So How Does a Smart Vending Machine Work Anyway?

Placed mindfully in parks, cafes, gyms, schools and housing apartments, there is a high chance, a smart vending machine will turn out to be a delight box for someone. Often stocked with goodies like snacks, refreshments as bizarre as paan, and even t-shirts, cashless vending machines in India are gaining more popularity.

Reports estimate that by 2032, the global retail vending machine market will reach an estimated value of US$ 130 Billion, attracting multiple businesses towards it.

And within this mesh of changes surrounding smart vending solutions, is an unanswered question, “how does a smart vending machine work?”

Let us dive a bit deeper to understand how a smart vending machine works.

Within the mysteries of vending machine operations:

To understand how a vending machine works one has to take into account its type, customised features and the specific technology used while making it. However, on an all-around spectrum, there are two types of vending machines in India:

1. Traditional cash or coin-operated vending machine
2. Smart and cashless vending machines.

This divergence stems from the user perspective or the way the customer interacts with the vending machine to complete a transaction.

How are Smart Vending Machine Operations Different from the Traditional?

In the case of a traditional vending machine, it is all about the spare change. The consumer is required to insert coins as per the product cost, press the right button and collect the product at the end. With little advancement in technology, these machines were soon customised to accept cash payments as well.

Some of the earlier vending machines like tea and coffee vending machines or soda vending machines in the early 90s were coin-operated. These machines mostly had spiral holders that would move in order to dispense the product.

Such vending machines worked unsatisfactorily as the coin often got stuck within the machine and made it a nil transaction. Moreover, it was difficult to refund the amount to the consumer instantly.

Then arrived the smart-cashless vending machines. These technology-driven smart machines permitted cashless transactions via multi-channel payment methods. Currently, digital payment gateways like credit/ debit cards and UPI are available on all smart vending machines in India powered by Vendekin Technologies.

The consumer needs to scan a QR code which will direct them to a web app page, where a catalogue of products appears. After selecting the product/s through the web page, they can simply proceed to pay digitally by scanning a QR code on the vending machine.

Making Life Easier: Smart Vending Machines

This wave of advancement has also allowed the customer to experience a more inclusive retail experience with minimal physical contact and shopping time, giving rise to contactless vending commerce.

Additionally, it allows the consumer to select multiple orders and pay a cumulative sum in the end instead of purchasing one product at a time.

Smart vending machine software like vNetra by Vendekin, also helps businesses track inventory levels, vending machine operating status and collect data on consumer buying patterns and much more. These kinds of benefits have made many big FMCG players like Coca-Cola and Haldiram switch and buy smart vending machines.

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How Vending Machines are Reshaping Retail & F&B

1st century A.D., Roman Egypt.

People eagerly wait with a token in hand to experience an engineering marvel called the vending machine.

It might seem unlikely but with a massive history of over centuries, vending machines have been a part and parcel of human civilization. From the holy water vending machine in ancient Egypt to the smart snack vending machine in India, it has left a great impact on the global consumer, particularly in the retail sector.

So much so that the market size of global retail vending machines was estimated at USD 51.91 billion in 2021. Moreover, the beverage retail segment contributed 43% of the global revenue with smart coffee vending machines and energy drinks in the lead.

Another modern impact of the vending machine is seen in the way it continues to reshape the retail and F&B sector, especially through new-age smart vending machines. Retailers and FMCG brands are keen to understand how vending machine companies in India are moulding the retail sector by tapping into contemporary consumer behaviour, which expects immediate solutions and instant gratification.

Understanding the role smart vending machines play in retail and F&B, therefore, starts with understanding consumer purchasing trends and behaviour.

What Is Consumer Buying Behavior in FMCG?

The vending market is expected to grow at a  CAGR of 8.7%  between 2020-2026 in India, anchoring the vending machine strongly in the Indian retail market. This massive growth results from the unique consumer purchasing behaviour in the F&B sector. The traditional neighbourhood kirana stores, malls and hypermarkets are now facing a push from the upcoming micro markets of smart vending machines in India.

Earlier the consumer would wait in line, and go through the bothersome process of finding spare change. Then a shift in consumer behaviour was seen with liberalisation and digitalisation, but the biggest wave of change came forth with the pandemic.

Post 2019 the same consumer is conscious about:

• making physical contact
• traditional payment methods
• the time consumed
• finding the exact product all the time, everywhere.

In other words, the buyer is more aware of the consumer experience. Today consumers demand a personalised experience with minimum human interaction. Thus making the Indian retail segment all about convenience. This micro-market has evolved to be interactive, immediate and immersive. 

And at the centre of this touchless, cashless and convenient experience is the smart vending machine.

Smart Vending Machine: The heart of retail and F&B sector.

As per the India Digital Payment Report for the third quarter of 2022, there were over  19.65 billion UPI transactions made, accounting for a sum of Rs 32.5 trillion. This, along with the growth rate of 71.7% for digital payment (by 2025) makes for a massive shift towards a cashless retail experience. In addition to this, the consumer demands for unmanned yet inclusive retail experience.

Adhering to the shifts in consumer behaviour, the retail market has turned towards micro markets of unmanned and cashless vending machines solving the following concerns:

Less physical contact

The consumer wants to have an inclusive and immersive shopping experience while maintaining minimum physical contact. A position that is rare to achieve in a traditional retail setup, especially in F&B retail as the consumer shops around various products to compare the prices and specifications.

Smart vending solutions address this concern in just one tap. By scanning a customised QR code, the consumers now can check out all the products on their devices and proceed to pay. This in turn is building a repetitive habit of lesser and lesser contact while shopping.

Vendekin, one of the top vending machine companies in India, provides an intelligent machine controller framework, including hardware and both a mobile app and web interface, that can help minimise physical contact by up to 95 per cent.

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In Conversation with Habib, Head, Machine Delivery

Vendekin Technologies is reshaping the unattended retail industry with its smart vending machine software. Taking its contribution one step ahead is its new Machine Delivery department. This In Conversation series explores this new wing of Vendekin with Habib Rajbar, Head of Machine Delivery.

Previously heading the R&D Electronic department at Vendekin, Habib and his team of 6 were responsible for designing, developing and testing smart vending machine management and softwares to suit the best needs of businesses and vending machine operators. With the same motivation, Habib now takes over as the head of the newest branch at Vendekin, the Machine Delivery department, as shared in excerpts from our conversation below.

What exactly is Machine Delivery in smart vending technology?

