Planet Antares Vending Tips | Planet Antares | Planet Antares Vending

Know about tricks and tips in vending business. A blog with special focus on Planet Antares.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Reasons for Increasing Popularity of Glass Front Vending Machines

Vending industry has a very long history. These machines were first introduced in 215BC by a Greek mathematician. In the beginning, they were used to vend holy water in Egyptian temples. As people started realising the benefits of these machines, commercial coin operated machines were introduced. This was sometime in 1880 in London when they were used to dispense post cards. Henceforth there was no looking back for this industry.

Gradually several models of vending machines were introduced. Drop shelf machines were the first of its kind that were initially used by operators for selling single products which were later followed by Electronic drop shelf machines and glass front vending machines.

Glass front vending machines are latest up gradation over the closed ones. These machines are highly preferred because of their easy of operation. They also allow customers to see the products which they are about to purchase. This makes selection easier and also creates an impulse for purchasing the product. Items thus displayed can lure the customers and create a desire for the product.

There are several benefits of glass front vending machine. Some of which are mentioned below:

• Glass front vending machines are capable of generating more sales when compared to closed ones. The main reason being, customers can view the products they are about to purchase. This can stimulate impulsive buying.

• Glass front machines come with attractive features like LED illuminated motor, pull forward trays and refrigeration units.

• These machines are capable of selling more products in smaller shelf space when compared to the traditional drop shelf machines.

• There is more scope for customer interaction in glass front vending machine when compared to closed ones.

• Glass front vending machines come with advanced technology like electronic tracking. This prevents unnecessary wastage of stock.

• Customers have a wide variety of items to choose from.

• Glass front vending machines are best suited for vending branded products.

Planet Antares Inc sells remarkable glass front vending machines equipped with advanced circuitry for hassle free vending operations for years.

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Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Necessity of Product Flexibility and Branded Products in Vending Business

A vending operator is completely free to offer the products of his choice in his machine. However, it is important to understand the pulse or requirements of his target customers before choosing the products to be vended. For instance: some people would prefer Coke while others prefer Pepsi. In this case, you would need to offer both the brands since consumers preferences vary account by account. The more number of people residing in an area, the more diverse would be their tastes.

A recent survey conducted on consumption of beverages has shown that personal preferences for cool drinks are divided as follows: Coke 38.6%, Pepsi 27.4% and others 34%. So if you are an operator providing only one particular product, it would mean that you would lose the remaining customers. So, the only solution to this problem is to offer a variety of products in your machine. This will satisfy all the consumers and at the same time you will not lose sales. Since contended consumers would mean repeat business for you.

One thing which operators need to bear in mind is that make sure that your contractor provides you with fresh and high quality of merchandise. Make sure you check for the expiry dates of products and remove outdated stock from your machine. This is very important from health point of view. Since, you cannot afford to lose a consumer by offering an expired product to him.

Another way of grabbing consumer’s attention is by offering branded products in your machine. Modern customers are crazy about branded products moreover; these products are popular and easily recognisable across the globe. So, you would hardly need to spend any money on its promotion. Just by placing them in your machine, sales will be stimulated automatically. On the other hand when you go for a unbranded product, it would mean that you probably have to give some free samples to potential customers in order to make them acquaint with the product. That is why it is advisable to vend branded products.

Another best way of keeping all your customers is by offering a mix of both branded and unbranded products. Thus you can boost the sales of both these products without spending much on unbranded products. It is up to the operator to decide on what he wants to offer considering the pulse of his target customers.

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Friday, December 18, 2009

Packaging-Its-Necessity-In-Vending

Vending is a customer oriented business. Vending machines are known to create impulsive buying in customers. Hence selection of products becomes very important. Your product should be able to sell itself. This is possible only if the product is neatly packed and looks pleasing to the eye. An attractively packaged product will be able to grab the attention of customer and thus create a need to buy.

What is packaging? The typical definition of packaging goes this way Packaging is the art of enclosing or protecting products before they are sent for distribution, storage, sale or use. Besides making the product look attractive, packaging is done in order to protect the product, prevent from contamination, and create convenience during transport, security and most importantly as a marketing strategy. Whatever reason you may attribute, from a sales point of view packaging is done to attract customers and thus enhance sales.

Packaging is helpful to the customers in the following ways:

• Customers tend to judge a product by its looks.
• Sometimes attractive packaging urges customer to try the product.
• Packaging acts as a shield and protects product from damages.
• Packaging highlights the features of the product

Packaging is also one of the marketing strategies which help in driving sales of a product. Packaging makes the product easily noticeable to the customers. Product manufactures use this technique while packing products. There are three elements that play crucial role in product packing.

• Color: Colors are often related to emotional status of an individual. The products in your machine should be in such a way that they are able to grab the attention of customers even from a far off distance. A vending machine that offers bright colored products is capable of tantalizing customers who are forced to take a closer look and thus purchase the product.

• Graphics: People are more familiar with branded products, so marking the machine with logos, pictures or fonts can attract customers.

• Shapes and sizes: Some products come in standards shapes and sizes. These make help customers in distinguishing these products from those of its competitors. However, manufacturers have started making changes in them. For instance, soft drink cans are made more slender and taller than their previous forms.

Thus packaging not only enhances the beauty of the product but also shoots up your sales.

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Friday, December 4, 2009

Importance Of Quality Vending Services

Vending is a customer oriented business. The success of this business is influenced by several factors of which quality and customer satisfaction are vital. Hence it becomes imperative for operators to provide quality vending services.

Offices, schools, colleges and hospitals are some of the most common places for installing vending machines. Depending on the kind of product you dispense, choose the most appropriate location for your machine. After installing your machine there, you also need to stock it with sufficient quantity of product and provide regular servicing to it.

Some of the prime responsibilities of a vending operator are cleaning, maintaining and refilling vending machines. Operators also need to collect money from their machines regularly and provide service depending on the kind and number of machines owned by the operator.

Inadequate and inappropriate servicing could damage your machine. In case you have rented a premise and installed your machine there, improper maintenance could disappoint the location owner with your services. He may even ask you to remove the machine. This may result in creating ill will among the market and thus you may loose customers. Hence it is mandatory to provide quality services.

Choose a company that provides reliable vending machines like Planet Antares. These machines can never let you down because they are very efficient and hardly have any breakdowns. A breakdown would result in a sudden dip in sales thus resulting in lower revenue. As a vending operator you need to take up preventive measure that could prevent your machines from sudden break downs.

Another important function of an operator is prompt refilling of the machine. Try to keep track of sales and stock levels in all your vending machines installed at various locations. This would help you in timely refilling of your machine. Design a schedule for refilling your machine and make sure that your machine does not run out of stock.

The aim of a vending operator is to make sure that his customer never returns empty handed. This will boost your sales and create positive reputation in the market.

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