Vending Machine Operators in the US - Industry Market Research Report

Unhealthy habits: Increased external competition will hurt industry revenue

Vending machine operators stock and maintain vending machines that contain various types of products. Selling everything from snacks and soft drinks to technology, and personal protective equipment, like facemasks, latex gloves and hand sanitizer. Because of the breadth of products sold in these machines, operators derive their demand from numerous types of markets. The largest downstream markets for vending machines are manufacturing sites, offices and retail sites. During the period, downstream demand was crushed by COVID-19 as nearly every market was affected by the stay-at-home orders. Industrial, business, and retail activity came to a screeching halt as consumers and workers alike had to adhere to the social distancing guidelines. As a result of the squashed demand, revenue for vending machine operators took a nosedive. However, as the economy recovered in 2021 and vaccines became widely available, pent-up demand for travel and entertainment resulted in soaring demand for vending machines. Since more consumers were out enjoying a sense of normal, demand from several downstream segments flourished. Despite a rapid recovery in 2021, the losses from COVID-19 disruption were too significant to recoup fully. As a result, revenue for vending machine operators is expected to fall at a CAGR of 0.1% to $10.1 billion over the five years to 2023, with a 2.1% increase as profit is set to grow to 4.3%. Vending machine operators provide and service automated machines that sell merchandise, primarily snack foods and soft drinks, but also cigarettes, newspapers and other goods. This industry does not include revenue from soft drink producers that operate their own vending machines. This report covers the scope, size, disposition and growth of the industry including the key sensitivities and success factors. Also included are five year industry forecasts, growth rates and an analysis of the industry key players and their market shares.