Abstract
The $15 billion full-line vending market has faced continued challenges as manufacturing locations have declined in size and quantity. Mintel' s report utilizes primary and secondary research to provide insights into the challenges facing the market, and the opportunities that will meet the needs of a new economy.
Insights include:
- How is the cold beverage segment responding to declining demand?
- How can dark chocolate, large candy bars, and Hispanic/Southwestern food reinvigorate sales?
- How has the emergence of ice cream vending affected frozen food sales?
- What is needed for vending to become more relevant in smaller workplaces, including passive revenue streams and diversification into office coffee service?
- How do age, race/ethnicity, and work status affect use of vending machines?
- Why will cashless payment systems appeal to the same group most likely to pay more for snack food?
Combining sales data for full-line vending, sales of vending by machine location, and exclusive consumer survey results, Mintel' s analysis highlights the opportunities and challenges full-line vending operators face in today' s market.
This report investigates the distribution of goods in the US by vending machines, including hot and cold drinks, cigarettes, candy, snacks, confectionery, meal items, sanitary protection, and condoms.
Table of Contents
- Scope and Themes
- What you need to know
- Definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
- The Consumer
- Executive Summary
- Summary of the Summary
- Executive Summary
- State of the Industry
- Operators slow to adapt to changing workplace
- Generation Plastic affects cashless sales
- Challenges from c-stores and quick service restaurants grow
- Bans on junk food at schools begin to take effect
- Inflation rises faster than sales
- Cold beverages and snacks/candy/pastry/confections are majority of market
- Vend food slows while milk and ice cream grow
- Hot beverage sales decline even as Americans savor premium coffees
- Considerable consolidation of operators, suppliers, and equipment manufacturers in 2006
- Counterintuitive retail trends
- Respondents lack exposure to vending in daily life
- Stated desire for healthier products may not translate into actual purchases
- Results reflect Generation P desire for cashless systems
- Why respondents use vending machines
- Interest in non-traditional products that could be sold through vending
- Adapting to the new economy is key
- Market Drivers
- Introduction
- Employment shift away from manufacturing leads market to college students
and urban professionals
- Figure 1: Manufacturing employment, not seasonally adjusted, 1997-2006
- Figure 2: Number of establishments, by sector, 2003-04
- Growing number of younger consumers
- Figure 3: Frequency of use of vending machines, by age, October 2007
- Figure 4: Population aged 18 or older, 2002-07
- Generation Plastic
- Figure 5: Share of dollars spent using credit/debit cards, by age, august 2006
- Federal regulations make cashless vending more feasible to vendors
- Figure 6: Preferred payment options consumers used for various types of purchases, 2006
- Increasing numbers of students positive for the market
- Figure 7: Predicted number of students enrolled in u.s. schools, millions, 2004-07
- Schools regulations ban junk food, creating new challenges
- Competitive landscape changing
- Figure 8: Convenience store merchandise and foodservice sales, 2002-06
- Market Size and Trends
- Market size
- Figure 9: U.S. sales via vending machines, full line operators, at current and constant prices, 2002-07
- Market trends
- Continued shift to bottles rather than canned beverages
- Figure 10: Projected sales of cold beverages by full-line vending operators, by type of container, 2003-06
- Demand for premium coffee products driving innovation
- Soda sales sag, but energy drinks and new age beverages offer hope
- Market Segmentation
- Overview
- Figure 11: U.S. vending sales, segmented by type of product, full-line operators, 2005 and 2007
- Cold beverages
- Figure 12: Sales of cold beverages via vending machines, at current and constant prices, 2002-07
- Figure 13: Cold beverage machines among full-line operators, by type, 2002, 2004, and 2006
- Candy/snacks/confections/pastry
- Figure 14: Sales of candy/snacks/confections/pastry via vending machines, at current and constant prices, 2002-07
- Figure 15: Sales of candy/snack/confections/pastry via vending machines, by type of product, 2005-06
- Vended food
- Figure 16: Sales of food via vending machines, at current and constant prices, 2002-07
- Figure 17: Number of vend food machines, by type, 2003-06
- Figure 18: Sales of food via vending machines, by type, 2004 and 2006
- Hot beverages
- Figure 19: Sales of hot beverages via vending machines, at current and constant prices, 2002-07
- Figure 20: Sales of hot beverages via vending mahcines, by type, 2004 and 2006
- Milk
- Figure 21: Sales of milk via vending machines, at current and constant prices, 2002-07
- Figure 22: Sales of milk via vending machines, by machine type, 2004 and 2006
- Ice cream
- Figure 23: Sales of ice cream via vending machines, at current and constant prices, 2002-07
- Figure 24: Sales of ice cream via vending machines, by machine type, 2004 and 2006
