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Automated retail is the category of self-service, standalone kiosks in heavily trafficked locations such as airports, malls and resorts, and convenience store's.
Consumers select products using a touchscreen interface, pay for purchases using a credit or debit card and then the product is dispensed, sometimes via an internal robotic arm in the machine.
ZoomShops and Redbox are examples. Though the vending units can be dressed up with a touchscreen, they are considered smart vending units. There is a wide discrepancy between the revenue results from smart vending units and Automated retail unit. Lower cost products are better suited for smart vending, whereas more expensive products such as luxury items, cosmetics, electronics and other such products will perform better in automated retail machines. The retail units are several times more expensive than the smart vending units; however, the cost can be justified based on revenues generated. The Source self-service automated retail units accept debit and credit cards to dispense electronics, much like the Best Buy units.