A vending machine is an automated machine that provides items such as
snacks,
beverage
A drink or beverage is a liquid intended for human consumption. In addition to their basic function of satisfying thirst, drinks play important roles in human culture. Common types of drinks include plain drinking water, milk, juice, smoo ...
s,
cigarettes, and
lottery tickets to consumers after cash, a
credit card
A credit card is a payment card issued to users (cardholders) to enable the cardholder to pay a merchant for goods and services based on the cardholder's accrued debt (i.e., promise to the card issuer to pay them for the amounts plus the o ...
, or other forms of payment are inserted into the machine or otherwise made. The first modern vending machines were developed in England in the early 1880s and dispensed
postcards. Vending machines exist in many countries and, in more recent times, specialized vending machines that provide less common products compared to traditional vending machine items have been created.
History
The earliest known reference to a vending machine is in the work of
Hero of Alexandria
Hero of Alexandria (; grc-gre, Ἥρων ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, ''Heron ho Alexandreus'', also known as Heron of Alexandria ; 60 AD) was a Greek mathematician and engineer who was active in his native city of Alexandria, Roman Egypt. He ...
, an engineer, and mathematician in first-century
Roman Egypt. His machine accepted a coin and then dispensed
holy water
Holy water is water that has been blessed by a member of the clergy or a religious figure, or derived from a well or spring considered holy. The use for cleansing prior to a baptism and spiritual cleansing is common in several religions, from ...
. When the coin was deposited, it fell upon a pan attached to a lever. The lever opened a valve which let some water flow out. The pan continued to tilt with the weight of the coin until it fell off, at which point a counterweight snapped the lever up and turned off the valve.
Coin-operated machines that dispensed tobacco were being operated as early as 1615 in the
taverns of England. The machines were portable and made of
brass
Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wit ...
. An English bookseller, Richard Carlile, devised a newspaper dispensing machine for the dissemination of banned works in 1822. Simon Denham was awarded British Patent no. 706 for his stamp dispensing machine in 1867, the first fully automatic vending machine.
Modern vending machines
The first modern coin-operated vending machines were introduced in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in the early 1880s, dispensing
postcards. The machine was invented by Percival Everitt in 1883 and soon became a widespread feature at railway stations and post offices, dispensing
envelopes,
postcards, and
notepaper. The Sweetmeat Automatic Delivery Company was founded in 1887 in England as the first company to deal primarily with the installation and maintenance of vending machines. Also at about that time in England, Dixon Henry Davies and inventor John Mensy Tourtel patented a coin-operated reading lamp for use on trains and founded the Railway Automatic Electric Light Syndicate, Ltd. The system ran off batteries and delivered 30 minutes of light for
1d., but was not a long-term success. Tourtel also invented a similarly coin-operated
gas
Gas is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, liquid, and plasma).
A pure gas may be made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon), elemental molecules made from one type of atom (e.g. oxygen), or ...
meter. In 1893,
Stollwerck
Stollwerck GmbH is a German chocolate manufacturer. It was founded in 1839 and expanded internationally in Europe and America, becoming the second largest producer of chocolate in the United States by 1900. Since 2011 it has belonged to Belg ...
, a German chocolate manufacturer, was selling its chocolate in 15,000 vending machines. It set up separate companies in various territories to manufacture vending machines to sell not just chocolate, but cigarettes, matches, chewing gum, and soap products.
The first vending machine in the U.S. was built in 1888 by the
Thomas Adams Gum Company,
selling gum on New York City train platforms. The idea of adding games to these machines as a further incentive to buy came in 1897 when the Pulver Manufacturing Company added small figures, which would move around whenever somebody bought some gum from their machines. This idea spawned a whole new type of mechanical device known as the "trade stimulators".
Mechanisms
Internal communication in vending machines is typically based on the
MDB standard, supported by
National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) and European Vending & Coffee Service Association (EVA).
After payment has been tendered, a product may become available by:
* the machine releasing it, so that it falls in an open compartment at the bottom, or into a cup, either released first, or put in by the customer, or
* the unlocking of a door, drawer, or turning of a knob.
