08/02/uniqlo-vending-machines/