Uniform DEX Standards For Planet Antares Vending Operators

Vending operators are ready to blame the equipment manufacturers for not doing enough to standardize their DEX hardware and software. Some people think that the manufacturers did not adopt a set of standards and these are too broad. When NAMA said that people needed to send XYZ information, different manufacturers had different understandings of how to do it.

As a result, a few vending operators including Planet Antares vending operators want to see NAMA adopt more stringent DEX standards. Even several equipment manufacturers agree that standards can be improved to a certain extent. Some of the operators have had problems when they first tried to utilize DEX.

The DEX standards have been too broad in some cases. The more stringent ones may be able to sort out the problems that are being faced by some Planet Antares vending operators. Manufacturers have indicated that not all machines require that same type of data. Moreover, not all customers want the same information from the machine. There is risk of extra cost in excessive standardization without providing any additional benefits.

The big point of consideration is that standardization will not always assure Planet Antares vending operators that manufacturers will abide by new protocols. Some manufacturers even claim that competitors have not supported existing DEX standards. This itself is a judgment based on technical interpretation. Further, equipment manufacturers have pointed out that the task of gathering data in a usable form is one that should be handled by the software company only.

Even if additional standards are adopted by NAMA, like it is considering, manufacturers will add to that list for specific equipment needs. Whether minimum standards are essential to begin with is open to question, since many protocols are already being followed for the sake of convenience and simplicity.

Some DEX data tends to be standard in all vending machines including Planet Antares vending machines. These include:

• Coin mechanical fields
• Coin to tube
• Coin to coin box
• Coin from tubes
• Total coins
• Cash from validator
• Total vends
• Total cash

How To Find Vending Locations

If you think about it, the vending business is very simple. All that is required is to find a good place to install your Planet Antares vending machine, place it there and provide excellent service.

The starting point of any vending business is looking and procuring strategic locations. You can’t just buy vending machiens and place them anywhere. The first step has to be to identify the location depending on the needs of the location, and then place the Planet Antares vending machine. Any location with 30 employees needs a different vending machine as compared to one with 100 or more employees.

It’s not necessary that a location that has no vending mahcines is the best thing for your vending business. It means that a vending business may not do well at the particular location that some vending operators have already tried the place and not done well. On the other hand, it may be possible that you have discovered an untapped location. It’s best to look for a location that has a large number of vending businesses as that means that the area has got high customer traffic.

You can also look out for location where the business owners are not happy with the current vending machine services for several reasons, such as lack of refilling in time, frequent breakdowns, etc. Talk to these location owners and make sure that you offer better business and services to them.

The trick is to convince these premises owners to switch from their present vending business but it works only if they are unsatisfied with the current service. Try to get details about the reasons for their unhappiness and the vending prices being given at present. This will help you to avoid making the same mistakes as the prevoius vendor and offer better business from your Planet Antares vending machines.

First step is always to approach the locally owner businesses where you can reach the decision maker. Some of the best locations are schools, hospitals and business factories and offices. However, it can be quite difficult to gain access to these accounts. So you can start with medium sized establishments and learn along the way.

Value Pricing In The Vending Business

Starting a vending business is not just about buying and placing vending machines at good locations. It involves recording and tracking of transactions as well as employee operations through various methods and management tools. Planograms and handheld computers can be used to track product turnover so that Planet Antares vending operators find the means to monitor and control the product turnover with minimal extra labor.

Recently, there has been a huge increase in the number of players in the vending industry. With such an increase, there is aggressive competition amongst the vending operators to obtain and retain customers for higher sales and revenue. The $40 billion vending industry has become highly competitive and you must introduce cost reduction and profit maximisation for surviving in it.

Planet Antares vending operators complain that the retailers and channels are able to increase prices without too much hassle as compared to the vending products. The main determinants of vending prices are customer account contracts and competition, not customer needs. An effective strategy for pricing would be to enhance the sales and profits.

In the beginning, there were hardly any vending operators who had the imperative resources for monitoring the results of vending transactions. Now, the situation has changed drastically. Amongst the various theories for solving the product pricing issue, one says that operators can enhance customer chocies and satisfaction through offering secondary products at a discount.
This will result in higher sales and profits for your vending business.