Some products need to be prepared to become available. For example, tickets are printed or magnetized on the spot, and coffee is freshly concocted. One of the most common forms of vending machine, the snack machine, often uses a metal coil which when ordered rotates to release the product.
The main example of a vending machine giving access to all merchandise after paying for one item is a newspaper vending machine (also called vending box) found mainly in the U.S. and Canada. It contains a pile of identical newspapers. After a sale the door automatically returns to a locked position. A customer could open the box and take all of the newspapers or, for the benefit of other customers, leave all of the newspapers outside of the box, slowly return the door to an unlatched position, or block the door from fully closing, each of which are frequently discouraged, sometimes by a security
clamp. The success of such machines is predicated on the assumption that the customer will be honest (hence the nickname "honor box"), and need only one copy.
Common vending machines
Change machine
A change machine is a vending machine that accepts large denominations of
currency
A currency, "in circulation", from la, currens, -entis, literally meaning "running" or "traversing" is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins.
A more general ...
and returns an equal amount of currency in smaller bills or coins. Typically these machines are used to provide coins in exchange for paper currency, in which case they are also often known as bill changers.
Cigarette vending
In the past,
cigarettes were commonly sold in the United States through these machines, but this is increasingly rare due to concerns about underage buyers. Sometimes a pass has to be inserted in the machine to prove one's age before a purchase can be made. In the United Kingdom, legislation banning them outright came into effect on 1 October 2011. In Germany, Austria, Italy,
the Czech Republic, and Japan,
cigarette machines are still common.
Since 2007, however, age verification has been mandatory in Germany and Italy – buyers must be 18 or over. The various machines installed in pubs and cafés, other publicly accessible buildings, and on the street accept one or more of the following as proof of age: the buyer's identity card, bank debit card (smart card), or European Union driver's license. In Japan, age verification has been mandatory since 1 July 2008 via the
Taspo
, formerly known as , is a smart card using RFIDhttp://www.tokyomango.com/tokyo_mango/2007/03/taspo_rfid_card.html Taspo RFID Card For Cigarette Machines - Tokyo Mango developed by the Tobacco Institute of Japan (TIOJ), the , and the for i ...
card, issued only to persons aged 20 or over. The Taspo card uses RFID, stores monetary value, and is contactless.
Birth control and condom vending machines
A birth control machine is a vending machine for the sale of
birth control, such as
condoms or
emergency contraception
Emergency contraception (EC) is a birth control measure, used after sexual intercourse to prevent pregnancy.
There are different forms of EC. Emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs), sometimes simply referred to as emergency contraceptives (ECs), o ...
. Condom machines are often placed in public toilets, subway stations, airports, or schools as a
public health measure to promote
safe sex. Many pharmacies also keep one outside, for after-hours access. Rare examples exist that dispense
female condoms
or the morning after pill.
Food and snack vending machines
Various types of food and
snack vending machines exist in the world. Food vending machines that provide shelf-stable foods such as chips, cookies, cakes, and other such snacks are common. Some food vending machines are refrigerated or frozen, such as for chilled soft drinks and ice cream treats, and some machines provide hot food.
Some unique food vending machines exist that are specialized and less common, such as the
French fry vending machine
A French fry vending machine is a vending machine that dispenses hot French fries, also known as chips. The first known french fry vending machine was developed circa 1982 by the defunct Precision Fry Foods Pty Ltd. in Australia. A few companies ...
and hot pizza vending machines, such as
Let's Pizza
Let's Pizza is a company, which manufactures pizza making vending machines. The pizzas are prepared from scratch and it is the first vending machine to produce freshly made ready-to-eat pizza. Let's Pizza machines combine technology with tradition ...
. The
Beverly Hills Caviar Automated Boutique
The Beverly Hills Caviar Automated Boutique sells caviar, escargot and truffles from vending machines.
In 2013, the machines began operating in three locations: Westfield Century City, Westfield Topanga and Hollywood and Highland Center. The own ...
dispenses frozen caviar and other high-end foods.
