While the AVA reports that British consumers have an annual spend of £1.5bn on vend-snacks, the advent of cashless vending, smart cards or in some cases the use of the Euro, has posed new questions over the security of such measures and the increasing vulnerability of machines.
Developments in technology have made vending machines faster, more accessible and convenient for consumers looking for that quick fix on the run to the office or during that precious lunch hour. However new methods of payment, moves towards more expensive treats and a multitude of locations has drawn new concerns over security as machines become a more attractive target for those looking for a slice of this lucrative market by fraud or theft.
The varied and often unmanned and seldom checked nature of vending machines in open spaces or in bars renders them easy targets for vandals and thieves. Premises that use this service are left to consider security measures including CCTV to deter would be vandals, fixing machines to prevent ‘rocking' and theft, regular checks and emptying cash rather than leaving it over night.
However, manufacturers are rising to the challenge, with greater use of inbuilt camera systems, alarms, brackets and cages to secure the machines and heavily fixing machines to floors in an effort to beat the vandals.
Instrumental in the fight against theft has been the introduction of cashless vending and the use of smart cards. Machines that now use a system of ‘top-up' cards, where customers can pay without the hassle of change have made vending machines a less attractive proposition to thieves. Simply put, a cashless vendor offers short change.
However, the more sophisticated the technology the more sophisticated the crime. Electronic ‘swipe-and-pay' machines opens vendors up to a higher level of theft in terms of fraud. Cashless vending involving cards registered to particular users also exposes individual customers to fraud in terms of identity theft. Manufacturers and stockists alike need to account for how secure these payment methods are and how susceptible they may be to fraudulent activity.
As cashless electronic vending advances in use, security measures will need to become increasingly more sophisticated to tackle these threats and for vending to remain a viable, effective revenue resource for stockists looking to keep costs to a minimum.
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