As the name goes, the Machine Delivery department ensures that the smart vending machines are 'delivered' to the customer as per their requirements, customisations and in the perfect condition. And to execute this to perfection, we identify the various requirements, abilities, capacities and limits of different types of vending machines, and help the customers in strategising more specific, more efficient, and more holistic smart touchless vending solutions for their products.

Our goal is that of transforming the Indian vending landscape by converting traditional vending machines into smart and automated vending machines alongside providing smart vending machine management software like vNetra and solutions like the Retrobox. This will enable existing and upcoming businesses to look at Vendekin as their one stop destination to identify and acquire unmanned vending machines customised as per their product requirements, and powered by Vendekin's smart, touchless and cashless vending solutions.

What gave rise to the creation of this department?

Heading the Research and Development wing at Vendekin for around 6 years made it clear how many of our clients had some very specific requirements to vend their products and even faced minor hiccups in their everyday operations because of some or the other technical difficulties with the machine they acquired directly from other manufacturers.

Though Vendekin’s vending machine management software ran efficiently, improper machines can sometimes cause unwanted hiccups. On several occasions the team has to brainstorm effective solutions even with limited information about the vending machines brought in by the client.

With all this in mind, we felt a need to widen the understanding of smart and touchless vending machines.

Which departments does Machine Delivery work with at Vendekin?

Currently Machine Delivery collaborates with the Research and Development department, the Operations team and the Consumer Success wing at Vendekin. From researching to sourcing the machine and from defining its requirements to testing, every task is carried out by Machine Delivery to help these departments.

Since the Machine Delivery department is fairly new it does not directly interact or deal with clients yet. All the client-communication is currently taken care of by the Consumer Success at Vendekin.

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Finding the Right Location to Install Smart, Cashless Vending Machines for Higher Sales

With around 65 lakh potential set-up locations across 500 cities in India, smart and cashless vending solutions are driving the Indian vending market at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 14.9% (2020-2026). Moreover, as more brands are gearing up for phygital retail markets in India with automated and touchless vending machines, it has become vital to target the right location and spaces for your products to get more profitable returns.

But, what are some good locations for vending machines?

In all honesty, a vending machine can be installed anywhere from offices to subway stations and from departmental stores to housing apartments, depending on your target consumer and business needs. That being said, it is important to consider various factors that make a space more suited to install a smart vending machine with cashless payment solutions.

Location Matters! Here’s why

India hosts 40,000 hospitals, 249,000 factories, 113,000 public places, countless workspaces and residential apartment complexes that can turn into the right opportunity to upscale your retail business with low-risk and cost-effective cashless vending machines. What connects all these varied spaces are factors like comparatively high footfall, power availability, product-specific demand, rent, distance from the warehouse, etc.

1. Daily Footfall

Vending machines and cashless vending solutions are meant to serve people. Hence the most ideal locations to install a vending machine are places with significantly high foot traffic or visitors. With high footfall, the chance of attracting impulse and habitual buyers increases. In either case, your business revenue will increase. Touchless vending machines with digital payment solutions have a higher advantage as the transaction becomes quick and secure in places that host large crowds.

Moreover, by placing strategically branded vending machines, you can really get some brand recall going in places with more eyeballs. Know more about Private labelling services by Vendekin here.

2. Power Availability

All automated and cashless vending systems are electrically operated, hence, to retrieve benefits from your vending business, you must ensure constant availability of electric power or at least a backup generator. Additionally, this is a must for food and beverage businesses planning to go the smart vending machine route since their product will often require an in-built refrigerator or food-heating oven.

3. Demand and behavioural trends

The simple rule of demand and consumer behaviour applies to Instant Commerce as well. This has only been elevated with smart vending machine payment solutions. For instance, at workspaces in India, employees and visitors are accustomed to tea, coffee and light snacks. Hence the demand for a tea/coffee vending machine or a touchless snacks vending machine is high.

Likewise, for a nutrition bar and juice products, gyms and parks are profitable locations.

With the right information and proper understanding of the behavioural patterns of the target audience and the demand trends of the places they visit, placing a smart vending machine is easy.

4. Distance from the warehouse

Smart vending machines too require stock re-filling as and when required. So having a vending machine installed strategically nearby a warehouse or in a well-connected area is a plus for your business. As a result of which the cost of logistics goes down significantly.

Vendekin’s smart and cashless vending solutions come with vNetra, a GDPR-compliant, AI/ML-driven back office vending management software that tracks the inventory level of the vending machines along with other rich data points around sales, discounts, margins and user consumption behaviour.

Can a vending machine be placed anywhere?

A smart vending machine can be placed anywhere, but for the best returns in your buck, strategy around location is key.. Depending on the space available, the location and the kind of product being vended, Vendekin will provide your business with customised vending machine solutions.

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Why Choose a Micro-Market over a Pantry for Your Office

Are the coffee runs in your office taking longer than usual and eating into your team’s productive work hours?

Is finding and refilling tea bags, sugar, coffee and snacks on the pantry shelves a constant nightmare for your team?

Then it is time your office floor or complex got itself a micro market powered by the smart vending solutions from Vendekin Technologies, known for creating the best vending machine software in India and worldwide. Here’s how a micro market can help your office.

What Is a Micro market?

A micro market is a closely condensed convenience store consisting of 2 or more vending machines selling various products through unmanned, unattended retail. It utilises automated self-checkout technology, often combined with cashless methods of payment.

But, can a micro market benefit your workplace? Here are five benefits of incorporating a micro-market into your office space.

Transform Your Break Room

Upgrading to a micro-market powered by the best vending machine software from India upgrades your break room. Instead of a room with beat-up coffee machines and shelves of expired snacks, a break room with smart vending machines with neat rows filled with snacks, beverages and even office supplies makes for a much more modern and convenient break room. It creates an overall improved office experience and subliminally communicates to the office staff that they are valued and their needs matter. Instead of each one going off on their own, often you will find teams gathered around these new-age vending machines or micromarkets during breaks, which overall helps build relationships and morale.

What does this mean for the company? Higher employee morale usually means an overall happier place to work. Additionally, adding a micro-market may also give your business’ reputation a boost as a workplace. Company perks, such as better break rooms and snacks, are highly valued and can even become a talking point helping draw and retain talent.

Greater Office Productivity

Another reason why using a micro-market makes sense for today’s businesses is that it is an easy way to boost your workplace productivity.

