Vending in Austria

2021 DEVELOPMENTS

Vending continues to suffer under pandemic concerns

Vending will see a considerable recovery in 2021 after a strong drop in the 2020 due to low consumer traffic in offices and other major vending locations. However, sales will nevertheless remain significantly below 2019 levels as consumers continue to stay at home, avoid the office, and travel less (including tourists).

Variety in vending products increases but remains a niche

Traditionally vending has focused around specific product categories, including categories tobacco products, hot drinks, cold drinks, and snacks like sweets and sandwiches. Given that vending machines are rarely profitable, they are mainly used as marketing tools to create consumer attention for traditional stores or brands.

Indoor vending spaces trying to benefit from consumer experiences made during the pandemic

Unattended 24/7 retail spaces offering just vending machines were limited to a handful of locations in Vienna prior to the pandemic. However, since the onset of COVID-19, these spaces have become increasingly common in the major cities in Austria.

PROSPECTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Vending back to upward trend, but not fundamentally changed after pandemic

Vending is expected to retain good growth but slowing prospects in the forecast period as consumer traffic in public and semi-captive spaces normalises in the coming years. With the main effects of the pandemic expected to dissipate in the next couple of years, value sales are anticipated to return to pre-pandemic levels by 2023 and grow steadily from there.

Traditional categories still expected to shape vending prospects

Traditional categories in vending, such as soft drinks, snacks, hot drinks, and tobacco, are expected to dominate vending sales in the forecast period. The decreasing number of smokers in the country could become a threat.

Plenty of new self-service concepts, but success remains to be seen

It remains to be seen how much attention vending retail spaces can draw in the coming years, with this closely related to the unattended 24/7 shipping container-sized self-service stores that derived from farm shops during the pandemic. Despite the very limited floor space of these new concept venues (usually around 10 sqm), these shops offer a much larger array of products than vending machines.