The Potential of Technology in Vending

The vending industry has seen a transformation due to the introduction of technology. With the increase of competition from other vending operators, you need to find ways of staying on top of your game. When you are running a Planet Antares vending business, it means that you have a limited space to merchandise your products. With that limited space, you would need to maximum sales. Despite the fact that a vending business is very profitable, vending operators from time to time have difficulty achieving maximum profitability. To improve the efficiency of your Planet Antares vending business, you can implement some form of technology in your vending business.

Advances in technology, have changed the vending operations of many vending operators. The sales from these vending operations increased when they implemented technology. The operators were also able to keep track of the sales that were made from the vending machine. Category management helped the vending operators select the right products for the vending machines and they were also able to restock the vending machines on time. There are all forms of technology that can improve your Planet Antares vending business. The size of your vending business is what will determine which technology would be appropriate for your vending business.

Implementing technology in your Planet Antares vending business will allow you to sell more and spend less in your vending operation. You can end up saving up to two hours per day per route by employing technology. In addition to this, you will enjoy a higher percentage of sales increases from the same machines through a better understanding of location preferences. Shrinkage will be virtually eliminated by cash audit functionality. To implement technology, you just need to have sufficient capital to finance the innovation.

Internet
The Internet has greatly changed the way we vend. Using it in your vending operation would be beneficial for the smooth running of your business. The Internet will only continue to revolutionize the vending industry.

With the technological changes that are occurring in the vending industry, it is important that you stay on top of all the new technologies that are coming up. With the speed in which technology is driving our world, understanding technology and applying it to your vending business may be the most important thing that you will ever do. Technology has the potential to transform your vending business, by making it more profitable and your customers happier.

Snack and Beverage Locations

In the vending industry, there is no other kind of vending that is more in demand in most of the locations like snack and beverage vending. If you have a Planet Antares vending machine, you will not find it hard to find locations for the vending machine. This is the one advantage that you would have. Even so, finding new locations in a mature market is not always that easy. There rising prices to deal with and the scarcity of new locations. This has made many vending operators choose to instead concentrate their efforts on increasing the profits at current locations, plus maintain their customer base.

If you want to secure a location for your Planet Antares vending business, you will find that the Internet can prove to be a powerful tool. You can use the Internet to solicit prospective locations for your snack and beverage vending machines and to find potential location leads. In the past, vending operators relied on phone directories, business directories and purchased lists. Today, all that you need to do is use search engines to find the kind of location that you would want for your Planet Antares vending machines. Many of the old techniques that were used some years back to find locations are no longer plausible. Gone are the days when you could just walk into an office building or any other kind of location without an appointment. You can now use the Internet as a business directory to gather information on potential locations. In addition to this, you can even use the Internet to research and qualify their leads.

Most of locations all over are already saturated with snack and beverage vending machines. If you approach a location and find that it already has a snack and beverage vending machine, it doesn’t mean that you should change your mind about that location. All that you have to do is convince the location owner that you will provide a more superior vending service. If you are convincing, the location owner can decide to discontinue the service that he is already receiving or he can decide to accept your vending machine in the same location. Sharing a location with another snack and beverage vending service, can work out well because of the increased competition. No vending operator would like to see another vending operator doing better. A Planet Antares vending machine is attractive enough to stand out from the rest of the vending machines. It is also a glass front vending machine, which makes it more enticing to the public. With such a vending machine, you don’t really have to worry about sharing the location with the competition.

When you have secured a vending location, make sure that you provide quality vending services. This is something that you can do by servicing the vending machine on time and maintaining the machines. The kind of vending services that you provide is what will allow you to stay in the location for a long period. If the location owner is satisfied, there will be no reason to ask you to move your vending machine.

The Internet has proven to be very useful when it comes to location hunting, however, direct mail, in person soliciting and networking still play a significant role in securing new snack and beverage vending locations.

The Right Kind of Locations for Snack and Beverage Vending

Different kinds of vending machines suit different locations. If you don’t place your vending machine in the right location, it would mean that you stand a very good chance of your vending business being unprofitable. Snack and beverage vending is a very lucrative type of vending business. This is because the percentage of snack and beverage purchases in a year is far greater than any other item in vending machines. This is what makes a Planet Antares vending business a great opportunity.

Snack and beverage vending machines are big in size because they are full line vending machines. This is one of the factors that will make it difficult for you to find locations for your Planet Antares vending machines. The locations for these types of vending machines have to have a high amount of foot traffic in order for it to be financially beneficial for your vending business. On an average, it takes about 300 calls to businesses to find a qualified snack and beverage vending machine location.

Looking for a location for your vending machines is something that you can do for yourself or you can choose to use a locating service. It is always recommended that you look for a location on your own since you are the one that knows what you are looking for. If you don’t have the time to look for a location on your own, this is when you can use a locating service to do the work for you. Just make sure that you inspect the locations on your own, after the locator has found a suitable one.

A locating service usually makes calls to all potential locations when they are looking for a suitable location. If you are using a locating service, they would make a call to a potential location where they will make a telephonic presentation of your Planet Antares vending machine. They can even decide to fax pictures of the vending machines, as well as describe the type of snacks and beverages that the vending machine sells. If there is a location owner that is interested in having your vending machine there, an appointment should then be set by the locator, for you to inspect the location. The advantage that snack and beverage vending has is that these are vending machines that are in demand in most of the locations. A location owner knows that there is usually a high demand for snacks and beverages, and so if there is a snack and beverage vending machine in the location, the location owner stands to make a good profit. It’s quite common to come across locations that already have snack and beverage vending machines. This should not deter you from placing your vending machine in the same location.

