Like nearly every industry today, vending is being reshaped by artificial intelligence. AI vending machines aren’t just a futuristic concept; they’re already enhancing the experience for customers, workers, and business owners.
Below, we’ll explore what AI vending could mean for you and how it may transform everyday interactions with machines.
How AI Vending Machines Are Changing the Game
These days, vending machines just aren’t what they used to be. But thanks to AI vending machines, grabbing a snack or drink can feel a bit more personal, quicker, and even a little smarter.
From better stocking options to touch-free payments, these upgrades are on a mission to make everyday life easier. And the benefits show up in a real way – for customers, workers, and business owners.
1. Data Collection and Analysis
AI needs data to learn and make better decisions, so data collection is one of the most important considerations. Almost every future vending industry trend revolves around the vast amount of data that AI performs. It's important to understand that data drives most AI vending machine trends, as information is power in marketing and management.
Before AI, data collection was still a driving force in marketing. But with AI, it's even more powerful because it can collect and analyze the data to reach insightful conclusions and offer solutions. Vending companies now have abundant data at their fingertips, allowing them to cater to customers more precisely while increasing revenue.
2. Better Customer Experience
Vending machine AI integration focuses heavily on improving the customer experience. The key, of course, is satisfying customers so they return to you.
Below are just a few ways AI is enhancing the customer experience to be more robust, interesting, and convenient.
Customization and Personalization
Nowadays, customization and personalization are everything for consumers. Everyone wants a curated experience that caters to them, and vending machine AI systems can do this.
AI can recommend products, offer enticing discounts, and give loyalty rewards to individual customers. So Sam (who loves doughnuts) may get a $1 coupon off doughnuts, while Mike (who frequently drinks Red Bull beverages) gets a BOGO deal on a new energy drink.
Smart Device Integration
Soon, vending machines will be one more thing you can control from your phone, if customers would like this to happen.
AI vending machines can connect to people's smartphones, showing them inventory, dynamic pricing, discounts, locations, and more. In return, AI uses this connection to collect data and create an even more personalized experience.
Touchless Machines
Many people prefer touchless experiences to reduce the spread of germs and bacteria. Advanced vending machines can activate for customers using facial recognition, voice commands, and biometric measurements. Smart device integration also creates a touchless experience.
Gaming Integrations
Vending machine gaming integrations are one of the industry's newest AI applications. Machines can offer an interactive, stimulating, and fun experience. This could involve small games, entertaining videos, dynamic graphics, and even small prizes, like a free drink or snack.
Even if they are not hungry or thirsty, customers can be attracted to this gaming element of vending machine AI, which can drive traffic and engagement. Especially when placed in a unique location.
3. Optimized Inventory Management
Optimized inventory management is one of the most powerful features of AI vending machines. AI vending can track product freshness, popularity, target demographic, and more. These smart systems can remove expired items, push products that are closer to expiration, show consumer trends, and help curate inventory orders.
For example, an AI vending machine may notice that hot chocolate is only popular from October to February. The machine can recommend only stocking the beverage during this timeframe.
The power of smart inventory management is massive, as it can better cater to customers, move products faster, and reduce wasted products. Consumer trends can be unpredictable, but vending machine AI systems make them easier to track than ever.
4. Optimized Machine Management
Few things are as frustrating as visiting a vending machine when you have an empty stomach and realizing it is out of order. Artificial intelligence can reduce machine downtime by monitoring machine performance.
AI operational monitoring alerts the maintenance team to any issues, which can then be remedied as quickly as possible. Rather than a week of downtime, a machine may only be out of service for less than 24 hours.
Predictive maintenance can send alerts before problems manifest, ensuring machines stay in tip-top shape. The automated alerts free up time for maintenance workers, allowing the team to focus on machines that need attention rather than manually checking every machine in the area.
5. Sustainability
An AI-powered vending machine can be more sustainable with certain features and can further support eco-friendly practices.
Energy Conservation
Like so many modern devices, from electric cars to iPhones, AI vending machines can assess environmental factors to save energy. If an outdoor vending machine is in 5º F weather, it can reduce its temperature settings. If there is a lull in activity, it can enter "sleep" mode to use less power. AI vending machines can thoughtfully manage energy use and power themselves on and off as needed.
Waste Reduction
AI systems can do wonders to showcase products nearing expiration and monitor freshness. Vending machine owners often have to throw away expired products. Any reduction in this product waste will save machine owners money and help the planet. This product waste can be caused by something simple, such as nearly expired products being hidden at the bottom of the display. AI can make adjustments to minimize waste as much as possible.
6. Increased Revenue and Savings
Many of these features can increase revenue and savings for vending machine owners and managers.
Energy conservation, waste reduction, improved customer experience, and smart inventory management can all reduce operational costs or increase profits. However, dynamic pricing might be the biggest factor in increasing revenue.
Dynamic pricing means product costs will change depending on supply, demand, and other factors. For example, coffee and energy drinks may be priced higher in the morning, while snack prices rise in the afternoon.
The obvious benefit is that machine owners make more profit from high-demand items. Customers can also benefit when they purchase low-demand items at a reduced cost.
Dynamic pricing also ties into inventory management. Discounting nearly expired products and suggesting that merchandizers place them at the front of the display means machines can sell products that would otherwise be thrown away.
7. Skill Shifts for Workers
As artificial intelligence infiltrates industry after industry, many workers worry about job stability. However, AI in the vending machine industry is not replacing workers. Instead, it's enhancing their capability in current roles and leading to potentially more exciting ones.
Artificial intelligence can handle mundane and simple tasks like basic data analysis, while humans can focus on more complex and creative tasks that drive business growth.
For example, in the future, a merchandiser will be given powerful predictive technology that helps them decide what products to include in a machine at a specific time of the month. The aim is for AI to make workers' jobs easier and more fulfilling, not obsolete.
The Future of AI Vending Machine Technology
People's need for convenient snacks and drinks isn't going anywhere. Artificial intelligence will enhance the experience for owners, customers, and workers.
The future of the vending industry is exciting as we discover innovative ways to use this ever-advancing technology, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have any questions about what it can do for you. Let us answer all of them for you!