Bulk candy and gumball vending
The
profit margin
Profit margin is a measure of profitability. It is calculated by finding the profit as a percentage of the revenue.
\text = =
There are 3 types of profit margins: gross profit margin, operating profit margin and net profit margin.
* Gross Pro ...
s in the bulk candy business can be quite high –
gumballs, for instance, can be purchased in bulk for around 2 cents per piece and sold for 25 cents in
gumball machines in the U.S., and other countries. Gumballs and candy have a relatively long shelf life, enabling vending machine operators to manage many machines without too much time or cost involved. In addition, the machines are typically inexpensive compared to soft drink or snack machines, which often require power and sometimes refrigeration to work. Many operators donate a percentage of the profits to charity so that locations will allow them to place the machines for free.
Bulk vending
Bulk vending is the sale of unsorted confections, nuts, gumballs, toys and novelties (in capsules) selected at random and dispensed generally through non-electrically operated vending machines. Bulk vending is a separate segment of the vending ...
may be a more practical choice than soft drink/snack vending for an individual who also works a full-time job, since the restaurants, retail stores, and other locations suitable for bulk vending may be more likely to be open during the evening and on weekends than venues such as offices that host soft drink and snack machines.
The
Bulk vending
Bulk vending is the sale of unsorted confections, nuts, gumballs, toys and novelties (in capsules) selected at random and dispensed generally through non-electrically operated vending machines. Bulk vending is a separate segment of the vending ...
machines of today provide many different vending choices with the use of adjustable gumball and candy wheels. Adjustable gumball wheels allow an operator to not only offer the traditional 1-inch gumball, but they can also vend larger gumballs, and non-edible items such as toy capsules and bouncy balls. Adjustable candy wheels allow an operator to offer a variety of pressed candies, jelly candy, and even nuts.
Full-line vending
A full-line vending company may set up several types of vending machines that sell a wide range of products. Products may include candy, cookies, chips, fresh fruit, milk, cold food, coffee and other hot drinks, bottles and cans of soda and other drinks, and even frozen products like ice cream. These products can be sold from machines that include hot coffee, snack, cold food, and bottle machines.
In the United States, almost all machines accept bills with more and more machines accepting $5 bills, along with payment from traditional
debit and
credit card
A credit card is a payment card issued to users (cardholders) to enable the cardholder to pay a merchant for goods and services based on the cardholder's accrued debt (i.e., promise to the card issuer to pay them for the amounts plus the o ...
s, or a
mobile payment
A mobile payment, also referred to as mobile money, mobile money transfer and mobile wallet, is any of various payment processing services operated under financial regulations and performed from or via a mobile device, as the cardinal class of ...
system. This is an advantage to the vendor because it virtually eliminates the need for a
bill changer. Larger corporations with cafeterias will often request full line vending to supplement their food service.
Newspaper vending machine
A newspaper vending machine or newspaper rack is a vending machine designed to distribute newspapers. Newspaper vending machines are used worldwide, and they can be one of the main distribution methods for newspaper publishers. According to the
Newspaper Association of America, in recent times in the United States, circulation via newspaper vending machines has dropped significantly: in 1996, around 46% of single-sale newspapers were sold in newspaper boxes, and in 2014, only 20% of newspapers were sold in the boxes.
Photo booth
A photo booth is a vending machine or modern
kiosk that contains an automated, usually
coin-operated, camera and film processor.
Today, the vast majority of photo booths are digital.
Traditionally, photo booths contain a seat or bench designed to seat the one or two patrons being photographed. The seat is typically surrounded by a curtain of some sort to allow for some privacy and help avoid outside interference during the photo session. Once the payment is made, the photo booth will take a series of photographs and the customer is then provided with prints. Older photo booth vending machines used film and involved the process of developing the film using liquid chemicals.
Stamp vending machine
A stamp vending machine is a mechanical, electrical or electro-mechanical device which can be used to automatically vend
postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the f ...
s to users in exchange for a pre-determined amount of money, normally in coin.
