PET Bottles In Planet Antares Vending Machines

As PET bottles gain popularity in the vending industry, the case of dedicated beverage routes has gained considerable strength and popularity. Now, it is easier to invest with a plan that phases in dedicated routes than any other form.

This has led to complexities in life and business for the average vending operator. Majority of the single service sales in the supermarkets are on account of plastic beverage bottles and for full line Planet Antares vending machines, they account for a smaller percentage. As a result, vending operators will have to offer customers the products that they want, not the ones they planned to sell.

As compared to 12 ounce cans, PET bottles sell for a higher price. This is a grand opportunity for enhancing business profits and gross margins in the long run. Your Planet Antares vending business must take advantage of this trend.

Several vending operators claim that PET bottles have lower gross profit percentage as compared to the 12 ounce cans and also reduce the space in their route vehicles. However, you must remember that your income is not measured in percentage but rather in dollars which you deposit in the bank.

In fact, the space problem can be resolved through use of larger capacity route vehicles and trucks. These last for about 8-10 years and make a worthwhile investment for vending operators. Planet Antares vending operators have been successful in achieving a huge amount of market penetration through PET bottles.

As the brands competing for share in the snacks and beverages market rise, vending operators must purchase larger vehicles to provide for mixed product routes. Loading and unloading of dedicated beverage trucks will be recommended as it makes things quite simple.

How To Use Software In Vending Business

With proper implementation in a cost effective manner, wireless transmission of data can enable a Planet Antares vending operator to solve a large part of the business issues plus allow the operator to enjoy all the benefits that come with software.

If all vending machines become equipped with an automatic transmitting device, dynamic scheduling would become possible and the operator will get to know instantly when a machine is out of order. This doesn’t mean that it is necessary to provide for real time transmission of data to reap all the benefits from recording and reporting brand preference analysis, by individual machines.

Actually, individual consumer brand preferences do not change quickly. Brand preference data can be obtained from a Planet Antares vending machine by handheld computer when the machine is being filled, and then later downloaded into a host computer. This information is valuable as it will be transmitted in ‘real time’.

Such software system makes it much easier for the driver as he will not have to make two trips to the Planet Antares vending machines.

The office functions of vending operators can be enhanced in many ways. These include:

1) Elimination of errors in data entry due to driver counting or writing errors

2) Greater accountability and better sales analysis through reports produced as soon as the cash is counted.

3) Management is able to make a direct impact on the level of sales at each Planet Antares vending machine by using cost effective brand preference analysis reports.

For many vending operators, the biggest problems with the existing accountability reports are errors caused by counting or writing errors on the part of the driver. You can eliminate this problem with the help of software system. Generation of reports is usually made by the next business day so that these can be acted upon in a timely manner.