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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