Planning Vending Business

Vending business undoubtedly results in generation of huge profits. Hence all of us are lured by this business and like to become a part of this billion dollar industry. However, success in this business cannot be attained as simply as it is stated. Several factors like quality of service rendered, products, price, location of vending machine and its technology influences its success. So, an operator need to design several business plans in order to achieve his business targets.

Whenever you take up a vending business, you have two options. The first and most preferred option is to purchase an already existing vending route or buy a new vending machine. Buying an existing machine is undoubtedly much cheaper when compared to purchasing a new vending machine. However, there are several demerits of purchasing an existing vending machine. Used machines are more susceptible for breakdowns and maintenance issues. Hence purchase of new machine is highly recommended.

Securing finance is another important factor that needs to be considered while planning any business. An estimate has to be prepared stating how much capital is required, your budgetary limitations and sources for securing these funds.

Identifying right location is also very important while developing a vending business plan. High customer traffic locations are always held high in priority. Accessibility and visibility also need to be considered while installing a vending machine.

After deciding on the location, operator also need to finalize the product he would like to vend. A wide variety of products including candy, soft drinks, newspapers, soda, snacks, ice creams etc are available in the market. So operator needs be very careful while choosing the product since there is a relation between the product you vend and the vending machine you purchase.

Proper planning and strategies are very important in vending business because they are directly responsible for enhancing sales and profitability. An operator can generate high revenue if an aggressive approach is adopted. So choose a marketing strategy that best suits your approach.

Last and most important aspect that influences the success of your business is how well you maintain your machine. There is no use purchasing a new machine if you cannot maintain it properly. Durability of a vending machine depends on how well you maintain your machine. All these aspects need to be considered in order to make vending a big success. Planet Antares machines have been trusted by vending business owners for decades and reliability and low maintenance factor are the main reasons why people trust these machines.

Brand, Variety and Efficiency

Vending machines have changed the life of people completely by becoming a reliable source for providing quick food and saving time. The success of any vending business depends upon the quality of products and the efficiency of the machine. The importance of brands in both products being vended and the vending machines cannot be ignored.

Apart from selecting the right location there are three other factors on which the success of any vending business is dependent.

1. Branded Machines: Vending machines play the most important role in any vending business. You have to make sure as a vending business owner that your machines work flawlessly. This would create trust of consumers in your machines and will make them come back again. Choose Planet Antares machines as these have been around for over thirty years and people trust these machines for flawless and efficient working. A Planet Antares machine at your location will automatically entice people to buy because of its stylish looks and flawless functioning.

2. Branded Products: Once you have selected the machine, it is time to select the products your machine will sell. It is advised that you only select branded products for your machine. This is because people already know about these products and sometimes would buy these without any reason or need as they trust these products. Moreover, as a vending operator you will not be worried about quality as products like coke etc are themselves very quality conscious.

3. Variety: Variety is the essence of life. Let us take an example. Suppose a customer walks into your machine who is looking to buy a coke and is also looking to munch something along with it, the best way for him would be to stop at a place where he can get both. If your machine is capable of offering both the products at the same time, customers will have more reasons to come to your machine and your machine will do more business as well.

Taking into consideration, these simple points will help you increase sales and trust of customers as well which is the ideal situation in any business. So just remember Brand, Variety and Efficiency for a successful vending business.

Importance Of Product Selection In Vending Machine

Selection of right product is as important as the selection of the machine. In fact the choice of product vended influences the success of your business. Vending machines are used for selling snacks, drinks, food and many other products. Few products vended by these machines are part and parcel of our lives and we cannot avoid purchasing them whenever we pass by a vending machine.

While selecting products that are to be vended, it is important to consider the availability of supplier to provide you with the products you want to vend. Operator needs to ensure that the supplier is very near to your area of operations. This will avoid delay in transporting products from supplier to your vending machine.

