The Future of Unattended Retail Study: Vending as the New Contextual Commerce Edition

From the first gum machine in 1888 to what is now known as unattended retail today, we have seen the transformation of the way consumers buy and businesses sell, anything. Unattended retail touchpoints populate a diverse set of locations and take various shapes, from vending machines, to automated electronic massage chairs and kiosks selling electronics at airports, to cashier-less grocery stores like Amazon Go in major United States cities.

In a collaborative study conducted by PYMNTS and Cantaloupe, Inc. (formerly USA Technologies), we uncover the findings from 2,325 surveyed consumers. The analysis also shows trends in demographics and income levels.

In this Study, we’ll explore:

• Consumer trends in using and purchasing in unattended retail channels today.
• Various payment methods that consumers use when making a transaction and how that changes across different demographics.
• The growing interest in using unattended retail to purchase goods and services that are not traditionally offered today, such as health and beauty products.