Ticket machines
A ticket machine is a vending machine that produces
tickets
Ticket or tickets may refer to:
Slips of paper
* Lottery ticket
* Parking ticket, a ticket confirming that the parking fee was paid (and the time of the parking start)
* Toll ticket, a slip of paper used to indicate where vehicles entered a tol ...
. For instance, ticket machines dispense
train ticket
A train ticket is a ticket issued by a railway operator that enables the bearer to travel on the operator's network or a partner's network. Tickets can authorize the bearer to travel a set itinerary at a specific time (common for long-distance ...
s at
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
s,
transit tickets at
metro stations and tram tickets at some
tram stop
A tram stop, tram station, streetcar stop, or light rail station is a place designated for a tram, streetcar, or light rail vehicle to stop so passengers can board or alight it. Generally, tram stops share most characteristics of bus stops, ...
s and in some trams.
The typical transaction consists of a user using the display interface to select the type and quantity of tickets and then choosing a payment method of either
cash,
credit
Credit (from Latin verb ''credit'', meaning "one believes") is the trust which allows one party to provide money or resources to another party wherein the second party does not reimburse the first party immediately (thereby generating a debt) ...
/
debit card or
smartcard
A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC or IC card) is a physical electronic authentication device, used to control access to a resource. It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an embedded integrated circuit (IC) c ...
.
The ticket or tickets are then printed and dispensed to the user.
Specialized vending machines
From 2000 to 2010, the specialization of vending machines became more common. Vending extended increasingly into non-traditional areas like electronics, or even artwork or short stories. Machines of this new category are generally called
Automated retail
Automated retail is the category of self-service, standalone kiosks that operate as fully automatic retail stores through the use of software integrations to replace the traditional retail services inside in a traditional retail store. These sta ...
kiosks. When using an automated retail machine, consumers select products, sometimes using a
touchscreen
A touchscreen or touch screen is the assembly of both an input ('touch panel') and output ('display') device. The touch panel is normally layered on the top of an electronic visual display of an information processing system. The display is ofte ...
interface, pay for purchases using a credit or debit card and then the product is dispensed, sometimes via an internal robotic arm in the machine.
The trend of specialization and proliferation of vending machines is perhaps most apparent in Japan where vending machines sell products from toilet paper to hot meals and pornography, and there is 1 vending machine per 23 people.
Automobile vending machine
In November 2013, online auto retailer
Carvana opened the first car vending machine in the U.S., located in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
.
In late 2016, Autobahn Motors, a car dealership in Singapore, opened a 15-story-tall luxury car vending machine containing 60 cars, dispensing
Ferrari and
Lamborghini vehicles.
Bait vending machine
A
bait machine is a vending machine that dispenses live
fishing bait
Fishing bait is any substance used to attract and catch fish, e.g. on a fishing hook. Bait items are both selected from and placed within the environment to achieve enhanced prey capture success. Traditionally, fishing baits are natural fish foo ...
, such as worms and crickets, for fishing.
Book vending machine
Book vending machines dispense books, which may be full-sized.
Some libraries use book vending machines.
GoLibrary is a book lending vending machine used by libraries in Sweden and the U.S. state of California. The
Biblio-Mat is a random antiquarian book vending machine located at
The Monkey's Paw
"The Monkey's Paw" is a horror short story by English author W. W. Jacobs, first published in the collection '' The Lady of the Barge'' in 1902.
In the story, three wishes are granted to the owner of The Monkey's Paw, but the wishes come with ...
bookstore in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
, Canada.
Burger vending machine
In 2022 RoboBurger introduced a machine to cook and vend a fresh
hamburger
A hamburger, or simply burger, is a food consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. Hamburgers are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, ...
.
French fry vending machine
A
French fry vending machine
A French fry vending machine is a vending machine that dispenses hot French fries, also known as chips. The first known french fry vending machine was developed circa 1982 by the defunct Precision Fry Foods Pty Ltd. in Australia. A few companies ...
is a vending machine that dispenses hot French fries,
also known as chips. The first known french fry vending machine was developed circa 1982 by the defunct Precision Fry Foods Pty Ltd. in Australia.
