How will smartphones impact
vending in the next decade?
By Allen Weintraub, Contributing Editor
The industry needs to commission smartphone apps that are engaging and provide
consumer purchasing data that can be used to increase sales and gain marketing payments.
n Jan. 9, 2007, just over seven
years ago, Steve Jobs intro-
duced one of, if not the most
disruptive pieces of technology ever
invented, the iPhone. Currently 56
percent of all adults in the U.S. have
smartphones. In 2013, one billion
smartphones were sold throughout
the world. People spend two hours
each day on their smartphones.
Smartphones are now the most valu-
able real estate on the planet.
Experts are convinced that over
the next seven years,
"consumer engagement" with the
smartphone will be the dominant
trend in retailing. An article titled
"Buy it Now" in New York Times
Magazine, reported that in the near
future, there will be a signifcant
increase in the use of digital wallets
— making everything from your
license to your credit card redundant.
Not only will consumers adopt
the digital wallet,
but at the same
time, the num-
ber of mer-
chants accepting mobile payments
will increase. Also, retailers will
develop apps that engage the cus-
tomer, integrate with product manu-
facturers and provide sellers with a
360 degree look at their customer.
The central fact that emerged
from the responses I received from
technology companies for this arti-
cle, as well as from attending tech-
O
The future
is integrated
smartphone
marketing with
consumer data.
44 Automatic Merchandiser VendingMarketWatch.com April 2014
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