In response to consumers seeking healthier options, vending machines now stock a broader food and beverage portfolio along with the “smart” technological solutions like Apple Pay and Google Pay. On-machine signage also is helping consumers to better evaluate their choices.
Although the vending machine operators industry has struggled during the past decade, in the five years to 2016, “revenue decreased at an annualized rate of only 0.2 percent to an estimated $6.7 billion, with a 0.2 percent decrease in 2016,” states Los Angeles-based IBISWorld in its December 2016 report titled “Vending Machine Operators in the US.”