What Do Your Locations Really Want?
Many vendors (especially those new to the industry) don’t know how to evaluate the needs of the people at their locations. Some vendors don’t even know that they should consider what a location wants. It seems like a no-brainer when it’s laid out like that, but it really pays to sit down and plan it out. Having the wrong items in your machines will result in expired (wasted) products, unsatisfied customers, and lost sales.
How can the savvy vending route operator avoid these wrong product pitfalls? First realize that not every location is going to want the same products, even if they are similar in appearance. First, think about the type of work that is done at the location, and the people who do that work. Then consider some basic guidelines…
Large facilities with mostly “blue collar” workers (factories with multiple shifts, large auto-repair garages, etc.) are more likely to purchase actual food from a vending machine. That’s mainly because the employees tend to stay in instead of going out to restaurants. Also, because they do more physical labor, they are in need of refreshment more often. They are looking for something quick and easy to eat. Cold food vending machines that vend items like sausage biscuits, burritos, sandwiches, and small burgers are great, because some people (especially single people) don’t bring their lunches- you’ll find them depending on your machine to provide their breakfast, lunch or dinner more often than not. The old standbys of soft drinks and snacks are a must, and you want to make sure there’s at least one selection of bottled water available. Their employer appreciates the fact that his employees never leave the facility.
“White collar” workers (men & women both) at corporate type offices will leave the location for lunchtime or bring their own lunch more often, and they tend to be more concerned about the nutritional value of their food choices. Also keep in mind you’re providing more snacks and pick-me-ups as opposed to actual meals. So, it’s a good idea to give them a good mix of junk and healthier choices. Nutri-Grain bars, granola, etc. with a few selections of popular junk food- like Snickers and Hershey bars, Lay’s potato chips and Doritos corn chips should work to begin with.
There’s yet another location type to consider- that with “pink collar” employees- an office of mostly women. Women are often much more health conscious when it comes to snacking. They are often on self-inflicted diets, and so once again the Nutri-Grain bars, granola, fruit cups, and trail mix apply, and also include several different kinds of flavored water, Crystal Lite, tea, fruit juice, and especially Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi. It’s probably a good idea to have at least one kind of chocolate available- you can’t go wrong with a Hershey bar.
You can eliminate some of the guesswork and really zero in on your location’s needs and wants by making a simple survey for each of your locations to fill out. This survey should have listed all the different types of food/snack/beverages that you would be willing to provide, along with blank lines for them to put special requests for you to consider. Use this to figure out what items would be the best sellers, then purchase your products accordingly. Doing this will also let your location know that you are a considerate person who wants to make them happy and not just take their spare change.
This survey will also help you provide the right items to locations that might crave items you aren’t familiar with; for instance, health clubs and gyms are likely to want Soy bars, muscle milk, protein shakes; they also tend to consume energy drinks such as Red Bull, Monster, etc. Water and hydration beverages such as Gatorade & Powerade are obviously needed.
Once you figure out what your locations want initially, you need to keep accurate records of what is selling and what is not. When you see sales drop on an item, don’t leave it in there till it goes bad and they get sick of seeing it- replace it with something else.
Don’t stop there when it comes to knowing what your locations want. Some facilities with customer traffic are very particular about their atmosphere, and they care that any machines that are placed there do not stick out like a sore thumb, not to mention looking modern and well kept. If it looks like you’re going to land some very corporate location that has a lot of customer traffic, it’s worthwhile to present those in charge with images of your machines- this way there are no surprises upon installation. Most places that have primarily employee and not customer traffic won’t be so particular about how a machine looks, as long as it’s reliable and sturdy.
Remember, the success of your vending route business is directly related to how satisfied your customers are with the selections you provide in your vending machines, so it can only pay off to find out beforehand what they want, and keep an eye on any trends.