# Food-Free Vending Vending machines move beyond food to provide more creative services. By [Tana Makmanee](https://www.trendhunter.com/tmak), SVP, Research Services at Trend Hunter | Published Sep 24, 2014 | Category: [Marketing](https://www.trendhunter.com/pro/category/marketing-strategy) Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/protrends/inedible-vending ## Key Figures - Trend score: 3.9/10 - Evidence articles: 4 ## What is the Food-Free Vending trend? **Food-Free Vending:** Offering instantaneous access to more than mere snacks and meals, retailers are integrating unusual products into vending machines for unexpected allure. Providing access to a wide variety of function-focused products, retailers are using automated machines to enhance consumer accessibility, speaking to a rise in more streamlined marketing approaches. ## At a Glance - Evidence: 4 featured examples - Articles from: Feb 11, 2014 to Jul 15, 2015 - Published: Sep 24, 2014 - Patterns: [Redirection](https://www.trendhunter.com/pattern/redirection), [Acceleration](https://www.trendhunter.com/pattern/acceleration) - Megatrends: [Hybridization](https://www.trendhunter.com/megatrend/hybridization), [Curation](https://www.trendhunter.com/megatrend/curation), [Simplicity](https://www.trendhunter.com/megatrend/simplicity) ## Audience - Gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Themes within the Food-Free Vending trend ### Non-Food Vending Machines As retailers move beyond offering only food and snacks in vending machines, new opportunities arise for offering unique products and services that cater to specific consumer needs. ### Sustainable Vending Machines As people become more environmentally conscious, vending machines provide a convenient way for consumers to access environmentally-friendly products and decrease waste. ### Community-Based Vending Machines By providing shared resources through vending machines, such as umbrellas and books, communities are empowered to work together towards sustainability and accessibility. ## What the Food-Free Vending trend means for industry ### For Retail Retailers can take advantage of the trend of non-food vending machines to provide unique products and experiences for their customers. ### For Travel Vending machines offering sustainable and compact products are finding success in the travel industry as consumers seek to make their journeys more eco-friendly and convenient. ### For Education Initiatives such as the free book vending machines are helping to combat the lack of resources and education in low-income areas, offering promising opportunities for increased community growth. ## Trend signals for Food-Free Vending Trend score 3.9 out of 10, from popularity 59%, activity 50%, freshness 8%. - Popularity: 59% - Activity: 50% - Freshness: 8% ## Examples of the Food-Free Vending trend 4 featured examples from Feb 11, 2014 to Jul 15, 2015. - [All-Natural Cosmetics ATMs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/3floz): These 3FLOZ Vending Machines Sell Travel-Sized Beauty in Airports (Category: World) Implication: The beauty industry can utilize the popularity of vending machines to offer their products in a convenient and accessible way to consumers. - [Drug Addict Dispensers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/crack-pipes-vending-machine): Portland Hotel Society's Crack Pipes Vending Machine Provides Safe Supplies (Category: Lifestyle) Implication: Public health services and organizations can benefit from adopting harm reduction strategies that promote safe drug use and reduce the spread of diseases among vulnerable populati… - [Umbrella Vending Machines](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sharing-umbrellas): 'brellaBox is the World's First Rental Service for Sharing Umbrellas (Category: Tech) Implication: Retailers can tap into the umbrella sharing trend by partnering with umbrella sharing services and providing 'brellaBoxes in their stores, attracting customers and promoting susta… - [Free Book Vending Machines](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/jetblue-launches-free-book-vending-machines-for-children-washington-dc): JetBlue Launches a Free Book Vending Machine as Part of #BookBattle (Category: Social Good) Implication: Collaboration between education institutions, publishers, and community organizations to address book deserts and promote childhood literacy. ## Recent trend clusters - [Delegated Interfaces](https://www.trendhunter.com/protrends/delegated-interfaces) (Tech) - [Sneaker Theater](https://www.trendhunter.com/protrends/sneaker-theater) (Fashion) - [Functional Indulgence](https://www.trendhunter.com/protrends/functional-indulgence1) (Lifestyle) - [Ritual Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/protrends/ritual-systems) (Fashion) ## Trending in Marketing - [Mystery Packaging Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cow-not-laughing) - [Athlete Beauty Ambassadorships](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/athlete-beauty-ambassadorships) - [Creator-Led Learning Series](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/learning-series) - [Accessible Fintech Pop-Ups](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/chequing-account) All articles: [Marketing](https://www.trendhunter.com/marketing)