A few companies have developed and manufactured French fry vending machines and prototypes. Furthermore, a prototype machine was also developed at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
Pizza vending machine
Let's Pizza
Let's Pizza is a company, which manufactures pizza making vending machines. The pizzas are prepared from scratch and it is the first vending machine to produce freshly made ready-to-eat pizza. Let's Pizza machines combine technology with tradition ...
is the name of a vending machine that makes fresh
pizza from scratch.
It was developed in 2009 by Italian company Sitos srl.
The machine combines water, flour, tomato sauce, and fresh ingredients to make a pizza in approximately three minutes.
It includes windows so customers can watch the pizza as it is made. The pizza is cooked in an
infrared oven. The device was invented by Claudio Torghele, an entrepreneur in
Rovereto,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. The vending machine began in Italy and is now spreading into the United Kingdom and becoming popular there.
Life insurance
From the 1950s until the 1970s, vending machines were used at American airports to sell
life insurance policies covering death, in case the buyer's flight crashed.
However, this practice gradually disappeared due to the tendency of American courts to strictly construe such policies against their sellers, such as the Fidelity and Casualty Company of New York (which later became part of
CNA Financial).
[Steven v. Fidelity & Casualty Co.](_blank)
(1962) 58 C2d 862
Marijuana vending machine
The
marijuana vending machine originally found a niche market for selling or dispensing
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...
. In the early 21st century with
legalization of cannabis
The legality of cannabis for medical and recreational use varies by country, in terms of its possession, distribution, and cultivation, and (in regards to medical) how it can be consumed and what medical conditions it can be used for. These ...
in many countries, marijuana vending machines became widespread, selling products such as marijuana, hemp and
CBD based products and smoke paraphernalia. The first experiments in distributing marijuana through vending machines started in the early 2010s, when they were already in use in the United States and Canada. The primary challenge faced in selling restricted or controlled merchandise like cannabis is to verify the identity of the buyer, which is overcome by the application of
biometrics
Biometrics are body measurements and calculations related to human characteristics. Biometric authentication (or realistic authentication) is used in computer science as a form of identification and access control. It is also used to identify i ...
and smart vending software technology, the same technology used to verify the buyer's age in the automatic sales of tobacco.
Mold-A-Rama
The
Mold-A-Rama is a brand name for a type of vending machine that makes
blow-molded plastic
figurines. Mold-A-Rama machines debuted in late 1962 and grew in prominence at the
1964 New York World's Fair. The machines can still be found operating in dozens of museums and zoos.
Fresh-squeezed orange juice
This type of machine contains fresh oranges and a mechanism to cut and squeeze them on order to produce fresh juice.
Prize vending machine
This type of machine sells a container that may contain a prize. Some such machines advertise the possible prizes that may be won. Examples include smart phones, holiday packages, and toys.
Social-networked vending machine
With the rise of the
social networks
A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for a ...
, vending machine has been integrated to
social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
in order to proliferate the interaction of the vending machine with the users from the physical machine to the social networks. The common application of social-networked vending machine is that the user can connect his/her social account to a specific
social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
designated by the vending machine, the user will be getting some rewards in return, normally in the form of free gift dispensed from the vending machine.
Popularity in Japan
Vending machines are a common sight in Japan. There are more than 5.5 million throughout the nation. It is the highest ratio for any country with one machine for every twenty-three people.
Regarding the development of advanced technology, Japanese vending machines provide more services by selling different kinds of products. Food, smartphones, SIM cards, and even clothing can be found in these machines. Apart from the most popular drink vending machines, Japanese vending machines also offer certain products depending on the demand and need for different locations. For example, products like
sanitary napkin
Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation systems ...
s and
tampon
A tampon is a menstrual product designed to absorb blood and vaginal secretions by insertion into the vagina during menstruation. Unlike a pad, it is placed internally, inside of the vaginal canal. Once inserted correctly, a tampon is held in ...
s can be found in vending machines in female restrooms, while machines selling
condoms are usually located in male restrooms.
