Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Which Vending Machine Location Is The Best?

Effective locating of vending machines is not about setting them up at different places. It requires sound marketing strategies too. Buying an attractive vending machine does not guarantee your success for your vending business. You need to locate your vending equipment to enable continuous sales and profits.

The first thing to be considered is the impulse purchasing behavior of vending machine customers. This includes buyers who make on the spot purchases without any particular need or planning. Just because these products are present there, people buy them for instant satisfaction of their needs.

Another important form of vending industry customers is the youngsters and children. Even though they don’t have access to resources for making direct purchases like adults, their ability to persuade family members is great. This offers good potential for making money by vending machine operators. Hence, appealing to the needs of kids and toddlers can help you reap great profits for your vending business.

The essential characteristics of a good vending location include:
  • Heavy foot traffic
Places with high foot traffic imply areas which have a lot of people walking on foot. Such people have the tendency to look around and try different things as they pass by. These places include hotels, plazas, shopping malls, theme parks, subway stations and beaches.
  • Appearance
Your vending machine should be attractive and arouse interest in the minds of the customers. Choose machines with designs that affect the sense of sound and sight of target customers. Many vending machine operators underestimate the power of color and design to induce sales and brand image.
  • Waiting Areas
Those who are waiting have the tendency to buy products from vending machines to break their boredom or to pass time. So, places with large number of people waiting for long periods of time are good vending sales locations. Such places include auto service centers, train stations, salons, bus terminals, airports and barber shops. It is best to put your vending machines near chairs and seating areas to increase the probability of sales.
  • Traveling spots
People may stop at several places while traveling or due to unplanned necessity. These places are also great for impulse buying by people. Effective locations of this kind include gas stations, train stations, bus terminals, fast food restaurants, etc. you can install your machines next to the front door so that people can access them immediately and easily.

Remember that the best vending machine locations are those that match expected human behavior and habits at that place. You must purchase vending equipment from a good company like Planet Antares Inc only after studying potential locations. If you are able to match the vending machines and products with customer preferences, your vending business will undoubtedly generate financial rewards.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

How To Expand Your Vending Machine Business?

If you have been running a vending machine business, you will feel the need to expand it sooner or later. There will be several reasons for the same. You may want to earn a higher income, meet growing customer needs, beat the competition, invest in latest technology or explore better locations.

In any business, growth is essential to keep generating substantial revenue and increase the market share. You can achieve business expansion through various methods and steps, as has been stated below:

#1: the first step towards vending route expansion involves the addition of new machines to your present line in an existing location. If you are selling one brand of soda or snacks, add another one of similar standing.

#2: the second step will be to include new products to your existing range. This will enable more variety for the customers as well as higher sales and profits for the vending machine operator. You can add hot beverages vending machines to your soda and snack vending locations or even go for healthier food options.

#3: you can also look for new places to increase your existing route or establish an entirely new one. Check untapped locations as well as good locations which are unsatisfied with the vending machines currently installed in their premises. Keep an eye on vending routes being offered for sale to make expansion easier and faster.

#4: as you expand your business, you will require helpers for handling new machines. It may be difficult to repair, restock and maintain the vending machines on your own. This requirement needs to be considered before you actually start expanding your vending business.

#5: when you decide to grow your business scale, tell your customers and suppliers about it. Use leaflets, digital displays and brochures to distribute information about new locations and machines. Mention details about attractive features of your vending machines and also, the frequency of servicing to make it easier to convince location owners to keep them.

Once you have decided to expand your vending machine business by taking new machines and finding new locations, look for reliable vending machine provides like Planet Antares Inc. not only will you get high quality, updated equipment at affordable prices, but even benefit from the after sale services like locating, refilling, repair and maintenance of machines.

There are many ways of develop your vending business. Your choice of method will be determined by your business objectives and capital limitations.