The retail industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by technology and supply chain optimisation, and growing importance of technologies such as smart checkout and cashierless stores. In the last three years alone, there have been over 133,000 patents filed and granted in the retail industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Innovation in Retail: ATM type vending kiosks. Buy the report here.
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However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilising and reaching maturity.
Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.
70+ innovations will shape the retail industry
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the retail industry using innovation intensity models built on over 128,000 patents, there are 70+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, ATM type vending kiosks, delivery returns handling, and shopping interface personalisation are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Retail trading platforms, and contactless payments are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are user biometric authentication and instant messaging social networks, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for the retail industry
ATM type vending kiosks is a key innovation area in retail
A kiosk is a temporary, small, stand-alone booth in high-traffic public places. Retail kiosks are usually located in large shopping malls and busy streets with high foot traffic. With the rapid progress in automation, retailers are equipped with technological expertise to introduce unmanned kiosks.
GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 20 companies, spanning technology vendors, established retail companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of ATM type vending kiosks.
Key players in ATM type vending kiosks – a disruptive innovation in the retail industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent and broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in and reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to ATM type vending kiosks
| Company | Total patents (2021 - 2023) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| Diebold Nixdorf | 218 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Capital One Financial | 64 | Unlock Company Profile |
| NCR | 61 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Glory | 42 | Unlock Company Profile |
| PayPal Holdings | 34 | Unlock Company Profile |
| JPMorgan Chase | 29 | Unlock Company Profile |
| International Business Machines | 18 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Western Union | 13 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Citigroup | 13 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Hitachi | 13 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Outerwall | 13 | Unlock Company Profile |
| i-design Multimedia | 12 | Unlock Company Profile |
| American Cash Exchange | 10 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Guangzhou Radio Group | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Gelliner | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Fiserv | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| SoftBank Group | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Diebold | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Toronto-Dominion Bank | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| CO-OP Financial Services | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Leading players in the specific ATM-type vending kiosks in terms of patents filed are Diebold Nixdorf, Capital One Financial, NCR, and Glory. NCR has recently partnered with Acrelec, a hardware and software provider, to enable NCR’s customers to access its kiosk and digital signage solutions, and drive-thru solutions for restaurants.
Leading players in this space in terms of application diversity are Guangzhou Radio Group, PayPal Holdings, The Toronto-Dominion Bank, and SoftBank Group.
Leading players in terms of geographic reach are i-design Multimedia, American Cash Exchange, Hitachi, and Gelliner.
Vending kiosks powered by IoT, along with smart stores, will push food and beverage growth significantly in the coming years.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the retail industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Retail.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
