Taking unattended retail to the next level

From smart vending to micromarkets and multi-machine vending zones in travel hubs, the unattended retail offer is broadening and becoming more familiar to consumers. The evolution from traditional vending machines to new wave unattended retail has been rapid, and should be a considered and strategic part of commercial plans for growth.

From unfamiliar to normalised

Our consumer research last year showed that usage of unattended retail solutions was highest where consumers were most familiar with and trusted the technology, products and quality; supermarket coffee vending and traditional vending machines were the most used solutions. Barriers often stemmed from lack of trust and unfamiliarity.

One of the shifts seen in the past year or so is how ‘normal’ unattended retail can feel in the right setting and with the right execution. Airports are a great example of this – when banks of machines with complementary products are located together, it can feel more like a small one-stop-shop to consumers. Good execution, including signage, lighting and being easy to navigate, help change the perception of vending from a last resort option to a channel consumers are happy to choose.

This does not always have to be dramatic, but just making vending simple, accessible and ‘normal’. For example, in Madrid-Barajas Airport, Spain, well-designed vending “cubes” including self-serve, tap-to-pay Starbucks coffee vending machines and Selecta snacking vending machines are situated centrally in main walkways throughout the departures hall, rather than tucked away along walls.

New locations for unattended retail

While improvements are being made in traditional vending destinations, unattended retail is expanding beyond workplaces, hospitals and travel hubs.

Hotels can use unattended retail to extend service when front desks or bars are closed, providing a 24/7 solution for essentials without incurring more staffing costs. This has been implemented at The Galmont Hotel & Spa in Galway, where Mercury Retail Services are claiming to have launched Ireland’s first autonomous store with age estimation. This has enabled the hotel to continue selling age-restricted products like alcohol, without staff intervention.

Fast-paced, high footfall venues such as stadiums and exhibition centres are also benefitting from unattended retail solutions. Contract caterers Levy have deployed staffless stores in a number of their locations, from Wrigley Field in Chicago, to the ExCeL and O2 in London. These solutions allow for faster speed of service and higher throughput of consumers. This not only allows visitors to get back to their seats and the main event more quickly, improving satisfaction, but also reduces concourse congestion. For Levy’s operations, it has meant that staff have been redeployed from being consumer-facing to back of house for faster order preparation; the technology is not about cutting staff but using them in the most efficient way.

For operators, the opportunity is to secure these high-footfall, high-need moments. For suppliers, it’s a chance to win distribution in locations that don’t fit conventional store formats.

New tech has moved more meal occasions into unattended retail

Tech innovations have widened the range of products that can be sold through unattended retail solutions, while maintaining quality and taste expectations. Developments in heating and hot hold are starting to bring hot vending closer to mainstream acceptance. Although it will likely take a while to change the long-standing consumer perception of food vending beyond prepackaged snacks, the more recognised brands move into this space (and deliver high quality experiences), the more consumers will come to trust the format.

Full meal occasions, across hot and chilled, will have a higher transaction value than ambient snacks, so the opportunity lies in being able to supply different needs and dayparts from one solution.

Operator-branded machines have a huge opportunity to drive this perception change of hot vending as they already have the quality credentials and brand awareness to attract consumers. In the US, branded hot food vending machines are already being seen, for example in a bank of machines at Southwest Florida International Airport, featuring White Castle, The Cheesecake Factory and Wow Bao.

And whilst the food served may not be hot, M&S’s smart fridge in Warwick Hospital, which launched in October 2025, offers chilled meal deals and ready-to-heat ready meals outside the neighbouring store’s opening hours.  This marks an important moment in UK vending evolution: the first retailer branded smart fridge in a public area, and a new format to offer 24/7 quality meals to hospital staff. 

Brands such as M&S moving into this market will be a key driver of consumer acceptance and we expect to see more following suit, including Greggs who announced they are “developing unattended retail solutions to serve additional missions and further enhance returns” in their Preliminary Results published on 3 March 2026.

What this means for suppliers and operators

For both suppliers and operators, the attraction of unattended retail is clear. The channel opens up new distribution points, captures new missions in new locations, can grow brand visibility without high investment into a full retail unit, and extend trading hours without extra labour costs.

As unattended retail solutions become more visible and familiar, and product range extends more into total meal solutions, the channel will increasingly become a channel of choice for consumers, rather than a last resort. Away from home brands have the opportunity to drive perception change and acceptance of unattended retail, by working with vending operators to translate their trusted brand image and quality into a new channel. However, this requires brands to truly treat unattended retail as a sustainable growth opportunity, and not a secondary location.