When you are looking for locations, carry out some research on your own, on what type of locations are ideal for snack and beverage vending machines like those that are provide by Planet Antares Inc. Visiting locations that already have these types of vending machines would provide you with some helpful tips that you can use. Locations that have high foot traffic or where people have to wait for 1-15 minutes would be ideal locations. These can be places like shopping malls, subways, bowling alleys, cafeterias, motels, lunchrooms and companies with more than 50 employees.

Reasons to Have a Vending Machine in your Business

If you are wondering whether or not it is ideal to place vending machines in your company, shop or leisure club, just think about the following:

Financial savings
If you have a canteen or a café in your facility, it means that you are using valuable space, paying full and part time staff and buying or leasing equipment and supplies. There are quite a number of companies, particularly those with multi-site operations that can’t afford to have a canteen inside every building. They make large cost savings by installing vending machines like those provided by Planet Antares Inc. which vend snacks, beverages and food items.

Time savings
Studies have shown that an average sized business with around 50 employees loses large amounts of money in hours that are spent by employees making their own drinks rather than using a vending machine. Installing a Planet Antares vending machine will reduce the amount of time that your employees spend away from their desks, thus making them more productive for your business.
Additional revenue
If you decide to use a Planet Antares vending operator, the vending machines and its contents will be the responsibility of that operator. All that you will have to is provide the location. Depending on the agreement that you have with the vending operator, you will earn additional revenue from having the Planet Antares vending machines in your location. You can receive a percentage commission of the machine’s takings as per your agreement with the vending operator.

Customer service
If you are owner of a retail or leisure outlet, a Planet Antares vending machine could make a difference to your customers by fulfilling their needs. When they visit your location, they would appreciate the fact that they will have access to a cold beverage or a quick snack. This would of course give you an edge over your competition and it would encourage return visits.

Maintenance
By choosing to run your vending machines through a vending operator, you will be choosing a really easy way to provide a service to your employees or customer. This is because the operator will be fully responsible for the maintenance of the vending machine. All that you will do is to provide the location for the vending machines. You don’t need to carry out the maintenance duties that come with vending machines.

Choosing the Best Software for your Vending Business

The software that is used in vending machines is designed to make managing a vending business simpler. If you incorporate vending software into your Planet Antares vending business, you will find it easier to manage your locations and vending machines. There will also be a significant increase in the sales of the products in your vending business.

There are different kinds of software in the market, so you need to pick one that is easy to use and simple to understand. At the same time it should be easy on your pocket. The vending software that you decide on for your vending business should have a complete inventory system. It will enable you to view products by code, name or type. Such a system would automatically calculate inventory levels and notify you when you need to restock your vending machine. It will calculate your average cost in addition to the total inventory value. You will also get to know which products were sold in which lanes, at what price and the number of units sold at your last visit.

The vending software should maintain a list of all of your locations and contacts. This will help you know when the Planet Antares vending machines were placed in their locations and the date that they were last serviced. It is very important that vending machines are serviced on time or you can end up losing potential sales when the customers aren’t able to find the products that they are looking for.

Detailed information about locations in your Planet Antares vending business will now be easily accessible with vending software. The technology will categorize the products in your vending machines. This will allow you to analyze your business to determine which category makes the most or the least revenue. If there is a product that is not selling well, you can easily decide to replace the product for something newer and more exciting.

Investing in vending software is quite expensive and that is what has kept many vending operators away from it. This of course is slowly changing as more and more vending operators are investing in software. As a result of the increase in investors it is now much easier for vending operators to invest in vending software, since the rates have come down.

Since you now know what vending machine software can do for a vending business, you would just need to pick the best software that will smoothen the running of your Planet Antares vending business. The software that you choose should be able to increase your profits significantly. If there is no change in your profits, it means that you picked the wrong software. The size of your vending business and the number of vending machines is what will determine the kind of software that you should incorporate in your vending business.

Things a Good Vending Company Should Cover

When you enter the vending business, there are many things that you would want to know about the vending company that you are dealing with. Planet Antares Inc. is a vending company that provides vending machines as well as excellent vending programs that can help you set up a thriving vending business. There are numerous things that you would need to know about the vending business. These are listed below.

Business Standing
It would be important to know if the vending company is listed with the Better Business Bureau and if it is also a member of the National Business Opportunity Bureau. The vending company should also have been in business for at least 5 years. If they have been in business for long it will mean that you can be confident that they will around for quite some time to honor their warranties. Planet Antares Inc. has been in business for quite a large number of years. If the vending company has an “888”, “877” or an “866” number as opposed to an “800” number, it means that they are new business.

Vending machines
Be sure to ask the vending company if they designed, tested and manufactured the vending machines that they sell. The vending machines that they are selling should not be out dated. Planet Antares always has updated vending machines. Check whether the vending machine is engineered to carry a Lifetime Warranty. Most vending machines globes are made with inferior materials, so make it a point to ask them if their vending machine globes are made of polycarbonate. The coin mechanism of the vending machine should be made of the strongest steel with an anti-jam slug diverter. The vending machines should also have interchangeable canisters and at the same time should also have a sunshield for locations where the vending machine might be exposed to sunlight.

Guarantees and Delivery
Every single part of the vending machine, including the stand should carry a lifetime warranty. They should also offer a lifetime theft/vandalism protection guarantee. They should also guarantee that your vending machine will be shipped immediately and that you will be provided with tracking numbers. If the vending machine is damaged during delivery, they should be able to send out new parts/machines.

Support
Companies such as Planet Antares provide support to their customers in relation to their vending business. A support system is there to help you succeed in your vending business, especially when you are new to the vending business. A good company should be able to provide you with that kind of support. When you are need of parts for your vending machine, they should be able to send that out to you immediately.