Newer Vending Machines and Higher Sales | Small Business

By RobertFarnham
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If you have been shopping around for vending machines you will see plenty of cosmetic differences in them. Some people have the idea that a vending machine has to be pretty to make money. There are plenty of classic ones still out there that work. One is at our local barber shop and everyone loves it. Of course he buys the kids a drink when they get their hair done so they don't care what it looks like.

That got me to thinking about the attractiveness of a vending machine. It seems like it really does influence sales, especially when there are many of them in the same area. People tend to gravitate towards those that are colorful and even that dispense products in a way that you can see the process through the front of the machine.

When there are many vending machines in a given area it does seem like people go to the pretty ones. For example at our local Wal-Mart there must be at least eight of them that sale soda and water when you walk in the door. They have a new one where the soda that is on the front of it is in 3-D so it changes from a closed can to one that is open and refreshing. This is a type of advertising that is getting more sales for that vending machine than those plain ones next to it.

You can be sure these newer looking vending machines will start to crop up all over the place. They are likely being sold as a way to get more sales. Yet you need to be very cautious about falling for this line of talk. There may not be such a connection between the look of a vending machine and the volume of sales. You could just end up spending more money on your equipment going this route.

Having an attractive vending machine such as these is going to cost a lot more money though. That is really something you will have to consider before you invest in one of them. Why pay thousands of dollars more for the look of the vending machine and then have less profit? Of course the image of something is very high profile in our society so that is where this concept comes from.

It is the smart vending machine business owner though that has already done the work to find great locations for the vending machines. It isn't wise to buy them and then hope you can get them positioned at a place where you can make some money. Think about the types of vending machines that are going to be around where you are placing yours.

This isn't to say though that you don't want to invest in vending machines that look nice. People want to feel like they are going to be operational when they approach them instead of being on their last leg. Yet the look of it won't be nearly as important to consumers as one may assume. They want to buy the food or drink they are looking for and that is all.

You can keep older models of vending machines looking very nice with some routine maintenance. Always have extra bulbs for the lights and make sure everything on it works like it should. When you are ready to upgrade to newer machines you need to really do your homework when it comes to prices and profits. Don't rush into buying what looks appealing or your bottom line could suffer as a result.

About the Author

Robert Farnham built a profitable vending business after starting totally the wrong way. He now writes about building a vending business and the pitfalls to avoid. Visit his website at My Vending Uncle for more.

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