Office staff leaving the office for long lunches and coffee breaks can cost a company useful work hours. A micro-market powered by the touchless, cashless vending machine technology from India, can save your team a lot of time. Snacking and even lunch options are available, allowing your staff to easily shop for satiating and nutritious food without stepping out of the office. All in all, having an engaging break room in your office can help your staff save time and stay focused during the day.

More Convenient than Old-school Vending

Micro-markets via smart vending, have done away with hassles of traditional vending machine technology in India or worldwide. It is uncommon now to see users standing around a vending machine fumbling for coins and notes. Vending machine dispensation technology too has upscaled, and it is unusual to see products get jammed in now.

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In conversation with Abhinav Soni, Sales Head - Opportunities & Challenges for smart vending machine

Vending may have been in India for almost 40 years now, but as the world rides the new wave of digital retail, our sales lead Abhinav Soni shares his thoughts on the opportunities and challenges presented by smart vending technologies, the solutions provided by Vendekin to brands globally and the challenges his team faces in selling this idea to brands and entrepreneurs. Excerpts from this interesting conversation:

Smart Vending Machines in the Indian market

Abhinav shares that the exponential growth of digitisation in India has resulted in massive traction for the idea of a smart & unmanned retail landscape. Multiple brands are showing interest in building new channels of sales & even beginning to explore automatic vending machine prices in India. While smart vending machines offer end-consumers a touchless and personalised experience, Vendekin Technologies provides smart vending solutions in India and worldwide to brands in the retail and food & beverages (F&B) sector. Vendekin does this by retrofitting their existing vending machines to make them “smart” – cashless and touchless – with the help of a web or app interface.  Vendekin also customises smart vending machines as per a brand’s specific needs and requirements and provides an AI/ML (Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning) driven back office vending management software to remotely track sales and manage other vending machine operations digitally.

Traditional Stores vs Regular Vending Machines vs Smart Vending

While Abhinav doesn't believe in the idea of pitting the concepts of traditional stores, regular vending machines and smart vending machines against each other, he does elaborate on the benefits that brands experience with smart vending machines. For instance, setting up a traditional brick and mortar store takes a lot more time and money to get up and running. Regular cash-and-coin operated vending machines come with their own set of limitations and still require tactile human interaction and manual intervention in its operations

Smart vending solves both of these challenges. A vending machine can be set up in as less as 1/10th of the cost of a traditional storefront. And in less than 24 hours a business can be set up with smart cashless vending machines in India. Customer transactions on these machines are entirely touchless, managed through smartphones, while all the sales data and interactions can be tracked digitally by the vending machine operator.

Expanding Beyond the Usual Markets

Vending machines are a common sight at airports, railway stations, bus stops, corporate offices and various public spaces. But there's a lot more that can be explored, says Abhinav. Vendekin-powered smart cashless vending machines can be set up in residential complexes, educational institutes, business parks, fitness centres, hospitals, etc. Basically, any place that witnesses high footfall is a potential place of business for smart vending machines.

The team at Vendekin can help businesses identify such high footfall spots across the country and handhold them in setting up smart vending machines at these locations. This is a part of Vendekin’s bouquet of vending solutions in India and across the world.

Scope of the Vending Industry

According to Abhinav, vending has now evolved over the usual packed snacks and beverages. The smart cashless vending machines in India and worldwide can be customised as per the product a brand wants to sell. Natural Ice Cream now vends tubs of its popular ice creams through a customised refrigerated vending machine in Pune, similarly Shaukeen Pan has a unique "Paan Vending Machine" outside its store and Gadre Marine has packaged seafood vending machines installed in a residential complex.

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Smart Vending For A Sustainable Planet - Can Vending Machines Help Reduce Carbon Footprint?

Global decarbonisation is an uphill battle, a fact that was underlined and discussed by major economies from around the world as they made commitments during the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26) in 2021. And industries, including retail, will have to play an important role in building a lasting solution for a sustainable planet.

Smart Vending Technology can be one the harbingers of this change in the retail industry, with smart unmanned retail helping the FMCG sector reduce their carbon footprint while becoming more accessible to end users.

Read on to learn how.

Reduce food wastage with vNetra

Studies have shown that if food waste was a country, it would be the third-highest emitter of greenhouse gases on the list of countries with high carbon footprints. With smart solutions for vending products, especially food items, businesses can play a crucial role in sustainability.

vNetra, Vendekin's Google Cloud powered, GDPR compliant, AI/ML driven back office vending management software, is a step forward in smart vending technology by digitising the supply chain or backend vending operations. Through the vNetra software, inventory of all active machines can be tracked on a single platform. This means knowing in advance, which machines have perishable goods close to their sell-by date. Knowing in advance can help plan the sales of these items with a shorter shelf-life. At the same time, on restocking rounds only items with a sell-by date need to be refilled. This helps reduce product wastage.

Reduce fuel emissions with digital inventory management

Having a centralised system to track the inventory of all vending machines, retailers or vending machine operators can be aware of their exact inventory at all times. No matter where the vending machines are or where the vending operators are.

Machines have to be restocked based on product inventory and expiration date. The frequency of refilling vending machines depends on the frequency of consumption by consumers and the perishable nature of the products. If certain machines require frequent refilling trips, restocking them can be optimised by planning more refills in a single restocking trip, to ensure less fuel is burned and fewer emissions released into the environment.

vNetra provides a centralised inventory management feature to operators and businesses, which helps them effectively save time and money by taking appropriate decisions in regards to restocking.

Saving on energy usage

Departmental stores, supermarkets, showrooms and restaurants require a lot of energy, in the form of air conditioning, refrigeration, lighting, maintenance etc, to run their operations. Each of these devices could be run for an upward of 10 hours each day on average.

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Most Frequently Asked Questions about Vending Machine Technology

Starting a new business can get a bit scary, especially when the industry you are entering is rapidly evolving. And with the introduction of the latest vending machine technology in India the vending industry is going through a period of growth and disruption. This also means more opportunities for entrepreneurs and brands! And with that come questions.

Team Vendekin Technologies compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions by new vending entrepreneurs and brands as they enter the vending machine industry. And these FAQs have been answered in detail by Vendekin’s marketing and product experts to ease the journey for anyone starting out in the vending industry. So, let’s dive right into these questions...

How much does a vending machine cost in India?

