Impact of Packaging in Vending Business

If you think packaging is only one way of making the product look more attractive, you are mistaken. Packaging is something more. The typical definition 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 finished product look attractive, packaging is done with a view to protect it from damage, prevent from contamination, and create convenience during transport, security and most importantly as a marketing strategy.

Yes, packaging is a wonderful marketing strategy. Just to remind you all once again, vending is a customer driven business that mainly works on the principal of instinct purchase and this can be made possible by attractive packing. Besides other views and attributes given to packaging, it is done to attract customer’s attention and thus enhance sales.

Is packaging useful to customers? If yes, how does it benefit them? Packaging no doubt is very useful to customers especially in a vending industry where most of the purchases are instinct driven. Packaging helps customers to judge the product by its meagre appearance, drawn by its appeal they are even forced to try the product once, it also protects the product from physical damages and most importantly enhances its features and thus makes it even more appealing.

From the company’s point of view, 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. Besides all other things, there are three aspects that play key role in product packing. These are:

• Color: Most often the colors used for packaging are linked to emotional status of individual customer. 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: Besides making your product appealing and attractive, graphics popularise the brand by displaying logo and pictures.

• Shapes: The shape and size of all products is not standardised. They can vary from one product to another. However, this helps customers to distinguish them easily.

So, packaging not only highlights the beauty of the product but also aids in skyrocketing its sales. Choosing attractively packed products enables vending operators to earn more profits.

To know more about various tips and tricks of vending business, you can get in touch with Planet Antares Inc. Experts from Planet Antares guide vending operators to run their business successfully. Planet Antares also manufacturers state-of-the-art vending solutions ideally suited for wide variety of vending operations.

Process for Starting Vending Business

A small element of confusion prevails in the minds of operators who are looking at setting a business of their own. The most common question that haunts them is which business to take up? How much capital is required? Is it going to be a success? Vending is the only simple business that gives your guaranteed results with minimal efforts.

They also do not have any clarity on which product to sell and similar other questions. The best way of getting answers to these questions is by conducting a thorough market research. This helps you in gathering information which can be used to understand the present scenario in vending industry, products in demand and customer’s needs and expectations.

There are several kinds of vending machines available in the market. Try to start with one that has consistent demand. For instance: snack and food vending machines are most sort after business. After deciding on what you sell, choice of location becomes crucial. Localities with high customer traffic like busy streets, commercial complexes, airports, rest rooms, bus stations, shopping malls or any other place with huge gathering is ideal. Customer reach is essential to make vending business a success and for this to happen, you need to install your machine in the right place.

Pricing of the product is also a vital decision to be made and this is also influenced by the kind of location in which you have placed your machine and your target audience. Besides selection of product, location and pricing, operators also need to give equal or perhaps more importance to customer service. This is because vending is a customer centred business hence it becomes imperative for the operator to ensure proper customer service. To make sure you achieve this, keep your machine clean and attractive, detect and rectify faults with the machine, keep your machine fully stocked and ensure you vend only best quality products. All this if properly followed will make your customers happy and ensure that they visit your machine again and again.

Take help of Planet Antares staff for more information on vending business. Planet Antares has been in business for decades and understand the vending business like no one else.

Need For Expanding Vending Route

Vending business is taken mainly because of its associated benefits. The main highlights of this business are:

• This business offers extremely high profit margins.
• It is a complete cash business and does not have the risk of running into bad debts or other collection issues.
• No time limitations and you can operate round the clock. This means you can earn money 365 days.
• You can continue with your regular job while taking up vending business as a part time option.
• You do not need salesmen to sell the product. Vending machines are your man power.
• You can enjoy tax exemptions
• You need not incur additional overhead costs like advertising, stationary costs. All you have to bear is repair and maintenance cost.
• You earn immediate returns: Your income starts as soon as your machine is located.

Benefits apart, we all take up business with a view to expand it further. Vending is a business which has huge scope for expansion. While expanding business, you can either add more number of machines to the existing ones or look for new locations. Either ways, there are few things which an operator needs to bear in mind for making his business a big success. Some of these are:

• Try to add more machines. Try increasing the product length (add similar kind of products). For instance, if you sell Coke, then add Pepsi to it.
• You can also increase the product line i.e., if you are selling soda, then add sandwiches to it.
• Identify areas that need vending services and offer to locate your machines there. You can also identify prospective locations in your existing vending route.
• If the vending route is becoming too complicated to handle, then employ a worker if required.
• Try to advertise by distributing brochures or pamphlets. These direct channels of advertising can help in market penetrating.
• Also try and utilize the indirect mode of advertising i.e., through word of mouth. Ensure that your customer is satisfied and suggests your product to ten other customers.

Healthy Vending- One Stop Shop for All Ages

Healthy and nutritious food is essential for all ages more so for children. Proper food is likely to have a positive affect on their learning abilities and plays a significant role in preventing obesity and few other chronic diseases.

Schools have always been the most popular choice for locating vending machines. But with growing concern about child obesity, school managements and parents are encouraging kids to choose food and beverages that are necessary for proper growth. Hence schools have imposed strict restrictions on the products that are to be vended in their premises.

In order to inculcate healthy eating habits among children, school boards are only encouraging healthy vending machines in their campus. This revolution towards healthy food has lead to introduction of low fat products for the first time in mid 1990. Candy, chocolates, snacks, ice-cream, burgers, pizzas are being replaced by fruit juices, low fat snacks, milk and other natural products. These drastic changes in eating habits of customers have to be noted by vending operators on a time to time basis and necessary changes have to be made in their business in order to become successful.

Health clubs and hospitals may be few places where people would prefer healthy foods. So, placing machines in these locations can be very profitable. Business executives also perceive healthy vending as a part of their health and awareness program targeting employees. With change in attitude, most people are shifting towards healthy products. It is the right time operators should make use of this opportunity and do some good business.

Although healthy vending is good, it also has its own set of demerits. Cost is the main problem with this type of vending. Natural/organic food and low fat products cost twice the regular items. This is perhaps one of the main factors that is preventing most of the vending operators from offering healthy vending products. The fear of losing customer is also dominating operators. Hence they are not quite prepared to take up healthy vending.

This scenario would not last long since the increasing demand for healthy vending products is soon going to increase the number of operators taking up this business. Thus, within due course of time these products would be in the reach of a common man.