The pandemic begins with its epicenter in China in 2019 and has been continuously spreading by then to all over the globe, so far 216 countries and territories have been affected with COVID-19. The COVID-19 cases reaching to various countries which have strong dominance in the worldwide market and have adversely affected the economic growth globally. The spread of coronavirus has led to severe disruption such as global recession, many organizations are being forced to take stringent actions as lying of their employees and staffs, small and medium business is being shut down, and manufacturing & production facilities are being put on hold for a longer period. However, apart from this, the demand for food and beverages witnessed huge growth but this has increased the shortage of supply chain due to the panic buying from the populations. Similarly, the demand for the pharmaceuticals, chemical, and healthcare industry also increased as new solutions and medicines are getting introduced for taking preventive measures. There has been a disruption in the supply chain of many industries due to restrictions in logistics and the closing of manufacturing facilities. In addition, the slowdown in the economy has lowered the spending capability of individuals and people are saving money for emergencies.
The intelligent vending machines are controlled by a computer and backed by a cloud-based management system. The cloud allows for live inventory monitoring and sales data that was previously unavailable or extremely delayed. Vending machines have evolved into a new class of automated retails kiosks with the use of modern technology. The range of products that can be dispensed by these machines is unbelievable. A custom vending machine can also be created that can be customized to the products that are dispensed.
Aftermath Strategies for Intelligent Vending Machines Market and Government Role
The COVID-19 pandemic was not predicted by any government to be ready for. The pandemic resulted in many changes brought by the government to the usual norms of operations for multiple industries around the world. The pandemic affected the market and consumer behavior, this created volatility in the economy.
Smart vending machines are the next evolution of retail because they allow the business to reach customers in new locations and new ways. They also serve customers with ease and efficiency by only displaying what selections are in stock.
For instance,
- Vending machines of Azkoyen will be installed in the new AVLO trains, the low-cost high-speed train. These vending machines will provide drinks and snacks to more than 400 Avlo passengers with their automation.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE MARKET IN COVID-19 SITUATION
To improve and reinforce the services of traditional vending machines, AAEON has provided an intelligent solution to facilitate their functions. Ideally, smart vending machines integrate seamlessly with important systems including commerce, ERP, operations, and inventory management. The industry is now growing towards API-driven, headless commerce supports integration with any touchpoint.
For instance,
- The smarter solution, called brainy, offers an exceptional shopping experience. Along with the coming of the Internet of Things (IoT) age and its increasing prevalence in our daily lives, Brainy supports Intel Realsense technology through AAEON’s “UP” board, a credit-card-sized single-board computer.
STRATEGIC DECISIONS FOR SERVICE PROVIDERS AFTER COVID-19 TO GAIN COMPETITIVE MARKET SHARE
The market players are now taking many strategic decisions to gain their market share and profit after COVID-19. Strategic decisions such as mergers & acquisitions and technological innovations are helping market players to regain their share. The companies are converting their intelligent vending machines into unmanned retailers with limited space and this strategic decision will help the companies to boost their sales as these kinds of vending machines are capable of dispensing any goods irrespective of their size and shape. The integration of IoT in vending machines will help companies to increase their sales.
DEVELOP NEW SOLUTION
The Intelligent vending machines will need to be staffed differently to cater 24*7 to provide service. The companies are developing new solutions by strategic partnership and collaboration.
OFFER NEW SERVICES TO MANAGE THE INTELLIGENT VENDING MACHINES SOFTWARE
The companies are trying to offer new services to the customers with the help of new strategies and opportunities and also due to recent development in vending machine products and services. By maximizing the operational opportunities to minimize the cost, the companies are investing in R&D to improve their services. The use of vending machines allows businesses to operate 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
OTHER GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES FOR MARKET PLAYERS TO PURSUE IN 2020
The vending machines and micro-markets leave a space for a solution that has significant potential growth. This type of machine will include a full micro market with a reasonably large number of SKUs. Several North American and European operators are offering such solutions.
Impact on Price
The lockdown imposed by the government of the countries had adversely impacted the prices of the intelligent vending machines services due to the implementation of remote working. The prices of the services have been increased as the software has been shifted to the cloud which has resulted in increasing physicals security. The prices of the vending machines have been increased as now the traditional vending machines have been replaced by automated vending machines which incurred high cost and ultimately affect prices. A vending machine is a retailer with limited space and such engineering requires high cost which will increase the prices of the intelligent vending machines.
Impact On Demand
The pandemic has caused a decrease in demand for vending machines. With the fast converting life of the population and digitalization in vending machines such as IoT, the companies are under the transformation of their products such as cashless payments and safe products delivery which will eventually help in increasing demand. The COVID-19 has impacted the demand for the vending machines as the employees started working from home. 80% of the vending machines were majorly located at offices and workplaces which are closed and ultimately causing a failing economic activity. The healthcare industry has not seen a much decline in vending machines as they are essential for healthcare personnel. The overall COVID-19 has impacted the demand for vending machines negatively.
For instance,
- The Azkoyen Group, a leading Spanish technology offers automated vending machines has received an award. The award is regarding the best vending machine supplier and has great technology of automation.
Impact on Supply Chain
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the market but the services are now shifted towards cloud platform which is very easy and flexible to use. These cloud platform services also save the cost of the companies as they are paying as you use services but this has increased intelligent vending machines and services. The COVID-19 has also affected the supply chain of intelligent vending machines which results in the loss of the industry. Due to lockdown imposed by the states and taking into consideration the safety, the installation of the intelligent vending machines was on hold as the supply chain was hampered. The cost of supplying machines and their spare parts were also increases which ultimately increases the prices of intelligent vending machines.
Conclusion
The micro-markets are not only for traditional vending machine operators. By the nature of operations and data management, the micro-market can be an ideal solution for retailers wishing to expand beyond the store and allow customers 24/7 availability of the products. The digitized systems, equipped with a large number of sensors and available data will become a rich source of data to be analyzed for the stakeholders which will help in finding trends and growth. The different innovations in vending machines such as the integration of IoT which supports cashless payments, safe delivery are the market opportunities. Companies are now simplifying convenience by using such technological innovations. The market is now moving towards unmanned retail stores due to pandemics which can be a great opportunity for the vending machine market as they can deliver goods and any packaging units. The growth of the market will be slow after the pandemic but it will surely rise and will gain popularity.
