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 Great writeup on InfoComm by Elliot Maras.

About the Managing Editor: Elliot Maras is an industry analyst, journalist, and publisher specializing in self-service kiosks, retail technology, digital signage, and interactive customer engagement. Elliot served as editor of Automatic Merchandiser, Kiosk Marketplace, Vending TImes and has covered the space for more than three decades. Maras is a frequent commentator and moderator on industry trade shows, trends and has interviewed many of the leading companies shaping the global self-service market. Connect with Elliot Maras on LinkedIn.

About the Founding Editor: Craig Allen Keefner is an industry analyst and publisher focused on self‑service kiosks, retail automation, and digital signage. He founded KioskIndustry.org, the Kiosk Manufacturer Association and created The Industry Group (TIG) self‑service technology report. Connect on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiosk .

NEW!

  • Complete guide to Retail Automation —  Retail Automation is no longer a “pilot program”—it is the 2026 baseline for survival. We’ve officially moved past the hype of “cool kiosks” into the reality of a converged Automation Stack. From Walmart’s 5,200-store DSL rollout to the rise of hot food robotics (shoutout to Sodexo and ART), the infrastructure is shifting under our feet.I’ve just published the Ultimate Guide to the 2026 Retail Automation Stack on RetailSystems.org. We dive deep into:
    🛠️ The 5-layer tech stack (Edge to Data)
    🤖 Robotic Dining & Temperature-Controlled Vending
    ⚖️ The $100B Shrink Problem vs. Self-Checkout Optimization
    ♿ ADA & Compliance Mandates for 2026If you are an OEM, an SMB, or a retail exec, this is your roadmap for the next 24 months.

Insights and News

Updated

Hot Food Vending Machines

    • Watching new Kiosk Operators who John Laspia has joined up with
    • New business endeavor by Just Baked — Just Baked Smart Bistro temperature-controlled kiosks are the turnkey fully automated solution to giving your customers and clients 24/7 access to hot food – all without the additional expense of 24/7 staff. –4/25/2024 — In a visionary move aimed at redefining hot food robotic technology, Sodexo and ART have announced a partnership to deploy thousands of state-of-the-art hot food robotic kiosks across Sodexo-served facilities throughout the U.S. A culmination of Sodexo’s global leadership and ART’s progress in robotics and AI, this partnership will establish new benchmarks in the automated dining domain.
    • pizza vending

    Retail Kiosk aka Automation Retail

    The automated retail systems industry is one of the two core technology showplaces today (Financial Services being #2).

      • Emerging technologies such as biometric contactless, robotics, delivery, ghost kitchens, lockers, digital signage, vending and automated vending lead the way.   Amazon and Google revolutionize physical delivery. OuterWall has another great idea (or not).
      • More mature retail technology includes interactive displays, next-generation POS,  and interactive one-to-one customer service technology.
      • Companion technologies include EV charging technology. EV charging stations located in the Kohls parking lot provide extra convenience and pulls in additional traffic from users searching Google Maps for a convenient recharge point. Restaurants are now including.
      • Sustainability has emerged with zero carbon footprint McDonalds restaurants now.
      • Standards – here we have more regulatory guidelines in play along with more standards than any other industry. PCI, OPOS, JPOS, MPOS,  HIPAA, ADA, UL, CE just to name a few.

    Recent News and Trends in Retail Automation and Vending

    1) AI Commerce (Agentic + Conversational) is Real—but Not Settled

    What happened

    • Walmart + OpenAI pivoted after weak results from chatbot checkout → now focusing on hybrid “assist + cart sync” models
    • Gap Inc. launched AI-native checkout via Google Gemini (“agentic commerce”)
    • Retailers split on whether AI should complete transactions or just assist discovery

    Executive takeaway

    AI is winning at product discovery, not yet at transaction execution.
    Expect assistive AI layered onto existing checkout, not replacement (yet).

