A Buyers Guide to Vending Equipment

There are many different kinds of vending equipment. As a business operator in this industry you should be familiar with a variety of machinery so that you have something appropriate for any location.

Let's take a look at some of the various machine types and their key features. We will also set out some strategies for acquiring new or used vending equipment.

Types of Vending Equipment

Some vending machines such as the kind that sell gum balls or condoms are small enough to hang on a wall. Others are set up to sell hot and cold beverages as well as a variety of snack products and can take up a considerable amount of floor space. Vending equipment comes in a variety of sizes and shapes and there is something suitable for just about any location.

Some of the smaller machines don't require a power supply and can therefore be much more flexible in terms of where they are used. Most of the larger machines do require a nearby power socket though for heating, cooling or other machine functions.

Look for machines that are a little different, add value to a location or offer customers more than just convenience. Some of the new vending machines are more interactive, such as the ones where kids can watch a bouncy ball roll down after they have purchased it. Other vending machines are returning to the 'classic look' that vending machines had in the 1950's to cash in on baby boomer nostalgia.

Pricing and Payments

Machines perform better if they are able to offer customers a variety of products and a variety of payment options. Obviously, customers should be given a choice of payment options if possible. Many machines now allow a customer without change in their pocket to be able to pay with bills or even a credit card.

It is extremely convenient for a business owner to be able to change the pricing of the machine's products easily without requiring major upgrades and many of the modern machines make these price changes easy to implement. If the cost of your supplies goes up then you are able to quickly respond by passing these price increases onto your customers.

Buying Second Hand Equipment

If you are new to the business then buying new machines may not be the best move for you. Instead you should look at leasing options or buying second hand equipment. Vending machine prices can vary wildly and some dealers will try to sell used machines for the same price as new ones so it pays to shop around.

Parts and Maintenance

Before you buy used machinery you should make sure that you have a solution in the way of parts and expertise for fixing that particular brand of machine when repairs are necessary. The best thing to do is to look for the production or model number and contact the manufacturer to find out if they can still supply parts for that model. Have a technician inspect equipment before you make a purchase and get a professional opinion instead of taking unnecessary risks.

You can rely on technicians to fix your machines for you but this gets expensive if you have to call them out for every little thing. Observe them in action so that you can at least learn how to carry out basic repairs yourself. Practice doing some basic maintenance on your machines at home. You have to be sure that if you carry out maintenance at your locations that you get it done quickly and with as little bother to the people nearby as possible.

Some manufacturers and distributors offer support by phone so you may be able to carry out repairs yourself with a little assistance from your suppliers help desk.

Buying New Machines

There are many advantages to buying new equipment. New machines will come with a guarantee so you will be covered if things go wrong during the warranty period.

There are a variety of 'smart' vending machines entering the market that are able to transmit data to you from their remote locations. You are able to find out in real time if machines have malfunctioned, if alarms have gone off and what their inventory levels are. This data can save you an incredible amount of time by reducing the amount of visits that you have to make to each machine.

Make sure that you choose your vending equipment carefully. Do some research into some of your more successful competitors and find out who their suppliers are.

Having reliable vending equipment that requires little maintenance and functions as it is supposed to for customers is one major part of ensuring that your business will succeed.