Opening a vending machine business
The sale of products of all kinds through vending machine asset management is an undeniable advantage for both customers and operators of the distributors themselves. In fact, this type of activity has the advantage of being able to remain practically always open, without the need for on-site surveillance.
However, a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week opening is not the only aspect that drives this business idea, which also facilitates operation management, allowing the entrepreneur greater flexibility and independence.
To learn more about this business, stay until the end where we tell you everything you need to know to get started.
First steps in the vending machine business
First, choose the type of products you are going to sell in the vending machine. In many cases, one of the best and most alternative options is usually the food product machines, which can be located in strategic areas where there is a large potential audience. These are usually meeting spaces, entrances to buildings, inside shopping centers, premises for transport services, among many others. The location of the facility must also have adequate connections to the electricity and water system, a necessity for some types of distributors.
Contact the best suppliers in the sector according to the type of products you have chosen to supply your business with. Prices should be reasonable. Do a market study that will allow you to identify the best location areas for the products and their approach to finding customers for them. At the same time, quote with machine suppliers first, before purchasing them, starting with one or two will be fine at this stage.
See here all the businesses that are technology
How does a vending machine business work?
This business idea proposes investing in the purchase of vending machines that are equipped with different products. The machines will work automatically, where the customer chooses what he wants, deposits the money according to the value of the selected product and gets it directly from the machine. This business does not require physical staff for the sale, so the entrepreneur can choose to install several vending machines in different areas.
In this sense, the vending machine will work by itself, but it will be subject to revisions, refuelling and maintenance.
What products can be sold with a vending machine?
This type of machine has the capacity to sell practically any product, from hot and cold drinks for snacks, to ice cream, medicines, computer products, stationery, personal hygiene and grooming products, collection items or basic needs, among others. Virtually anything sold through a vending machine does not require special licenses or permits other than those required for each type of activity.
Requirements to undertake with vending machines
Carry out a study that allows you to identify the spaces where you can offer the service and install your machine, so that when you buy it, it is only a matter of moving it to the place and putting it to work ready with the contract of lease of the space.
Once the space is secured proceed to the purchase and certification of the machines, only after having secured the space you can buy the machines, otherwise you could get stuck in your business with machines not working and stored in a place making dust, which in the measure always try to avoid, the vending machines always have to be in operation otherwise your pocket will be directly affected.
And don’t forget…
An element that should not be missing in this type of business, regardless of the type of product being sold, is a proper surveillance plant, as the lack of a director always present can lead some to believe that the distributors have an easy point for theft or vandalism.
Keep in mind that the distributors of the machines can either sell the machine directly, or rent it, so you should analyze which option is best for you and agree with the supplier. Often this will also include maintenance. On the other hand, some companies allow the opening of franchise outlets.
Again, it is a good option to evaluate the cost of the entrance and the percentage to be paid periodically to the supplier.
Key tips for making money from running vending machines
Even the choice of products to sell, cannot be accidental; it is advisable to choose an option that is as wide as possible, in order to offer a complete range of products. By
we usually think of vending machines as regards food or drinks, but they can become a sales tool for many other objects, such as telephones or computer accessories, in short, the possibilities are many.
The sale of erotic objects lends its purchase through vending machines, thanks to the privacy that this sale can sustain. If you choose this type of product, however, it will be essential to take into account the need to make the space accessible only to adults and not to make the products visible from the outside, to avoid being seen by minors.
It is also recommended to have at least a small space for a magazine, so that you do not have to continually carry supply products and the need for maintenance.
Weaknesses: one aspect that we should consider at the outset of this type of business has to do with investment capital. Although we propose a possibility to acquire the vending machines that would be the rent, you must measure the time of use and the profitability that it would have in the place you have chosen, because from it you will obtain the cost that you must pay and the profits. The purchase of the machines is a factor that must be carefully reviewed.
Avoid buying out of eagerness. Before locating a machine, take the time to select the area, contact the owner of the premises and evaluate, in general, the conditions of this space for the performance of your business.
Advantages: an interesting advantage is that it is a business that once set up practically runs itself, it is all a matter of being responsible and diligently managing the vending machines, since, if you do not manage them properly, profits could be affected by the consumption and supply rate that the machine requires.
Moreover, although it represents a strong investment at the beginning because of the purchase of the machines, you can acquire enough free time to enjoy with the family or consider a project on a par with the management of the business. The management of the vending machines, in particular, is also compatible with other jobs, especially if it is done on a part-time basis.
Vending machines represent a leap in sales innovation, decades old and the favourite to consider in a practical way, the sale of food, sweets, soft drinks, fuel, cleaning items, among many other products that every year, are adding and adapting their operations to maneuvers of this type of machines.
What are you waiting for to start a business that offers you profitability and flexibility?
Start your business today.