    2) Self-Checkout: Still Expanding—but Under Pressure

    What happened

    • Regulatory pushback:
      • Item limits (10–15 items) and staffing ratios proposed/enforced
    • Theft (“shrink”) driving policy and operational changes (~$100B annually cited)
    • Accessibility upgrades:
      • Target Corporation rolling out accessible self-checkout (audio, tactile, braille) nationwide

    Executive takeaway

    Self-checkout is not being rolled back—it’s being rebalanced:

    • Fewer lanes
    • More controls
    • More accessibility
      This is optimization phase, not abandonment.

    3) Digital Shelf Labels (DSL) Go Mass Scale

    What happened

    • Walmart deploying digital shelf labels across ~5,200 stores by end of 2026

    Why it matters

    • Real-time pricing + centralized control
    • Labor reduction (manual tag changes eliminated)
    • Foundation for:
      • Dynamic pricing (controversial)
      • Inventory sync
      • Retail media at shelf edge

    Executive takeaway

    DSL is quietly becoming core infrastructure, not “nice-to-have.”

    4) AI + Retail = $500B Opportunity Signal

    What happened

    • AI-driven retail transformation projected to add ~$500B impact (industry estimate)
    • Shoptalk 2026 confirms:
      • AI-driven personalization
      • Agent-led commerce
      • Retail media + first-party data integration

    Executive takeaway

    The battle is shifting from:

    • hardware → data + personalization layers
    • checkout → customer journey orchestration

    5) Automation Economics: Labor + Services Driving Adoption

    What happened

    • Self-checkout market growing ~13% CAGR to 2030
    • Services (integration, support) = ~72% of market value
    • Drivers:
      • Labor cost pressure
      • Contactless demand
      • AI/computer vision maturity

    Executive takeaway

    Hardware is commoditizing → services + lifecycle management are the real revenue layer
    (aligns with your long-cycle kiosk thesis)

    6) AI Assistants Enter Grocery + SMB Retail

    What happened

    • Associated Wholesale Grocers launched AI shopping assistant for independents

    Executive takeaway

    AI is not just enterprise anymore—it’s moving downstream to:

    • independents
    • regional chains
      → democratization phase

    7) Smart Checkout Becomes “Default Architecture”

    What’s emerging

    • AI vision checkout
    • mobile scan-and-go
    • Android POS ecosystems
    • real-time analytics layers

    Executive takeaway

    “Smart checkout” is no longer innovation—
    it’s becoming the baseline expectation for modern retail.

    8) Bigger Picture: Automation Stack Converging

    From the last 6 months, the stack is clearly forming:

    🧩 Retail Automation Stack (2026 Reality)

    • Edge layer → kiosks, SCO, vision checkout
    • Store ops layer → DSL, inventory AI, planograms
    • Customer layer → AI assistants, personalization
    • Commerce layer → agentic checkout, mobile
    • Data layer → retail media + first-party data

    Bottom Line – Craig Keefner

    If you strip out the hype, here’s the real signal:

    • Self-service isn’t going away—it’s getting disciplined
    • AI is shifting upstream (discovery, personalization), not replacing checkout yet
    • Infrastructure (DSL, edge compute, services) is where the real investment is
    • Retailers are converging on a hybrid model:
      • human + self-service + AI assist

    👉 The next 12–24 months will be decided by:

    • shrink control vs friction
    • AI integration into existing POS/kiosk stacks
    • who owns the customer interface layer (retailer vs platform)

    Highlighted Innovations from 2025 NAMA Show

    Company/Brand Innovation/Feature
    Crave Robotics Hot food vending kiosk ADA-compliant touchscreen5
    Haha Vending AI-enabled glass-front smart coolers product recognition5
    Kiosoft Technologies Frozen vending with dispensing and touch screen5
    LE Vending US Robotic coffee machine with monitoring and analytics5
    Nayax AI-powered smart coolers, POS, and loyalty/payment5
    VenHub Autonomous smart store for 24/7 unattended shopping58

    Industry Events

    Summary

    Retail automation and vending are rapidly advancing, with AI, robotics, and connectivity transforming unattended retail into a mainstream, scalable solution. The industry is seeing significant investment, new product launches, and a focus on frictionless, data-driven consumer experiences. As the sector grows, expect further integration of smart technologies, expanded payment options, and new business models leveraging automation for efficiency and customer engagement1235.

    For more information, email us at info@retailsystems.org

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