Tokyo Smart Retail

Japan's land area is small, but the number of vending machines is huge. According to the data of the Japan Vending Machine Industry Association, as of the end of 2014, there were 5.03 million vending machines in Japan, of which the beverage vending machines that are usually seen the most accounted for 51% of the total. The number of vending machines in Japan is showing a decreasing trend, and the number has decreased by 1.1% compared with 2013. The main reason is that the number of smoking population and public transportation passengers has decreased due to the declining birthrate and aging population, and the number of cigarette vending machines and ticket vending machines at stations has also decreased. However, in this context, the amount of products sold by vending machines is still close to 5 trillion yen. It is not an exaggeration to say that vending machines are an industry.

With the development of modern technology, vending machines are becoming more and more convenient. Originally, vending machines only had a refrigeration function. After improving the constant temperature function, people can buy cold and hot drinks at the same time on one vending machine.Now the density of vending machines in central Tokyo has reached one for every 30 people, which is close to saturation. It is against this background that many new vending machines that we have seen in the news or on the Internet have emerged. Family Mart has tried convenience store-style vending machines since 2010. From rice balls, sandwiches, lunch boxes to socks, each convenience store vending machine can sell more than 60 kinds of goods, and the price is the same as that of ordinary Family Mart convenience stores. Convenience store vending machines are mainly installed in office buildings, hospital staff areas and expressway service areas. Convenience store-style vending machines grow by about 500 units per year as sales increase.

Not only that, there are apple vending machines on the streets of Tokyo. Apples are cut into half (about 80 grams) and sold after anti-discoloration treatment. Regardless of whether they bring the skin or not, they are all 200 yen. Female office workers on the way to work often buy half of them. Apple supplements daily vitamins. Vending machines that can cope with natural disasters are also gradually increasing. When a major earthquake occurs, the local government can require beverage vending machines to switch to a free supply mode manually or through remote control. At present, both Kirin and Coca-Cola Japan have introduced this type of vending machine , this vending machine can also provide disaster situations on the screen. The increase in foreign tourists to Tokyo has also led to the emergence of drink vending machines with Wi-Fi capabilities, which visitors can use for free within a 30-meter radius.

There are also a variety of new vending machines in Tokyo, which not only sell products but also undertake the important task of publicity. In August 2013, the underwear brand Wacoal put the popular bras with cumulative sales exceeding 350,000 pieces in vending machines for sale. Although only 7 pieces were sold in two months, it brought enough topics to Wacoal. The grocery store "Wagashi Shibuya Maru Watanabe" in Shibuya, Tokyo has set up a Japanese souvenir vending machine next to the store, specializing in Japanese style earrings and small pendants. Considering foreign tourists, the products are also equipped with English descriptions.