The costs of vending machines may vary depending on its size, type and the customisation done on it. The smallest machine may cost anywhere close to Rs. 1 lakh and may go up to Rs. 8-10 lakhs. Having worked with various vending machine suppliers in India, we have found that a vending machine made to sell delicate products like sweets and snacks can cost between Rs.2.5-3.5 lakhs, while combination machines that have a built in chiller for refrigeration can cost anywhere between Rs. 4-4.5 lakhs.

How often is restocking a vending machine required?

Vending machines are stocked by vending machine operators. Refilling depends on the frequency of sales. And sales depend on the location where the machines are installed. It goes without saying that places with high footfall will see increased usage of the machines. When a new vending operator (NVO) or brand gets onboarded to Vendekin Technologies, they get more than just smart vending machines installed with the latest vending machine technology in India. The marketing team at Vendekin helps identify locations with better footfall. Moreover, with the help of our vending machine management software, vNetra, NVOs and brands in India can track and analyse sales from all their machines as per location and tweak their efforts accordingly.

How big can vending machines get?

Vending machines come in a great variety of shapes and sizes. The smallest machines powered by Vendekin are 3 x 3 feet in height and width, while the biggest Vendekin smart vending machine, a hot food vending machine has dimensions of 6.5 x 5 x 4 feet in height, depth and width respectively. To reiterate, the size of the vending machine purely depends on the product being sold.

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In Conversation: Apoorv Nene on Customer Success at Vendekin

In this month’s edition of our In conversation… series, we got chatting with someone whose team works hard and smart to ensure Vendekin’s customers – new and existing vending operators (NVOs & EVOs) and brands – achieve business success as they become a part of the instant commerce revolution with smart vending provided by Vendekin’s best in industry cashless vending solutions in India. Vendekin Technologies is known for spearheading VCommerce or vending commerce and unattended retail through a patented touchless and cashless technology complemented by a comprehensive analytics and aggregation portal vNetra.

In this riveting conversation, Apoorv Nene, head of Customer Success at Vendekin Technologies shares his experiences of leading the department and the most common and unusual challenges his teams tackle in providing a delightful experience with smart vending machine solutions to entrepreneurs in India.

Leading Customer Success at Vendekin

Apoorv is an Industrial Engineer from the University of Illinois Chicago and an executive alumnus of IIM Kozhikode. Armed with the experience spent working with American Axle & Manufacturing as a quality & industrial engineer and ZOLLER India & South East Asia as a technical sales manager in the United States and India respectively, Apoorv joined Vendekin Technologies in June 2021, just as the country was coming out of the pandemic-induced lockdowns and getting used to the contactless approach to daily life.

What exactly does Customer Success mean at Vendekin?

According to Apoorv, it’s simple. When a customer feels valued, feels that his/her decision to venture into this industry with Vendekin has begun showing results that are visible and tangible, that there is Customer Success.

Apoorv and his team of 15, which also includes a part of the operations team, work with two kinds of people every day. One, the ‘Customers’ consisting of vending machine operators, entrepreneurs and brands. This can range from experienced players to new entrants, both to whom Vendekin provides vending machine solutions in the form of smart vending machines, intelligent RetroBox and the SaaS software powering them. The second type of folks his team interacts with are the ‘Consumers’, those making transactions and purchases using Vendekin-powered smart vending machines. These consumers reach out to Vendekin using the in-app messenger with suggestions, complaints, or questions. Apoorv’s team steps in here by providing solutions directly or bringing the operator into the loop to ensure the issue is resolved in the shortest possible time. This way it’s a double win for the end-consumer as there is always another level of redressal of their complaints and concerns.

How does the Customer Success team help brands and new entrepreneurs?

The customer success teams are by the customer’s side right from the time they are on-boarded with Vendekin. The teams work in tandem with the marketing team in educating the customer about how to extract maximum benefit out of their smart vending machines by making optimum usage of the analytics platform - vNetra. These smart vending machine solutions provided include technical troubleshooting, marketing assistance, promotional strategy planning, and customisations of the vending machines and the software as per the client’s business requirements. The operations team in particular plays a vital role in ensuring that installation and commissioning of vending machines is carried out with utmost diligence. A thorough software and machine operation training is provided to the customers to ensure a good consumer experience.

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From T-shirts to Panipuris: The Oddest Vending Machines in India

Over the years Vending machines in India have become commonplace. Especially at airports, railway stations, bus stops and hospitals, vending snackables like chips, chocolates, beverages - perfect for the traveller-on-the-go. Or in offices vending a variety of coffee and tea concoctions. But are these the only things vending machines can dispense? While the digital vending machines in India are not dispensing puppies or lingerie just yet (they do in Japan!) things have gotten pretty interesting here too!

The team at Vendekin Technologies has travelled far and wide for research and to install our smart, cashless and touchless vending machines in India and globally. Here’s a compilation of some of the oddest and most interesting vending machines we have come across in India:

Panipuri Vending Machine

A Delhi man has made a touchless golgappa vending machine that dispenses these scrumptious water balls, also known as panipuri, completely sans human contact or touch. From golgappa or product selection to cashless payment to the final dispensation of golgappas — the entire vending machine operation is touchless, says Govind, who has custom designed and developed this contactless vending machine in India.

All you have to do is scan the QR code and make the payment. Once the payment is done, the machine will dispense a sealed pack of golgappas. The pack contains a glass for keeping the mouth-watering flavoured water from four available options — sweet, spicy, hing and mix.

Similarly, a person from Banaskantha district of Gujarat invented a contactless panipuri vending machine. The machine dispenses a panipuri once the user selects the price of their panipuri treat, and inserts the respective cash into the machine. A few seconds later, the vending machine opens a flap underneath the keyboard and out comes a mouthwatering panipuri onto the conveyor belt.

T-Shirt Vending Machine

Vending machines in India only dispense quick food items right? But this Vendekin-powered smart vending machine in Pune sells t-shirts! Installed at Westend Mall in Pune by Universal Classic Tshirts Co., this customised, unmanned "t-shirt shop" has turned many heads, generating organic interest in the brand.

Apart from being an unmanned store, what makes this vending machine even more attractive is the price range and variation of the products. With prices starting at Rs. 399 and an option to choose from 8 different types of t-shirts, this vending machine has become quite the crowd-puller in this Pune mall.  And like all the Vendekin-powered custom touchless vending machines in India, it accepts digital payments, supporting all major payment platforms and e-wallets.

