The history of vending machines
1. The origin of vending machines (BC~)
Speaking of the history of vending machines, it can be traced back to Egypt in ancient times.
Alexandria scientist HERON described in his book "Gas Device (PNEUMATIKA)" that as long as coins are put into the device, water will automatically flow out.
This is the origin of the vending machine. Around 215 BC, this device was installed in Egyptian temples to sell "holy water (holy water)".
On the other hand, the first vending machine born in Japan was invented by the inventor Takanishi Omotani during the Meiji period, and was used to sell cigarettes and other products.
This vending machine was patented in 1890 (Meiji 23), but it was not put into actual use.
Later, Omotani completed the "stamp and postcard vending machine" in 1904 (Meiji 37), and it was adopted by the Postal Service (equivalent to the current Postal Ministry).
The shell of the machine is made of wood and decorated. It is a unique device that integrates the three functions of stamp sales, postcard sales, and mail box.
The earliest popular vending machine was the bagged snack vending machine made by Koichiro Nakayama in 1924 (Taisho 13).
At that time, a large number of these machines, with the popular news cartoon "Happy Dad" painted on the outer shell, were installed at the entrance of snack stores across the country.
After that, Japan’s vending machine industry developed, focusing on vending machines for snacks, cigarettes, stamps, etc., but was interrupted due to the ban on the production of steel products caused by the outbreak of World War II.
2. The rise of the vending machine industry (from the 1930s to the 1970s)
In 1957 (Showa 32), when the economy began to recover after World War II, the In the beverage vending machine, as long as you put in 10 yen, a certain amount of juice will be poured into the paper cup.
Due to the eye-catching water spray device installed on the upper part of the machine, the vending machine was called "water spray juice vending machine", and since then there has been an explosive vending machine craze. .
This type of water-spraying juice vending machine brought a novel and avant-garde purchasing method to consumers, and played a large role in the subsequent high popularity of vending machines in Japan.
Next up is the Coke vending machine.
As the large American cola company officially entered the Japanese market, in 1962 (Showa 37), as the messenger of the revolution in the distribution field, it launched the prelude to vending machines.
It started with bottled beverage vending machines, but in the mid-1960s (Showa 40s), canned beverage vending machines also appeared.
The active performance of vending machines has contributed greatly to the astonishing growth in Coke sales.
At the same time, excellent vending machine market strategies and operating skills have had a great impact on the development of Japan's vending machine industry.
3. The road to becoming a major country in vending machines (from the 1950s to the Showa era)
With the development of the economy and people’s continuous pursuit of a wealthy life, vending machines are as shown in Figure 8 As shown in the figure, it began to spread rapidly around 1975 (Showa 50).
Due to the rapid growth of the economy, a mass production system for consumer goods has been established, and a large-scale logistics method is required to meet this demand. Vending machines and supermarkets meet this demand.
In the beverage field, which is the main product, with the emergence of canned coffee, the world's first hot and cold canned beverage vending machine that can sell hot and cold beverages was born, which is a step towards popularization. A big step forward.
Due to the promotion of hot and cold canned beverage vending machines, the distribution industry can improve the space utilization of equipment settings and achieve balanced sales throughout the year.
In the field of cup-type vending machines that sell raw materials in paper cups, etc., from instant coffee machines, ordinary coffee machines, and even ordinary coffee that can grind coffee beans inside the machine and add milk machine to quickly respond to changes in consumer preferences.
In addition, the issuance of new 100 yen and 50 yen coins in 1967 (Showa 42) solidified the foundation for the high popularity of vending machines.
Prior to that, because 100 yen had not been converted into coins, it had become a major obstacle to the popularity of vending machines.
As the material of the new coins changed from silver to white copper, they could be manufactured in large quantities. The large circulation of coins paved the way for the promotion of vending machines and also cultivated the citizens' use of vending machines. habits.
A representative example is the ticket vending machine.
Automatic sales of train tickets were implemented on a small scale before the war. Official use began in 1968 (Showa 43) by National Railways (currently JR) on all Yamanote Lines in Tokyo. It started with the introduction of automatic ticket vending machines at stations, with the purpose of rationalizing the ticket checking business at the station exit.
Due to the popularity of ticket vending machines, many citizens have developed the habit of purchasing goods from vending machines.
In addition, using electronic engineering technology, people can safely buy high-priced express tickets for the Shinkansen from vending machines.
On the other hand, if we put aside these technological developments and discuss the reasons for the development of vending machines, it is due to the active promotion of the vending machine business by manufacturers of goods sold in vending machines.
The security situation in Japan is good, and vending machines can be installed outdoors. Manufacturers of these products position vending machines as "an important sales tool dedicated to the company's products" and use them to promote new products. and sales expansion.
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