Are digital merch vending machines the future of event-based retail?

Concerts and music festivals are getting bigger than ever. New arenas are popping up all over the globe, with audience numbers breaking records by the year.

With that said, retail is a huge part of the experience. Long queues are often an issue at big events, and if venues and bands don’t find new ways to combat them, then this can lead to reduced sales. Vending machines for merch are already being adopted, and if this became a widespread trend, it could resolve a lot of issues. 

Self-Service is the Future 

With music venues going more digital, through interactive maps and ticketless apps, it makes sense for merch to go digital too. Self-service is the future, and numerous entertainment sectors are already adopting this approach.

For example, if you want to rent a movie, you no longer need to take a physical DVD case to a kiosk and pay for it, you can do it yourself from home and stream it to your device. Within the iGaming sector, you can play slots online without needing to visit a physical casino.

The self-service approach also allows people to play a range of games without having to rely on opening and closing times, not to mention that it also opens the door to even more content and unique offerings, like Big Bass Bonanza or Billionaire Pig. If you apply this concept to the event sector, it's not hard to see how more could be sold.

Even companies like Nike have already started to embrace self-checkout options and digital kiosks, showing how this movement is already underway. Nike allow you to buy directly from the kiosk, with the option of seeing available stock and product details.

If this were combined with a dispensing format, people could serve themselves entirely, without any need for human interaction. Venues would make more sales, and as a result, bands would make more profit. The retail experience as a whole would be greatly improved as well.

Dynamic Inventory and Real-Time Data

By implementing merch machines like this, it becomes possible for merch retailers to get quick wins. It also provides the opportunity for data collection, as it becomes possible to track which sizes and styles of t-shirts, or merch, sell the best in each city.

Restocks can then be carried out automatically, with cross-selling opportunities also available. When you break down the data, it’s not hard to see how vending machines for t-shirts provide a valuable retail opportunity. It’s also a scalable solution that adds a lot of value for merch retailers and buyers. After all, speed can be combined with convenience, and they also show how much potential there is. 

There is also the opportunity for venues to brand their own merch machines, updating the stock with bands that either sell out the arena, or for bands that sell a large amount. Swapping out product images would only take a few seconds, and prices can also be changed from a central system. Although vending machines are only being rolled out at the moment for selected tours and gigs, their potential for the retail merch sector is huge.

As venues become more digitised, digital merch machines reflect a widespread change that is currently sweeping the music sector. The retail side of things needs to keep up, or there’s a risk of lost sales, something which can be devastating to those operating in competitive markets.