The retail industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by risk mitigation, supply chain management and the growing importance of technologies such as smart checkout and robotic inventory management. In the last three years alone, there have been over 59,000 patents filed and granted in the retail industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Internet of Things in retail: interactive 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 stabilizing 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.

50+ 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 126,000 patents, there are 50+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Within the emerging innovation stage, in-store theft monitoring and automated self-service kiosks are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Smart checkout, interactive vending kiosks and modular autonomous delivery bots are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are autonomous delivery vehicle navigation and smart PoS systems, which are now well established in the industry.

Innovation S-curve for Internet of Things in the retail industry

Interactive vending kiosks are a key innovation area in Internet of Things

Interactive vending kiosks are creatively designed vending machines that use the latest technologies to deliver automated retail solutions and products, without human supervision. AI and analytics can be used by these smart vending machines to analyze device data and provide individualized experiences.

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 125+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established retail companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of interactive vending kiosks.

Key players in interactive vending kiosks – a disruptive innovation in the retail industry

‘Application diversity’ measures the number of applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.

‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.

Patent volumes related to interactive vending kiosks

Company Total patents (2021 - 2023) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Bretford Manufacturing 6 Unlock Company Profile
IPS Group 11 Unlock Company Profile
Mastercard 6 Unlock Company Profile
Best Buy 10 Unlock Company Profile
Imperial Brands 5 Unlock Company Profile
Dover 26 Unlock Company Profile
VeriFone 6 Unlock Company Profile
PepsiCo 32 Unlock Company Profile
Cubic 43 Unlock Company Profile
Alphabet 5 Unlock Company Profile
Bandai Namco 5 Unlock Company Profile
CAE 5 Unlock Company Profile
Apple 13 Unlock Company Profile
Thermo Fisher Scientific 7 Unlock Company Profile
JPMorgan Chase 7 Unlock Company Profile
Mondelez International 12 Unlock Company Profile
Parker Hannifin 7 Unlock Company Profile
Fiserv 15 Unlock Company Profile
Japan Tobacco 12 Unlock Company Profile
Acuity Brands 11 Unlock Company Profile
Starbucks 6 Unlock Company Profile
Stora Enso 7 Unlock Company Profile
Fuji Electric 8 Unlock Company Profile
Sharp 6 Unlock Company Profile
Oki Electric Industry 5 Unlock Company Profile
Outerwall 49 Unlock Company Profile
Theca-Cola 8 Unlock Company Profile
Procter & Gamble 5 Unlock Company Profile
Walmart 27 Unlock Company Profile
Toshiba 11 Unlock Company Profile
NEC 20 Unlock Company Profile
LEER 14 Unlock Company Profile
SUPERGROUP CREATIVE OMNIMEDIA 8 Unlock Company Profile
JD.com 8 Unlock Company Profile
PayRange 44 Unlock Company Profile
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners 4 Unlock Company Profile
V-Sync 11 Unlock Company Profile
Samsung Group 12 Unlock Company Profile
Fortive 5 Unlock Company Profile
TruMed Systems 5 Unlock Company Profile
IoTecha 5 Unlock Company Profile
Zume 18 Unlock Company Profile
Vengo 8 Unlock Company Profile
Vaultz 4 Unlock Company Profile
Emerging Automotive 5 Unlock Company Profile
West View Research 37 Unlock Company Profile
Swyft 13 Unlock Company Profile
T3 Micro 7 Unlock Company Profile
FoodPairing 7 Unlock Company Profile
Indie 8 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

The leading patent filers in the field of interactive vending kiosks include Outerwall, PayRange, Cubic, and West View Research. In one of its latest ventures, Cubic designed the E-ZPass system, which is a tolling system created for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT). The vending kiosks were made to ensure an efficient and smooth multimodal transportation experience for transit users.

Supergroup Creative Omnimedia, Bretford Manufacturing, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Emerging Automotive are the top companies, in terms of application diversity.

In terms of geographic reach, West View Research, Cubic, Leer, and Fiserv are the leading players.

Innovative vending machines are assisting retailers to handle quick, secure credit and debit transactions from any place using IoT-enabled automation and connectivity. Using built-in security, these vending kiosks lower the risks of product tampering and loss. The vending machines also utilize sensing technologies and keep an eye on environmental conditions to preserve the quality of perishable goods.

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the retail industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Internet of Things (IoT) in Retail and Apparel.

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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.