Paan Vending Machine

Pune-based Shaukeen Paan sells their wide range of paans through Vendekin-powered smart vending machines. They were inspired and impressed by the fully contactless vending machine at Chitale Bandhu, also powered by Vendekin. Vendekin Technologies’ team guided them through vending operations and even suggestions about the ideal packaging of their product for the machine. This is perhaps the first contactless vending machine in India selling paan. During the several lockdowns, even as a majority of shops and businesses were shut, this Shaukeen Paan digital vending machine in India would stay operational 24X7, ensuring no stoppage in the sales. Curious as to what mechanism this custom touchless vending machine in India uses to dispense paan? Read our earlier blog detailing the entire journey of how this digital paan vending machine came to be!

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In Conversation with Varun Shah - Co-Founder, Vendo Systems

In this edition of In Conversation, our interview series, we got talking to Mr. Varun Shah, the co-founder and partner at Vendo Systems, a Pune-based vending machine operator, who uses Vendekin Technologies’ smart and touchless vending machine technology in India to power his vending machines. Mr. Varun shares his experience of introducing smart vending to various residential societies and corporate houses, the challenges they have faced and what they look forward to in future with their smart vending business. Excerpts from the conversation:

Please tell us about your business. How and why was Vendo founded? Can you please tell us about yourself?

Vendo was originally the brainchild of Sohel, a dear friend, who I have known for 8 years now. Both of us had our own businesses, I was into the events industry while Sohel ran his rolling paper business. The pandemic-induced lockdowns made us realise that our current businesses cannot be run remotely. Sohel was looking for newer opportunities when one of his cousins introduced him to Aroon Khatter, founder of Vendekin Technologies. Sohel saw potential in smart unattended retail. and started Vendo in December 2020 and soon after in January 2021, I came on board. Since then, all our machines have been powered by Vendekin.

Why did you choose to go into the unmanned vending retail business over other opportunities in retail?

We saw that during the pandemic, people started taking their health and related safety precautions very seriously. We also noticed that there were no provisions for availability of essential products on a 24X7 basis. We saw this as an opportunity to introduce vending machines or unmanned retail as a solution that fills this gap, fulfilling the customer’s need for both safety and convenience. Powered by Vendekin’s intelligent vending machine solutions in India, these smart vending machines can dispense snacks, beverages and other essentials any time of the day or night. Plus the consumers can pay for it via cash or through a completely cashless and touchless digital transaction on their phones.

How many places in Pune are your vending machines located in right now?

We started off small with 3 smart vending machines. And now have 14 Vendekin-powered vending machines spread all across Pune in Maharashtra. This was possible because Vendo was handheld by Vendekin during its initial days in the industry on all crucial aspects. Our first installation was in a residential society named Rohan Kritika, followed by Rohan Mithila in Pune.

Apart from these, we have also manage some of the best digital vending machines in the Pune offices of Resalary and Webasto

Any key takeaways on your experience working with residential complexes vis-a-vis corporates?

Both were obviously vastly different experiences for us at Vendo. Residential complexes and their governing bodies require a lot more convincing and explaining on how the machine operates, its benefits and its ongoing usage and maintenance. Corporates, on the other hand, are familiar with the concept of unattended retail and vending, so they already have a budget for such installations. The large number of people in their offices, which in turn means high volumes, makes unmanned retail an ideal option. One benefit of working with  residential complexes is that it gives us a chance to educate and engage with their residents, a majority of whom work with large corporates, and therefore could be future clients or decision-makers as well.

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Stories from Vendekin's Second Outing At the Retail Leadership Summit (RLS) In Mumbai

Vendekin Technologies participated in the Retail Leadership Summit (RLS) 2022, organised by the Retailers Association of India. This was the second instance where Vendekin participated in the RLS, the first time in 2020. The vending machine industry is one of the most crucial segments of the retail industry, also known as the unattended or unmanned retail. Vendekin Technologies took part in this prestigious event with two goals in mind.

1. To study and understand the winds of change in the retail industry post opening up of markets after removal of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
2. To showcase the vision that the future of retail is Instant Commerce and how we’re pioneering it with the best vending machine management software in India and globally.

The Future is Instant Commerce

Our founder Mr. Aroon Khatter presented Vendekin’s POV of the future of retail in India and globally and everything about Instant Commerce (Vcommerce) on the second day of the summit held at the Westin Mumbai Powai Lake.

Instant Commerce is the natural extension of QCommerce or Quick Commerce (Swiggy Instamart, BlinkIt, Dunzo), which has grown from Ecommerce. The internet gave us all the gift of convenience, where one could be sitting in the safe and comfortable confines of their homes and ordering what they desire through online shops. While Ecommerce ensures our products are delivered to our doorstep within a couple of days or purchase, Qcommerce bridges that gap by establishing a robust local ecosystem of vendors that can fulfil the needs of the end consumer within a few hours. Instant Commerce, or we love to call it, Vcommerce (Vending Commerce), is the future, which brings the store to the customer with smart cashless vending machines solutions in India powered with the smart tech of online payments, touchless user interface, and a digitally managed inventory for the retailers and vending machine operators.

Giving RLS an experience of VCommerce

Our marketing and customer success team too participated in this summit. Vendekin Technologies booth had its latest smart vending machines on display, which gave the visitors a first-hand experience of Instant Commerce. We noticed that this year’s summit had a lot of first time attendees, and the ones who interacted with our teams were delighted by the power of Vcommerce, smart cashless vending machines solutions in India, the platforms we provide, like vNetra for retailers to manage their vending machine operations effectively, digitally and the scalability it provides to their businesses on how to go from 10 to 2000 machines spread all over the country.

We also attended some interesting talks and panel discussions at the event, which gave us an interesting POV, since there were several shifts in perspective in the retail industry that were clearly evident right from the opening keynotes to the offerings of the several exhibitors at the event.

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In conversation with Mr Ajit Nair, VP Product at Vendekin Technologies

Continuing with our In conversation… series, this time we decided to sit down with someone we all know as an ocean of knowledge when it comes to the product development of smart vending machines at Vendekin Technologies.

We got talking to the Vice President of Product, Mr. Ajit Nair, an expert in product management and network security, about his vision of making the retail vending experience a truly touchless and cashless experience that works seamlessly across a user’s multiple devices. We also spoke about his philosophy of innovation, product development and the future of vending and Vendekin!

How did it all start for you?

As a child, I was interested in building and repairing things at home. That's where the builder mindset kicked in for me. Over the years that builder mindset shifted to building products for

1. Telecommunication grade Signalling stacks to Billing and Charging stacks, handling millions of calls and billing data daily
2. Network Security stacks
3. Telecom Virtualization products and finally
4. Consumer Applications and SaaS Enterprise software

Subconsciously this builder mindset then shifted to a common thread, i.e every piece of work that was done did make a difference to those around me.