There are a number of reasons which can explain why local vending machines can win their high popularity throughout the country. Convenience, low cost of running, security stability seems to be the main reasons for Japan to invest in vending machines.
A patent for an "automatic goods vending machine" was filed in 1888 in Japan; early surviving vending machines from around the 1900s include one that dispenses stamps and postcards, and one that dispenses
sake
Sake, also spelled saké ( ; also referred to as Japanese rice wine), is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indee ...
. Confectionery vending machine became widespread in the 1920s, and juice vending machines became popular in the late 1950s and 1960s. By 2000, the number of vending machines in Japan have grown to 5.6 million. However, from around the early 2000's, the number of vending machines in Japan decreased slightly to 5.03 million, and the sales amount has also been decreasing gradually, in part due to the rise of digital technology, and competition in the market.
File:Vending Machine in Iwami-Ginzan.jpg, A vending machine with wooden cladding at Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine in Ōda, Shimane, Japan
File:Vending machine of Japanese local curries in retort pouches at Asakusa in Tokyo 2018-9-23.jpg, upA vending machine of retort pouched curries at Asakusa, Japan
Smart vending machines
Similar to the development of traditional
mobile phone
A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whi ...
s into
smartphone
A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...
s, vending machines have also progressively, though at a much slower pace, evolved into smart vending machines. Newer technologies at a lower cost of adoption, such as the large digital
touch display, internet connectivity, cameras and various types of sensors, more cost-effective
embedded computing power,
digital signage, various advanced payment systems, and a wide range of identification technology (
NFC,
RFID, etc.) have contributed to this development. These smart vending machines enable a more interactive user experience, and reduce operating costs while improving the efficiency of the vending operations through remote manageability and intelligent back-end
analytic. Integrated sensors and cameras also represent a source of such data as customer demographics, purchase trends, and other locality-specific information. It also enables better customer-engagement for the brands through interactive multimedia and social media connectivity. Smart vending machines were 79 by JWT Intelligence on its list of 100 Things to Watch in 2014.
According to market research by Frost & Sullivan, global shipments of smart vending machines are forecasted to reach around 2 million units by 2018,
and further to 3.6 million units by 2020 with penetration rate of 20.3 percent.
File:Beer vending machines at an onsen in Japan.jpg, Beer vending machines at a Japanese Onsen
File:A Swiss roll vending machine in a Taipei MRT station.jpg, A Swiss roll vending machine in an MRT station in Taipei
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...
. The Swiss rolls are kept at 7 ℃ degrees, orders are entered on a Touchscreen
A touchscreen or touch screen is the assembly of both an input ('touch panel') and output ('display') device. The touch panel is normally layered on the top of an electronic visual display of an information processing system. The display is ofte ...
, and payments are made through various contactless payment
Contactless payment systems are credit cards and debit cards, key fobs, smart cards, or other devices, including smartphones and other mobile devices, that use radio-frequency identification (RFID) or near-field communication (NFC, e.g. Samsung ...
cards.
See also
*
Automat – a fast food restaurant where simple foods and drink are served by vending machines
*
Arcade game
*
Automated charging machine
*
Automated retail
Automated retail is the category of self-service, standalone kiosks that operate as fully automatic retail stores through the use of software integrations to replace the traditional retail services inside in a traditional retail store. These sta ...
*
Automated teller machine
*
ChargeBox
*
Charging station
*
Coffee vending machine
*
Death by vending machine
Vending machines being rocked or tilted have been known to cause serious injury and death when the heavy machines fall over.
Users may rock machines in order to obtain free products, release stuck products, or obtain change.(1 January 1992)Soft-d ...
*
Eu'Vend
Eu'Vend (official subtitle ''the international trade fair for the vending industry'') is organised every two years by Cologne Trade Fair (Koelnmesse) at the fairground in Cologne - Germany. The conceptual sponsor of the fair is the German Ven ...
– a vending industry trade show
*
Fortune teller machine
A fortune teller machine (also known as a genie machine or mechanical genie) is a type of amusement automaton, which upon receiving credit gives out a card with a prediction of the reader's future. This is typically given by an automaton. They ...