As far as sales accountability and driver execution is concerned, the majority of the Planet Antares vending operators believe that simplicity is the key to product pricing. They believe that any advantages created by more strategic pricing would be minimal in relation to risks associated with more complicated strategies of pricing.

The current economic scenario is the ideal time to test the value pricing because of several reasons such as:

a) Lowering of location sales due to downsizing which has made it the best time to buy lesser from established, experienced suppliers.

b) Special offers are appreciated by consumers as they get more price conscious.
As technological advancements become popular, better tools are evolving to handle both the above factors. Some of these include handheld computers and improved machine and software planograms.

Supermarkets, Malls And Museums As Vending Location

Vending machines are the sales men of your business but good locations also have an impact on the business sales and profitability. As a vending operator, you must think about where your vending equipment will be easily accessible and get maximum number of customers.

The two primary things to look for include corporate offices and low hassle accounts. While these locations are nice and popular, they will not generate much income, usually about $40-$50 per month. Don’t misunderstand these facts. So long as you buy the vending machines at the right price, you will have a good Return On Investment (ROI).

With Planet Antares vending machines, you can get the best in quality and features. On the other hand, you can utilize their locating services to find the best vending locations and convince the location owners to keep your equipment. You can learn the tricks and techniques of location searching and acquisition.

If you can get some big locations, it will be easier to gross about $200 a month. The best way to get these locations is to approach supermarkets, malls and museums. The hassle is almost nil as the locations don’t rely on the commission income (at least 25%) and there is high volume of customer traffic. This makes such locations a vendor’s dream come true.

You must understand that most of these accountants have contracts with Vending Management companies. This makes placement difficult. If you acquire about 3-4 vending accounts each year, you will still be left with a net gain in the number of big locations. By using a specialized Planet Antares vending machine that does not compete directly with the current machines, you can easily convince a location manager to let you place the equipment in his premises.

Eventually, you will notice a positive change in the sales figures and profitability of your vending business. After purchasing and locating about a dozen or so of these machines at good locations, you will start reaping the benefits of effective locations. Your revenue will rise to an extent that will cover all your expenses. That’s when your vending business will be truly successful!

Vending Business Profit Maximisation

Profit maximisation is dependent on the maximisation of business sales. For that, there should be a large number of customers who buy your products on a regular basis. As a Planet antares vending machine operator, you must keep your vending machines at such locations that are easily accessible to customers so that they keep coming back for high quality products.

Pick high traffic locations for your vending equipment so that you can target a large number of potential customers.such locations include subways, stations, bus terminals, airports, hotels and business offices. Planet Antares snack and soda vending machines can be easily placed at such locations. Make sure that the customers are able to see the machine from any angle. It should be installed in a well-lit area so that it is visible at all times.

Choose the vending products carefully. Stock your vending machine with most demanded products as well as the conventional bestsellers. Some products may be currently in demand but you should avoid filling your vending machine with such products alone. May customers like to stick to the traditional products. So, an optimal product mix is essential to generate substantial sales.

Check the vending machines regualry to keep them well-stocked and full at all times. Theer should be no instance of customers waiting in front of an empty machine waiting for it to dispense the desired product. Glass front door will allow your customers to know which products are being offerd by the vending machine. This can also be one by putting signs at the front of the machine.

Don’t forget to keep your vending machines well maintained and service it periodically. There should not be any breakdowns while operating by a customer as this may result in loss of future sales as well as business reputation. Make sure that all repairs are made intime and the machines remain clean and operate smoothly.

All these factors contribute to vending business profitability and if taken into consideration while planning and running the business, there will be great financial rewards for you.

Tips For Keeping Your Vending Machines Clean

The sanitation of your vending machines is crucial for maintaining their performance. If the customers don’t get fresh and hygienic products from clean vending machines, they will not be satisfied with the quality of your service. That means negative impact on customer perception and lower sales in future. For any vending machine operator, this situation needs to be avoided at all costs.