The difference could be in the form of helping people connect with their loved ones, creating systems where people could share their private information to access services without worrying about their data’s security, or even ensuring that a late hunger or craving could be fulfilled late in the night without having to rummage for cash through cashless and touchless smart vending machines.

The shift in mindset has also made me realise how to strategize about a product for the future and make decisions according to what a consumer would look for as a natural progression for the service. This forward-looking mindset has helped my love for building products grow alongside the intention of building a sustainable business. With Vendekin Technologies, the learning has not just been quick but also helped me grow as an individual. To be agile and resist making decisions based on gut, instead relying more on data received from the product and its users.

What technologies do you work with and what products have you developed so far?

I have worked with technologies like microservices architecture, cloud, networks, React JS, JavaScript, Typescript, scalable systems and even old school tech programming languages C, C++. Right from writing code for low footprint systems to large scale systems. Bottom line, I enjoy writing code and building systems that put a smile on the face of the consumer.

The products I have developed so far include SS7 stacks (Signalling System for PSTN), telecommunications mediation product for billing and charging, network security stacks like SSL, IPSEC, EAP, IKE, PKI - Certificate Management, securing a popular gaming console, secure policy management (MAM, MDM) for mobile phones and consumer mobile applications and SaaS Enterprise software for unmanned retail.

What is your philosophy of innovation in product? Enhancing user experience or making operators' lives easier?

As a smart vending machine company in India, end-users and their aspirations are the central theme at Vendekin Technologies when it comes to creating products. This is a philosophy that emanates from Aroon Khatter (Founder and CEO), right down to the teams like product, marketing and sales.

To explain this philosophy further, let me give an example. We have around 30 million cabs in the world today providing services of moving people to move from one location to another. There are at least 10 major platforms bridging the gap between these commuters and cab service providers, such as OLA, UBER, GRAB, LYFT etc. Now imagine, there are around 100 million unattended retail kiosks but no one platform to connect consumers to these machines. That is the problem that the Vendekin’s product team is focused on solving. That of creating smart vending machines. The opportunity is immense with layers of complexity in solving it.

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vNetra: Making Vending Operations Seamless & Digital

The future of retail will be a bouquet of sales channels from ecommerce to quick commerce to instant commerce with vending and yes, even brick and mortar stores. With pandemic induced realities, unattended contactless retail through vending machines will demand a larger and larger chunk of this pie. As these vending transactions become more and more a reality, the key factor will be being able to strategize for maximum profitability with smart management of vending machine operations. And vNetra software, powered by Vendekin, is one of the best vending management software, making cashless and touchless vending solutions a reality all across in India. Here's how!

But before we understand more about vNetra, let’s understand why there is a need for a seamless management platform for EVOs (Existing Vending Operators) & NVOs (New Vending Operators).

The three main reasons why vending hasn't quite taken off in India yet :

1. Lack of digital payment option
2. Lack of digitization of the backend vending operations
3. Limitations of gross margin

Vendekin has been solving these problems sequentially, starting off with the Retrobox device, which upgraded old-school and clunky vending machines smarter and more conveniently, by making cashless and touchless transactions possible.

Next came digitising the supply chain or backend vending operations through vNtera. Digitising can reduce leakage, spillage, which currently in the vending industry costs up to 8 to 10% of a vending operator's stock line. It also brings about more efficiency.

The first module we developed on the vNetra was for the operator to know what is being sold on his/her machine, how it is being paid for. We started to think about how we can be digitising all processes in the back end operations.

But managing the entire process has always been a pain for vending operators. This, because there were many stages where manual involvement was required, whether it was from the perspective of inventory, stocking, or sales and cost management.

What is vNetra. How did the name come about?

vNetra is a Google Cloud powered, GDPR compliant, AI/ML driven back office vending management software for operators and brands to remotely track sales and manage vending machine operations at their fingertips anytime, anywhere in the world!

The name vNetra originally came from a Vendekin team member. The word Netra meaning “eye” in Sanskrit, which fits the bill since vNetra helps the operators have a birds eye view of their vending business operations digitally. Once the Retrobox goes in, the data transfers to the cloud and the operator can access this data through vNetra.

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In conversation with Pranav Kumar, General Manager - Design & Development at Godrej & Boyce

Scan – Select – Pay – Enjoy!

That’s how employees of corporate offices with Godrej & Boyce’s smart vending machines get their coffee and snacks at work, without having to carry jingling loose change or a wad of notes for exact payments of their coffee or tea.

And this touchless vending machine experience in India is increasingly being powered by Vendekin Technologies for leading integrated vending service providers such Godrej & Boyce. Their vending arm, Godrej Vending has used Vendekin Technologies powered solutions to upgrade their vending machine technology to further strengthen their corporate vending solutions and be ready for the touchless and cashless future of unattended retail. Pranav Kumar, the General Manager of the Design and Development at Godrej & Boyce talks about this journey and what is to come…

Please tell us a little about yourself and Godrej & Boyce.

Godrej & Boyce Limited is one of the biggest companies in India in multi-technology products. One of the products we design and manufacture are beverage vending machines. We are in the business of table-top tea and coffee vending machines, and we sell our machines in the domestic as well as international markets like SAARC countries, the Middle East, South Africa, Canada and even USA. We build a wide variety of machines, which can dispense beverages like tea, special and instant coffees, and some specially designed machines even dispense oatmeal.

Our machines have got very good acceptance by customers, due to its technology, flexibility in usage, quality of the output (product) and the varieties we offer in them.

How did the association between Vendekin Technologies & Godrej come about?

We at Godrej & Boyce are entirely into the development of technology for coffee vending machines.  We were looking for a technology partner to provide us with a tech platform to integrate digital payment systems, cloud computing, and IoT (Internet of Things) in our vending machines, in order to make life more convenient for our end-users. That's when we came across Vendekin, who have created an excellent ecosystem of future-ready smart vending machine technology in India. We tested Vendekin's technology with our machines and found them to be flexible and easy to integrate. It took us hardly a month to integrate all our tea and coffee vending machines with Vendekin's tech. With our machines and Vendekin's smart systems, we were able to offer digital payment gateways (for commercial coffee vending machines), consumption reports, inventory management, machine health alerts and many customer-centric offerings to our clients.

How easy was it to set up a Vendekin device on your existing vending machines?