*
Freedom Toaster
A Freedom Toaster is a public kiosk that will burn copies of free software onto user-provided CDs and DVDs.
History
The original Freedom Toaster project was sponsored by Mark Shuttleworth's Shuttleworth Foundation and built in Perl by Hamish ...
*
Gashapon
, also called , is a trademark of Bandai. Among the variety of vending machine-dispensed capsule toys that originated in the 1960s, it became popular in Japan and elsewhere. "Gashapon" is onomatopoeic from the two sounds "gasha" (or "gacha") fo ...
*
Gold to Go
*
Gumball machine
*
Interactive kiosk
An interactive kiosk is a computer terminal featuring specialized hardware and software that provides access to information and applications for communication, commerce, entertainment, or education.
By 2010, the largest bill pay kiosk networ ...
*
Jukebox
A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media. The classic jukebox has buttons, with letters and numbers on them, which are used to sele ...
*
Kiddie ride
A kiddie ride - or kids' ride - is a coin-operated amusement ride for young children. Kiddie rides are commonly available in amusement parks, arcades, malls, hotel game rooms, outside supermarkets and discount department stores. Less commonly ...
*
Love tester machine
A love tester machine (also called ''love meter'' or ''love teller'') is a type of amusement personality tester machine, which upon receiving credit tries to rate the subject's sex appeal, love abilities or romantic feelings for someone. Many lo ...
*
Parking meter
*
Reverse vending machine
A reverse vending machine (RVM) is a machine that allows a person to insert a used or empty glass bottle, plastic bottle, or aluminum can in exchange for a reward. After inserting the recyclable item, it is then compacted, sorted, and analyzed acc ...
*
Self-service
Self-service is the practice of serving oneself, usually when making purchases. Aside from Automated Teller Machines, which are not limited to banks, and customer-operated supermarket check-out, labor-saving of which has been described as self- ...
*
Slot machine
A slot machine (American English), fruit machine (British English) or poker machine (Australian English and New Zealand English) is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers. Slot machines are also known pejoratively a ...
*
Slug (coin)
A slug is a counterfeit coin that is used to make illegal purchases from a coin-operated device, such as a vending machine, payphone, parking meter, transit farebox, copy machine, coin laundry, gaming machine, or arcade game. By resembling var ...
*
Stamp vending machines in the United Kingdom
A stamp vending machine (SVM) is a mechanical, electrical or electro-mechanical device which can be used to automatically vend postage stamps to users in exchange for a pre-determined amount of money, normally in coin. Most SVMs were positioned ...
*
Telephone booth
A telephone booth, telephone kiosk, telephone call box, telephone box or public call box is a tiny structure furnished with a payphone and designed for a telephone user's convenience; usually the user steps into the booth and closes the booth ...
*
Ticket machine
A ticket machine, also known as a ticket vending machine (TVM), is a vending machine that produces paper or electronic tickets, or recharges a stored-value card or smart card or the user's mobile wallet, typically on a smartphone. For instanc ...
*
Tower viewer
A tower viewer is a telescope or binoculars permanently mounted on a stalk. The device magnifies objects seen through its lenses, allowing users to see farther and more clearly than they could with the naked eye or with less powerful viewing dev ...
*
Types of retail outlets
* ''
Vending Times
''Vending Times'' is one of the most popular trade magazines for the U.S. vending industry. It attempts to cover the entire vending industry, addressing the business, legal, legislative and regulatory concerns of companies providing industrial, in ...
'' – a trade magazine focusing on the U.S. vending industry
*
Water cooler
References
Further reading
* Krug, Bryon. (2003). ''Vending Business-in-a-Box''. BooksOnStuff.
*
External links
In Praise of Vending Machines - slideshow by ''
Life magazine''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vending Machine
Retail formats
Commercial machines
Hellenistic engineering
Ancient inventions
Egyptian inventions
Greek inventions
Ancient Egyptian technology
Ancient Greek technology
1888 introductions
Confectionery
Soft drinks
Newspaper distribution
Articles containing video clips
Dispensers