Online retailers tap vending machines to boost sales, market themselves in S'pore

When Mr Alvin Lim was thinking about where he should open his first physical store for his range of men's grooming products, he turned to sales data from his 14 vending machines to help him make a decision.

- Wong Yang

He picked the Tampines 1 shopping mall to open the first bricksand-mortar store in 2022 for his online business SGPomades, after seeing that his vending machine there had been generating 50 per cent more revenue compared with the others he operated.

That decision paid off - after the store launched, new sign-ups to SGPomades' rewards programme doubled to about 500 a month.

In January, the retailer opened its second physical store selling a range of hair-styling wax and shaving products at Jurong Point.

Mr Lim, 35, told The Straits Times his vending machines have helped increase his brand's visibility and get consumers familiar with his products. “E-commerce businesses like ours need to establish some kind of credibility, and our vending machines really helped with that," he said.

Where they once used to sell mainly just drinks and snacks, in recent years, vending machines selling everything from fresh flowers to pet food have popped up across the island.