An automated trading system is a self-service retail solution that enables the sale of products without on-site staff, using electronic payment processing and remote inventory management. Such systems are suitable for shopping centres, petrol stations, office complexes, hotels and transport hubs any location where round-the-clock product availability matters. If you want to expand your company’s sales channels without additional staffing costs, automated trading systems offer a solution with lower operating costs, flexible deployment and uninterrupted operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Solutions are available both as permanent points of sale and as mobile units for seasonal use, allowing your business to respond quickly to changing customer demand across different locations.
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An automated trading system is a technological solution that combines self-service equipment, electronic payments and remote management software to enable the sale of products without the constant presence of staff. The system operates autonomously customers select and purchase products independently, while the company manages stock, pricing and product range remotely through a digital monitoring platform. In essence, it is an autonomous store in which the buyer completes the entire process, from product selection to payment, without the involvement of a salesperson, while the company retains full control over stock and product range from a distance.
It is important not to confuse this concept with the term “automated trading systems” as used in the financial sector, which refers to algorithmic securities trading. This page deals solely with retail and self-service store solutions physical units that sell real products to customers in a shop, office, hotel or public place, not with financial market instruments or investment management.
In practice, an automated trading system operates as an additional or standalone sales channel for a business it can be deployed alongside an existing store, used as the sole point of sale at a new location, or combined with e-commerce order fulfilment.
Remote management means you can monitor sales data, stock levels and equipment performance in real time without being physically present at the point of sale. This considerably simplifies the simultaneous oversight of multiple points of sale from a single central office or warehouse.
This approach differs from a classic vending machine with a limited product range an automated trading system can serve a broader assortment, several product categories and various purchasing scenarios within a single unit or group of units.
By choosing an automated trading system, you gain a flexible and cost-effective sales channel that adapts to changing consumption patterns and allows you to reach customers outside normal business hours. Compared with a traditional shop, this type of system requires fewer resources for day-to-day maintenance while still providing full visibility of sales results. Key benefits:
Overall, an automated trading system allows your business to make its sales model more flexible responding to fluctuations in demand, testing new locations and scaling operations gradually, rather than through one large, irreversible investment.
VVN offers four automated trading system solutions tailored to different business needs from mobile autonomous retail to specialised points of sale for fresh products and drinks. Each solution combines self-service technology, remote management and flexible deployment options, allowing you to choose the option best suited to a specific location, target audience and sales strategy. Whichever solution you choose, VVN provides support throughout the system’s entire life cycle from deployment planning to day-to-day operation. All four product lines and their key benefits are set out below.
Nexto Store is a fully autonomous, unstaffed shop that operates continuously 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The entire Nexto Store structure can be transported in a single lorry, making it a mobile solution suited both to permanent deployment at a specific location and to seasonal pop-up retail at new or temporary sites. The system uses artificial intelligence to analyse customer demand and lets you adapt the product range to local consumption trends without manual intervention.
Nexto Store is also a more sustainable alternative to a traditional retail shop its construction uses fewer building materials, and it consumes less energy during day-to-day operation compared with a classic shop premises. This makes the solution suitable for businesses that need to reduce their environmental footprint while maintaining a full sales volume.
The solution is suited to businesses that want to extend their presence into new regions without committing to a long-term property lease or extensive construction.
In addition to entering new markets, Nexto Store is also useful for existing retailers who want to relieve their main shop of peak-hour customer flow by placing an additional point of sale in the immediate vicinity.
Nexto Display is a self-service unit designed for selling fresh, impulse-purchase products pastries, ready-made sandwiches and drinks in high-footfall locations.
The unit has two separate temperature zones, ensuring products are stored at the correct temperature regardless of ambient conditions, allowing you to sell fresh food at any time of day. This is particularly useful in locations where demand for fresh products remains high outside traditional shop opening hours, for example early in the morning or late in the evening.
Its compact size and mobility make Nexto Display suitable for locations with limited space but high footfall for example office lobbies, shopping centre corridors or transport hubs, where a full-scale shop would not be economically justified.
Thanks to its compact size and the fact that no staff are required, the unit’s energy consumption is low. Security is provided through electronic payment processing and continuous video surveillance.
The solution is particularly useful for businesses whose target audience is looking for a quick way to buy a fresh snack or drink without needing to visit a full-service café or shop.
The unit complements an existing catering or retail offering, filling the time windows when other outlets are closed or when customer flow exceeds their service capacity.
Nexto Select is VVN’s flagship 3-in-1 retail system, which functions simultaneously as a warehouse with automated e-commerce order picking and as a fully automated self-service shop. This makes Nexto Select the most comprehensive solution in the VVN product range.
The system is built on a “3-in-1” sales channel approach that combines e-commerce fulfilment, traditional retail and smart vending machine functionality within a single solution, with centralised stock management across all channels, allowing the business to oversee sales from one place.
You can adapt the product assortment to market trends, seasonal demand or customer preferences without losing visibility of overall stock across all sales channels. This flexibility allows you to respond quickly to fluctuations in demand without changing the underlying infrastructure.
Nexto Select operates continuously, 24 hours a day, expanding your potential customer base without additional staffing costs and allowing you to serve both in-person and online customers at the same time.
The solution is suited to businesses that want to combine physical and digital sales within a single system without losing visibility of stock and order fulfilment.
This approach is particularly useful for businesses whose customers expect the choice of shopping in person, ordering online or making a quick purchase via a vending machine all within a single system.
The Self-Service Café is a modular, compact unit designed for high-footfall locations where efficient use of space is important.
The unit can dispense hot drinks, fresh juices and ready meals both chilled and heated in one place, combining several food categories in a compact solution. This lets customers buy both a drink and food in a short time without visiting several points of sale, which is particularly valuable in locations with limited break time.
Its compact, mobile design lets you position the café strategically in locations with the highest customer flow, such as shopping centres, petrol stations, hotels or transport hubs, where every square metre counts.
The Self-Service Café is suited to creating cost-effective points of sale in locations where a full-scale shop or café is not possible due to space constraints.
The solution is suited to businesses that want to extend the availability of catering services to locations where setting up a full restaurant or café would not be economically justified.
The system is also useful as an additional source of revenue in locations with high but brief customer flow, such as waiting areas, transit spaces or event venues.
Although all four Nexto solutions work on the same self-service principle, they differ in size, product range and sales model from a compact café to a full-scale 3-in-1 retail and warehouse system. This variety allows VVN customers to choose the exact configuration that matches the capabilities of a specific location and the company’s goals.
Automated trading systems are suitable for a range of industries and locations where continuous availability, fast service and efficient use of space matter. When choosing a specific VVN solution, it is worth assessing both the available space and the typical customer flow at the location in question.
In high-footfall areas of shopping centres, Nexto Display and the Self-Service Café work well, providing quick access to food and drinks for visitors even outside shop opening hours. At petrol stations, compact solutions such as the Self-Service Café allow you to expand the existing range of services without hiring additional staff. In office and business centres, Nexto Select provides a flexible approach to both on-site product purchases and e-commerce order fulfilment for staff and visitors. In hotels, the Self-Service Café and Nexto Display extend guest service options beyond restaurant or bar opening hours. At transport hubs airports and railway stations Nexto Store and Nexto Display provide continuous availability for travellers with limited time.
Regardless of industry, automated trading systems allow businesses to increase the number of points of sale without a proportional increase in staff, while retaining full control over the offering remotely.
The choice between specific VVN solutions is usually determined by the available space, expected customer flow and whether the business needs only the dispensing of ready-made products or also full stock and order management across multiple channels at once.