Fresh products are preferred by customers. So operator needs to check on a regular basis if the products provided by vender are fresh and have not crossed their expiry dates. If any customer comes across a product that has crossed its expiry period, it will create bad reputation and he will not revisit your vending machine again. This will lead to spread of negative image in the market and thus affect your business.

In case you are a new operator and are not aware of the kind of products to be refilled, you can go to various other vending locations and see what people prefer to purchase from these machines. It is advisable to offer products which have maximum demand or those products without which we cannot sustain.

Usually kind of product to be vended also depends on your target segment. If you are targeting children, they often look for latest products in the market or those that are attractive to look at. So, try to understand your customer needs and requirements either by asking them or by conducting a small survey.

Another source of information are your suppliers since they are in constant touch with other vending operators, they have better idea about the fastest moving products. Another best alternative is to offer branded products. Most customers have craze for branded items. Moreover these items do not require the operator to take up any specific advertising. These brands are renowned and hence easily recognised by customers. Their popularity among customers is alone sufficient for drawing customers towards them. Sale of such products happens automatically because of the influence of the brand name.

Fat Free Snacks and Vending Machines

Earlier, operators lacked clarity when it came to vending fat free snacks. There was always this dilemma whether these products would be accepted or not by customers. But things have changed now with growing health consciousness and increased awareness about the benefits of these products. Several customers are switching over to healthy food and fat free snacks in order to lead a healthy life.

One of the growing concerns in US is obesity. Nearly 50% of Americans are obese and this is problem is increasing even in children. Fat free snacks have been introduced targeting these set of customers. This has resulted in millions of customers enjoying the benefits of healthy snacks. A suggestion for all upcoming vending operators is to accommodate at least one shelf space for fat free snacks. This will enable you to make some money along with providing satisfaction to this particular set of customers.

The only disadvantage with this product is that they are priced high and are within the reach of premium customers. However, with increasing number of fat free snacks, let us hope that these prices will soon be within the reach of common man. Apart from this, with the increasing number of health conscious people you sure have a great business opportunity.

There are few fat free snacks which have become quite popular among customers. These if placed in your Planet Antares vending machines will definitely boost up your sales. The taste of some products is so good that leave alone health conscious people, the public in general will buy them.

Before we conclude, once sincere advice to all vending operators is “Do not leave any stone unturned” who knows what’s in store for us. So try to offer all the latest products that hit the market. Even if their demand fades after a certain period of time, you can always replace them with the regular products.

How To Start Vending Business?

Vending industry started on a small note. These machines were used for vending holy water in Egyptian temples. Slowly these machines are being used to vend almost all products from bubble gums to insurance policies. They also come in various sizes and shapes from portable table top machines to giant ones.

There is a lot of confusion in the minds of operators who take up vending business for the first time. These below mentioned tips can guide you in certain aspects:


• Through market research is the first and foremost step before you start any business. This provides you with information about present market condition, competitor’s strategies, customer needs and latest technology available.

• First of all decide on which product you would like to vend. Selection of product depends on your target customers. If you are targeting kids, then you can vend gum balls, candy, ice creams, chocolates and plastic toys.

• Decide on the kind of machine you need. You have both small and big machines available in the market. These small machines allow you to vend two or three products at a time. While it is always advisable to stick to one product if you are using a big machine.

• You also have a choice in purchasing machine. New vending machines come with upgraded features, more efficiency and have less chances of a break down.

• Decide where you would like to place your machines for maximizing your profits. Machines should be placed in such a way that they are easily accessible and clearly visible to customers.

• In case you are unable to select a machine on your own, you can take the help of a placement companies. These not only help you in choosing vending location but also take you through process and also assist you in times of emergency.

• Know your financial and physical limitations before setting up machines. Start on a small scale and expand gradually. This is an ideal way of doing any business. Do not take up more than what you can handle. This can leave you stressed out and also you cannot provide justification to the work you have taken up.

These can help you in starting your business and also running it successfully, however for more tips and guidance on starting a new vending business, you can get in touch with Planet Antares staff and get all the guidance and help you will need in starting a successful vending business.