We found that Vendekin’s technology is ready for integration with any kind of vending machine, from the basic machines to the more premium ones. Integrating Vendekin’s technology into our machines didn’t require us to make any sort of changes to our systems or the machines itself. It was as easy as plug and play into our systems.

How do Vendekin powered machines differ from the normal ones?

The machines without Vendekin’s technology are free-vend machines, which means they do not really have any payment systems in them. After integrating Vendekin’s smart vending technology with our machines, they became digital-ready and equipped with digital payment options for India and international markets too. So we were able to offer our machines to our international clients too with digital payment options integrated with payment gateways accepted in their countries.

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Retrobox - The booster shot of smart tech for traditional vending machines

Traditional Vending Machines - Just a simple box with snacks

So what comes to mind when someone says vending machine? A large glass and metal box placed conveniently in a corner, with some brightly packaged snacks, plastic beverage bottles. Or maybe the vending machines that you are thinking of are those table top machines, commonly found dispensing tea or coffee in office pantries. Or perhaps you are thinking of the ticket dispensing machines at metro stations. While the products being dispensed may vary, all the vending machines above usually accept currency notes, coins and cards and allow for punching in the product code through some buttons or a keypad.

All in all, a vending machine would seem to be a simple mechanical box with limited payment options to make a purchase using cash or sometimes a debit or credit card. These machines also have a high chance of a lost sale if the customer walks away if he/she doesn't have the exact amount of cash on them, or if their card fails to swipe or be detected for some reason or if they do not wish to swipe/tap their card multiple times to get multiple products.

With the Retrobox, Vendekin Technologies is bringing transformation into the vending machine business, making these older, simpler and clunkier vending machines smarter with a touchless, ‘shopping cart’, mobile purchase experience with multiple digital payment options.

So what is Retrobox?

Retrobox is a palm-sized plug-and-play device created for vending machines by Vendekin Technologies, used by smart vending machines suppliers in India, US, Europe, UAE and other countries. It is compatible with all Multi Drop Bus (MDB) versions and can be set up in less than 10 minutes. The Retrobox acts as an interactive controller device, managing the execution activities through customers’ mobile phones. It can be placed inside the old machines by simply connecting the MDB, DEX and Keypad cables of the machine, without having to make any cosmetic changes on the exterior. The machine looks the same but operates more smartly and efficiently.

What made managing the older vending machines cumbersome?

Missing Innovation

• Older machines need a GSM telemetry device to transfer data. With the 3G sun setting upon 2022, these devices have to be upgraded to run on 4G and 5G networks.
• There are usually only two payment options available in older vending machines, either cash and card.

Poor Consumer Experience

• These machines dispensed only one product at a time.
• Older machines require currency change management to accept physical currency
• Contactless cards have limitations in terms of number of swipes/taps in a day

Operational Inefficiency

• Running and maintaining cash equipment comes at a high cost.
• Card readers, cash acceptors and telemeters are expensive to set up and maintain.
• Existing back office operation management softwares do not provide in-depth data analysis for the entire operation.

Today, if vending machines and kiosks do not support all forms of mobile cashless payments, the operators could be missing out on an extra 20% in sales. That’s where Vendekin’s Retrobox provides the booster shot of smart tech, providing a one stop solution to the operators.

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In conversation with Sharad More, Founder Shaukeen Paan: Opportunities in VENDING Paan

What was the last product you purchased using a vending machine? A packet of chips, a bar of chocolate, or a tetra pack of juice? But, have you ever bought paan from a vending machine?

Mr. Sharad More, the founder and proprietor of Pune’s Shaukeen Paan, talks about vending paan using a Vendekin-powered smart vending machine at his shop and the challenges and the opportunities therein. Vendekin is the provider of intelligent vending solutions through contactless and touchless vending machines in India and the ecosystem required to support a successful vending business.

More from Mr. More.

Please tell us a little about your business?

I started selling paan in 1986, from a tiny setup, just a table with paan products. I was 17, had just left school and did various odd jobs like working in motor garages, before starting Shaukeen – The Complete Paan Shop in Erandwane, Pune. Even then, I had noticed that the way paan shops were run created a negative outlook for the business and its customers. I studied the market, the sentiment of the people, and once I understood the operations side of things, decided to do things a bit differently with Shaukeen. Today it is known as The Complete Paan shop. A place where people of all ages visit and families visit together to enjoy paan. This is not the usual clientele of a regular paan shop. This is because we maintain high levels of hygiene and offer a wide range of products. We currently have 10 shops spread across Mumbai, Nanded, Bauda, Kharadi-Singadh and of course Pune.

How did the idea of using contactless and touchless vending machines for Paan come up? How did you start?

I first had this idea in 2012, after seeing vending machines sell various food products. I spoke to my dear friend Anand Bham, who was into the packaging business and knew the in-and-out of packaging and electronic vending. I got him to build the first machine for me, but I wasn’t satisfied with its operative capabilities. I couldn’t understand the system well and it wasn’t suited to vend paan. Having spent some good money on my first vending experiment, I put this idea on the backburner. During this period, another friend came across a Cashless & Contactless Vending Machine outside Chitale Bandhu Mithaiwale. He immediately took me there and we tried it out. That’s when I decided to put this plan into action once again, and try my hand at vending paan again.

How did Vendekin support you in this initiative and journey?

We got in touch with Vendekin, since the touchless vending machine at Chitale Bandhu was powered by Vendekin. We got great support and assistance from “Khatter sir” (Aroon Khatter, Founder, Vendekin Technologies). After multiple meetings and trial runs, with his team at Vendekin guiding us through vending operations and even suggestions about the ideal packaging of our product for the machine, we set up the first machine in just 2 months. The team at Vendekin has been extremely patient with all our questions, and even implemented our requests for several customisations, making our machine a unique one. A perfect example of a smart vending solution. And perhaps the first contactless vending machine in India selling paan! We still have discussions and exchange ideas on what other customisations can be done to the machine, to make vending paan an easier and more interesting experience for the customers.

What changes did you make to the already touchless vending machine for your product?

We created customised boxes made of food grade paper with our branding, as per the requirements of the vending machine slots. The products in this Vendekin-powered vending machine are placed in such a manner that once the order for a paan is placed, it carefully brings the paan down without any spillage. The machine currently holds 80 boxes of paan, and each box contains 2 paans. Our paans are already very popular, and with Vendekin’s intelligent vending solutions, we’re able to keep our paans fresh for up to 3 days in the vending machine.

