Reopening of offices increases demand for vending machines, say experts

With the reopening of offices, demand for vending machines has witnessed an increase, according to experts.

The increase in organized retailing across malls and multiplexes, BPOs, IT, and ITES industries in India will fuel demand for vending machines.

“Now that offices are reopening, we are seeing a surge in demand from companies across the country. Vending Machines are changing the landscape of corporate cafeterias and playing an important role in ensuring safe and hygienic foods in this post-pandemic era, to say the least,” said Prerna Kalra, Co-Founder & CEO of Daalchini Technologies.

It has installed its vending machines in offices like Reliance, Vodafone, Times Internet, E&Y, Snapdeal, OLX, OYO, Genpact, Cushman & Wakefield, MX Player, Samsung, Vivo, Paytm, Optum, Thales, Smartworks, Housr, Whirlpool, L’Oréal, Redtape among others.

“We can improve the growth of vending machines by adding more and more nutritionist food options to serve customers who are more fitness-oriented. So, adding more rich nutritionist food options can attract several audiences and boost the growth of vending machines pan India,” said Sitanshu S, Director, Business Operations, Cushman & Wakefield.

The market of Vending machines in India is expected to witness substantial growth of 14.9% CAGR during 2020-2026. With around 40 thousand hospitals, 555 thousand workplaces, 113 thousand public places (Metro, Railway stations, etc.), 249 thousand factories, 220 thousand ATM locations, 630 thousand residential (apartments, PGs, hostels).

It is a severely under-tapped market space and has about more than 6 million possible locations to install vending machines across the country.

“With people being more concerned about the environment and government pushing for no-plastic use, vending machines should be also made more sustainable and environmentally friendly by reducing the use of plastic packaging,” said Akshay Arora, Assistant Director, F&B, E&Y.

Daalchini already has 700+ smart stores in 15 cities and more than 1.6 lakh Monthly-active-users.

“Vending Machines are becoming a new normal in the post-pandemic world. And, with new technological development, vending machines should develop their supply chain ecosystem and add more use cases to catalyse their growth,” said Amit Khanna, Times Internet.