Analysis on the Differences in the Vending Machine Industry between China and Japan

Japan’s vending machine development experience　　 Japan’s vending machine industry was the first to develop and is now very mature. Its outbreak is mainly due to high labor costs, soaring land rents, and little impact on government distribution. At present, there are more than 5 million vending machines in Japan, and vending machines sell everything, not only drinks, food, cigarettes, but also game cards, books, umbrellas, toys, signatures, etc. In 2011, Japan operated 5.2 million vending machines with an annual turnover of 5.400 billion yen (translated as people). Among them, the average annual sales volume of beverage machines is 910,000 yen/unit (equivalent to RMB 58,000/unit). Among various vending machines, beverage machines are still the market leader, with the number of machines accounting for about 50% and sales accounting for about 45%. Differences in the vending machine market between China and Japan (1) Operators The vending machine industry is composed of equipment manufacturers, third-party operators, and upstream suppliers. Japan's vending machine industry is mainly monopolized by upstream suppliers, such as Coca-Cola, Suntory, etc. Etc.; China's vending machine market third-party operators have been involved earlier, and the future pattern may be a mode led by third-party operators and upstream suppliers.　　 The vast majority of vending machines in Japan are used by beverage vendors themselves. Japan's top seven beverage manufacturers (with a total beverage market share of 87.6%) operate 2.52 million beverage machines, accounting for 97.3% of all beverage machines. Among them, the largest Coca-Cola has nearly 1 million beverage machines, with a market share of 38.6%; followed by Suntory, with 480,000 beverage machines, with a market share of 19.8%. On the whole, the market share of beverage machines and the market share of beverage companies are basically close, and the beverage industry has obvious monopoly characteristics.　　 The third-party operators of China's vending machine market have been involved earlier, and the future pattern may be a mode led by third-party operators and upstream suppliers. As the unmanned retail field is booming, more and more companies will join the self-service vending industry in the future. In addition to third-party operators, local distributors and brand companies will also intervene. Convenience stores also feel the crisis and begin to deploy. In addition, there are bus companies and logistics companies.　　(2) Types of products sold　　There are many types of self-service vending machines in Japan, and there are different types of vending machines according to different occasions. The post office has a vending machine for selling postcards and stamps; each university has a vending machine for issuing various certification materials to facilitate students to go through various procedures; there are vending machines for selling sanitary napkins and toilet paper in the public toilets; beside the public telephone There are vending machines that sell all kinds of phone cards; in addition to these, there are also vending machines that sell rice, winter melon, batteries, socks, etc., only customers can't think of, there are no products that can't be sold. From the perspective of the types of self-service vending machines in Japan, beverage machines (soft drinks, beer, etc.) accounted for 50.1% of the total; followed by automatic service machines (such as change machines, etc.), accounting for 26.2%; and the third was daily necessities. Grocery vending machines (newspapers, dry batteries, toys, etc.) accounted for 17.4%; cigarette machines accounted for 3.9%, food vending machines (bread, ice cream, etc.) accounted for 1.4%, coupon vending machines (tickets, Meal coupons, admission tickets, etc.) accounted for 1.0%.　　In China, the products sold can be customized according to the needs of the place, including hot and cold beverages, snacks, phone cards, and imported specialty products. In the vending machine market, beverage machines are currently more popular, followed by food vending machines. (3) Other service functions Chinese vending machines are still at a simple vending level. Although there are novel models (such as lunch box vending machines), the market has not yet become popular, and the technology is not mature. Some vending machines in Japan also serve the function of providing services. For example, Japan's Chaoyang Beverage Company, its vending machine not only sells drinks, but also provides Wifi signals within 50 meters for citizens to use. In addition, after the Great East Japan Earthquake, Japan's vending machines have been newly added for disaster relief purposes. When an earthquake occurs, automatic vending machines can replace humans who are always in service, and special disaster relief machines not only provide disaster conditions and evacuation information on the screen, but also allow citizens to take out goods without having to insert coins.　　 This article is organized by automatic beverage vending machines, this article does not represent the point of view of this site Previous article: Analysis of the density comparison of vending machines in the United States, Japan and China