- Supply Structure
- Consolidation among operators continues
- Food service, office coffee service, and vending operators
- Food producers for vending
- Equipment manufacturers
- Overlap with OCS and manual foodservice
- Full-line operators by size
- Figure 25: Operator sales of vending products in the U.S., by size of organization based on annual revenues, 2004 & 2006
- Most popular brands in candy/snacks/confections/pastry
- Figure 26: Top 20 candy/snacks/confection items sold through vending machines, by brand and size, ranking by dollar sales, 2006
- Most popular brands in frozen food
- Figure 27: Top 20 frozen food products sold through vending machines, by manufacturer and brand, ranking by dollar sales, 2006
- Most popular brands in refrigerated food products
- Figure 28: Top 20 refrigerated food products sold through vending machines, by manufacturer and brand, ranking by dollar sales, 2006
- Distribution/Location
- Introduction
- Locations of vending machines
- Figure 29: U.S. sales of vending products among full-line vending operators, by location, 2005 and 2006
- The Consumer
- Summary
- Use of vending machines
- Frequency of use of vending machines
- Figure 30: Frequency of use of vending machines, October 2007
- Figure 31: Frequency of use of vending machines, by age, October 2007
- Figure 32: Frequency of use of vending machines, by race/ethnicity, October 2007
- Figure 33: Frequency of use of vending machines, by marital status, October 2007
- Figure 34: Frequency of use of vending machines, by employment status, October 2007
- Opinions regarding vending machines and the products sold
- Figure 35: Opinions regarding vending machines and vended products, agree summary, October 2007
- Figure 36: Opinions regarding vending machines and vended products, agree summary, by age, October 2007
- Figure 37: Opinions regarding vending machines and vended products, agree summary, by presence and number of children under age 18 in household, October 2007
- Figure 38: Opinions regarding vending machines and vended products, agree summary, by employment status, October 2007
- Attitudes and Opinions Regarding Vending Machines
- Summary
- Reasons for using vending machines
- Figure 39: Reasons for using machines, October 2007
- Figure 40: Reasons for using machines, by race/ethnicity, October 2007
- Figure 41: Reasons for using machines, by employment status, October 2007
- Interest in expanded product offerings
- Figure 42: Interest in expanded vending product offerings, October 2007
- Figure 43: Interest in expanded vending product offerings, by age, October 2007
- Figure 44: Interest in expanded vending product offerings, by race/ethnicity, October 2007
- Figure 45: Interest in expanded vending product offerings, by presence and number of children under age 18 in household, October 2007
- Figure 46: Interest in expanded vending product offerings, by level of education obtained, October 2007
- Price respondent is willing to pay for vended snack foods
- Figure 47: Price respondent is willing to pay for vended snack foods, October 2007
- Figure 48: Price respondent willing to pay for vended snack foods, by age, October 2007
- Figure 49: Price respondent willing to pay for vended snack foods, by employment status, October 2007
- Attributes that influence choice of vending machine
- Figure 50: Attributes that influence choice of vending machine, October 2007
- Figure 51: Attributes that influence choice of vending machine, by age, October 2007
- Figure 52: Attributes that influence choice of vending machine, by race/ethnicity, October 2007
- Figure 53: Attributes that influence choice of vending machine, by employment status, October 2007
- Future and Forecast
- Future trends
- Becoming more relevant for smaller workplaces
- Passive revenue opportunities
- Cashless payment technology may utilize cellphones/PDAs
- New technologies and "on demand" lifestyles
- Less face time is often a preferred method of purchase
- Introducing more Hispanic and Southwestern flavors to snacks and foods
- Figure 54: Population by race and Hispanic origin, 2002-12
- Market forecast
- Full line vending market
- Figure 55: Forecast of total U.S. sales via vending machines of full line operators, at current and constant prices, 2007-12
- Figure 56: Forecast of sales via vending machines of full line operators, at current and constant prices, 2007-12
- Cold beverages
- Figure 57: Forecast of U.S. sales of cold beverages via vending machines, at current and constant prices, 2007-12
- Candy/snacks/confections/pastry
- Figure 58: Forecast of U.S. sales of candy/snacks/confections/pastry via vending machines, at current and constant prices, 2007-12
- Vended food
- Figure 59: Forecast of U.S. sales of food via vending machines, at current and constant prices, 2007-12
- Hot beverages
- Figure 60: Forecast of U.S. sales of hot beverages via vending machines, at current and constant prices, 2007-12
- Milk
- Figure 61: Forecast of U.S. sales of milk via vending machines, at current and constant prices, 2007-12
- Ice cream
- Figure 62: Forecast of U.S. sales of ice cream via vending machines, at current and constant prices, 2007-12
- Forecast factors
- Appendix: Trade Associations