So, it is imperative to keep your vending equipment and the surrounding areas in a good condition. If you have bought a reliable vending machine like Planet Antares vending machines, there will not be much sanitary issues as the vending company provides these services for you.

i. While cleaning your vending machines, you should refill them and then remove all the trash, empty boxes, cans, etc.

ii. Make sure that the vending machine is placed in a well lit area so that you can easily recover any pieces of vending products lying on the floor or spilled over the machine.

iii. There should also be a trash receptacle and protection against overhead leakage, condensation, breakage of pipes, etc.

iv. It is a good idea to mount the vending machines on a stand to allow for easier cleaning under and around the vending machine. The average height of this stand may be around 6 inches.

v. While cleaning the machine, check whether the surface of the vending machine is dusty or sticky. This must be done for both inside and outside layers of the vending machine.

vi. Another thing to be inspected properly is the door of the vending machine. This should be tightly fit to avoid spoilage of food or beverages. If there are any worn or damages parts, you must get them replaced from the vending company to prevent dust or moisture from entering the vending machine.

vii. There should be facility for washing hands near the vending machine so that technical personnel or operators can get cleaned up easily.

viii. Servicing for vending machines with certain potentially hazardous vending products will require special care. For example, some food items may require refrigeration, thermostatic controls and heat units to ensure freshness. There will have to maintenance of a particular temperature to keep the items fresh and consumable.

ix. You must also verify the provision for backup and automatic control in case of power failure or breakdown to avoid vending of products.

x. Your Antares vending machine should have a delivery tube or chute with a tight fitted self closing cover.

xi. While selecting a vending machine, keep in mind that the exterior must be designed in a way to prevent entrance of rodents and insects effectively.

xii. Proper screening of the openings in the vending machine and ventilation louvers is essential.

Apart from the equipment hygiene, there should be emphasis on the personal hygiene of the personnel who undertake the task of servicing the machines. They should have washed hands, use gloves while handling products, wear clean garments and prevent use of tobacco while doing the cleaning part of the vending equipment.

Vending Products Fine Print

If you want to be a successful vending machine owner, what will you do? Most people think that planning for vending business begins and ends with vending machines. Unfortunately, this is one of the biggest mistakes people make in the vending business and consequently, suffer losses.

It is not enough to buy a great looking, good quality vending machine from a reliable supplier like Planet Antares Inc. You must think about the products to be sold before you start looking for a vending machine. This will determine the right kind of vending equipment for you.

No matter how efficient your vending machine, if the dispensed products are of bad quality or not fresh, the customers will not come back and use it again. Your business will flourish only when your customers are satisfied and this depends on the ability of your vending products to meet their demands. There are various kinds of vending products ranging from candy and snacks to high-end items like digital products. For beginners, it is best to start with a simple, easy to handle and sell product.

Planet Antares vending machines are a great way to start your vending business for selling toys, candy, soda and snacks. You can choose from a wide variety of vending machine styles as well as branded products. This serves a dual purpose – keeping your customers happy and earning profits.

• Toys and Candy

Children love toys as well as candy and vending machines that sell toys like key chains, action characters, and costume jewelry are very popular among them. Many vending machines even offer toys in the form of prizes after playing a game. Candy and gumball machines are also a great way to start in the vending industry as it is a low investment, high profit business.

• Beverages

Both hot and cold beverages are included in this category. Planet Antares soda vending machines dispense juices, energy drink, sodas, soups, tea and even milk nowadays. Some vending machines even offer fresh squeezed juice or alcohol during certain hours of the day.

• Snacks

As conventional snacks lose their popularity, new forms of healthier, low calorie snacks are being demanded by customers. You can provide a combination of traditional and new snacks to maintain sales level and satisfy customer preferences as well.

Such machines are best suited for busy locations like schools, colleges, airports, hotels and business offices where employees can get meals without leaving their desk for a long time.

With more and more people using vending machines as a quick-fix solution to their hunger and thirst, innovative vending products are being launched in the market on a regular basis. Study the customer requirements in your area before buying a vending machine and vending products.