What kind of products do you keep in this contactless vending machine?

Only paan products as of now, with several varieties and flavours. Our Chocolate Paan is a hit among customers, especially children! They love watching the entire process of touchless vending, right from scanning the QR code, making a cashless transaction on the phone and then magically seeing their favourite chocolate-flavoured paan being dispensed by the vending machine. They are fascinated by it!

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In conversation with our CEO Aroon Khatter: On Setting up a Digital Vending Business

The digital world provides an expansive universe of potential to every brand. And with the pandemic, the march of Indian retail towards digitization has only hastened. This hastening has brought to the fore unmanned automated retail, which allows for each customer to have a personalized shopping experience with minimal human interaction. And smart vending solutions, which are an essential part of unmanned retail and self checkout, are increasingly becoming a part of Indian retail’s digital umbrella, along with e-commerce, delivery apps, and cashless digital payments.

What does this mean for brands and entrepreneurs? Our CEO, Aroon Khatter talks about the digital future of retail through vending machines and unmanned retail in India. Why and how brands can go digital-first with the help of smart vending machines and unmanned retail solutions  in India.

1) Smart vending machines are seeing robust growth in India and the world, what according to you is the reason?

Chief executive of the National Health Authority of India, Ram Sewak Sharma stated that India has 1.18 billion mobile connections, 700 million Internet users, & 600 million smartphones, which are increasing 25 million per quarter. And because smartphones have become ubiquitous, it has increased the customer’s appetite for instant gratification. To match such needs, businesses are constantly having to come up with newer solutions.

An IDC research stated that two-thirds of the CEOs of Global 2,000 companies will shift their focus from traditional & offline strategies to more modern digital strategies to improve the customer experience before the end of the year. Why? Because with each passing day the customer’s need for instant gratification is increasing. We all know that right now, when it comes to purchasing something, it is ‘Buy online & wait!’.

Through Vending Commerce (VCommerce), automatic vending machines in India address a lot of these problems. People do not have to wait for their order. They get it right where they are, right when they want it. The whole experience is contactless and the products is available 24*7. This is not just retail, this is smart retail.

2) Which industries do you think will benefit from the digital-first approach provided by VCommerce or automatic vending solutions and machines in India?

In my opinion, the consumption-theme oriented companies i.e FMCG companies will benefit the most from VCommerce.

For example, let’s say a kid asks his/her parents for an ice cream, at midnight, when restaurants and food apps are no longer delivering. But a smart, unmanned vending machine downstairs in their apartment complex common area can be an accessible purchase point, and that too instantaneously, without any waiting.

There was a preconceived notion, at least in India, about vending machines being only useful for products like packaged snacks at airports. But that is fast-changing. One of our clients at Vendekin, Gadre Sea Food, is in the ready-to-eat seafood business. With our help they’ve installed automatic vending machines in societies, which dispense prawn biryani! All a customer has to do is walk down, make a touchless, cashless payment through their phone, and pick up a prawn biryani with zero-wait and no human interaction. And this is just one example. We have created similar smart vending solutions for Chitale Bandhu, a major snack player in Pune and even a local paan shop called Shaukeen! Apart from providing an extra sales channel, these vending machines also help in increasing their brand recall.

3) According to you, how can traditional businesses become digital-first?

FMCG brands like these have successfully evolved into a billion-dollar industry. In the process, they have adopted a digital-first approach to optimize their internal operations and processes. With the pandemic their customers too increasingly expect the conveniences of a digital-first approach, so in a way it is inevitable. It might take another few years, but it is already happening. We have already had success with several legacy brands like Chitale Bandhu & Haldiram’s adopting Vendekin’s VCommerce platform and technology as part of their omnichannel sales strategies.

Vending and unattended retail operators/SMEs are also finding ways to digitize their operations and sales. Vendekin helps them go digital-first by setting up new avenues of sales with smart vending solutions, or VCommerce.

I truly believe that the next digital wave will be led by SMEs: kirana and other mom & pop stores & small FMCG producers.

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A New Way to Retail with Vending Commerce

We are living in unprecedented times. Since the pandemic, things are constantly changing and evolving as we learn a little more about the virus and its implications. The demand for flexibility is at an all-time high. Whether it is the flexibility of being able to work away from a professional workplace or getting contactless home-deliveries for everything from packaged retail products to even fresh food, essential medicines and supplies. As we respond to the pandemic by adapting our lifestyle to this new normal of reduced contact or contact-less, some older innovations too are being adapted and modified to suit this new lifestyle.

One such older innovation is the vending machine. Vending machines are turning out to become an effective means of touchless distribution of products right where they are needed and when they are needed. With IoT and rapid digitization, these interactions with vending machines are becoming smarter and digital as well.

Unlike countries like Japan or the U.S., vending machines have not been very common or large portion of India’s retail pie, however this is changing with Indian businesses and customers becoming increasingly more comfortable with digital platforms and payments. Along with traditional kirana stores, malls, and e-commerce, unmanned retail through vending, is poised to become an indispensable part of distribution and sales.

Another factor accelerating the rise of unmanned retail are players like Vendekin Technologies and their touchless digital vending technology which is making vending machines in India more ubiquitous and digital.

What started as a solution-provider for providing a mobile payment system for the often-overlooked sanitary napkin vending machines, has quickly transformed into a global pioneer for unattended retail technology solutions, with multiple patents globally. Today, Vendekin Technolgies is the leading name in providing smart vending solutions to businesses in India and internationally. Apart from smart vending solutions for Fast-moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) brands, and helping existing vending operators (EVOs) upgrade to digital, Vendekin also provides the right ecosystem for new vending operators (NVOs) to flourish in a fast-growing market.

Vending Commerce

The vending business, can seem quite intimidating with a high learning curve for the average entrepreneur. Apart from the lack of domain expertise and seemingly high capital investment required to start a vending business, another problem is the maximum retail price or MRP of a product. Profit margins for vending entrepreneurs can often get squeezed when they are negotiating prices with bigger FMCG players. Identifying all these problems, Vendekin launched Vending Commerce, or VCommerce to make vending machine and unmanned retail in India smarter for customers and simpler for those looking to set up a vending business. Right from helping source the hardware to providing branded software solutions and mobile app to make the vending machines smarter, to negotiating better margins.

In this digital march of the Indian retail sector, VCommerce is poised to become an important and eventually indispensable part of a brand’s marketing, branding and distribution strategy.

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