Increasing adoption of modern dispensing solutions in China and Japan in the retail sector will accelerate the Asia Pacific intelligent vending machine market. The manufacturers are continuously integrating smart technologies, such as face recognition, NFC-based payment, touch display, and biometric scanning, in their product offerings. For instance, in March 2017, Accure’s vending solution was installed at Shinjuku railway station in Tokyo, Japan. The solution is a coinless product-dispensing solution that is integrated with NFC payment technology. It allows users to pay for their dispensed products using Accure’s smartphone application. Additionally, manufacturers are engaged in offering connected solutions for reducing maintenance & monitoring costs associated with the equipment, providing an impetus to the Asia Pacific intelligent vending machine market growth.
The rapid increase in consumption of soft drinks in India will drive the Asia Pacific intelligent vending machine market growth. In 2017, it was witnessed that on an average, over a billion consumers drank six billion liters of soft drinks. This high consumption is due to the strong presence of beverage manufacturers who are offering a wide range of soft drink products. Soft drink manufacturers are engaged in installing their vending solutions in the country for attracting a large customer base and accelerating the speed of retail sales, augmenting the Asia Pacific intelligent vending machine market growth. In December 2015, PepsiCo Inc., announced its plans to install around 1,000 dual-temperature vending machines that will offer both drinks & food products under its new Hello Goodness brand.
The growing adoption of automated solutions in the retail industry is predicted to augment the Asia Pacific intelligent vending machine market demand. The retail players are engaged in modifying their stores to unmanned outlets, incorporating automated technologies to perform their business operations. China is a major economy with a large number of retail players planning to turn their outlets into automated units. For instance, BingoBox has installed its unmanned stores across 300 locations in China. Similarly, other retail businesses that have installed unmanned stores in the country include Amazon Go, Alibaba, Tencent, and JD. Moreover, the Asia Pacific intelligent vending machine market players are engaged in offering modern solutions to these retail businesses for enhancing their business operations.
The key players operating in the Asia Pacific intelligent vending machine market are Sanden Holdings Corporation, Azkoyen Vending Systems, Crane Merchandising Systems, Evoca Group, Fuji Electric Co., Ltd., and SEAGA Group. The global players in the Asia Pacific intelligent vending machine market are engaged in expanding their business base in the region owing to the rising demand for modern dispensing solutions in a wide range of application segments including retail and transportation. For instance, in November 2018, Azkoyen Vending Systems announced the expansion of its business presence in Asia. Azkoyen machines have been installed in several offices such as DBS Bank and KPMG Consultancy.