How to Decide On Drink Vending Machine Locations

Location, location, location. This saying has rang true in the business world for a long time and it is especially important to retailers and vending machine operators. USelectIt has been in the industry a long time as a vending machine manufacturer and is backed by over 80 years of experience as a member of The Wittern Group, so we have seen a lot of success stories over the years!

There are a few common factors that all great vending locations have in common:

·        Traffic

·        Isolation from Alternatives

·        Utility

Traffic: If you do not have people near your vending machine, you will definitely not sell anything. Vending machine operators should find areas with the right amount of traffic (preferably higher, the more the better) and the right kind of traffic. You also want traffic that is around the machine long enough to interact with it. Places like waiting areas work well for this because potential patrons are sitting near the machine for long periods of time. Places like malls work well for slow moving and window shopping traffic that is likely to break their stride and stop off for a drink. Vending machines in places where people are not expecting to stop will have lower percentages of the traffic, no matter how high, stop at the machine.

Isolation from Alternatives: Another crucial part of the equation for the perfect machine location is to make sure that it is separate from other places to purchase a similar product. If your machine is selling bottled water and soda and there is a store selling the same thing right next to it, chances are that you will lose sales to the store. If your vending machine is located in a park and the nearest place to buy a beverage requires customers to leave the park and drive to it, then you will have captured those sales due to isolation from alternatives.

Utility: Especially if you sell specialized items in your vending machines, such as energy drinks or sports drinks, they should offer value to customers in the form of utility. People in a waiting room may not need a quick boost of caffeine from your energy drink vending machine, but people in an office or at a gym may be willing to purchase them because they have the need for that benefit.

Niche Vending Businesses

There a lot of decisions that you have to make when starting any new business. The same is true for a vending machine business. A big decision that you must decide during the planning stages of your business is what kind of markets you want to pursue. Do you want to stick to a specific niche or do you want to diversity and broaden your vending services to be more inclusive? There are benefits and drawbacks to each, but making this decision early and defining the role your vending services will fill will be crucial in the success of your business!

Niche Vending Advantages:

• Lower Competition – By focusing the products that you offer, the locations you sell them and the target demographics that you sell them to, you eliminate a lot of competition. General beverage and snack vending machines will not be direct competition to an organic granola bar vending machine that only vends in specific book and music stores.

•  Set premium prices – By offering specialized products that are difficult to find anywhere else, you can set your prices at a higher level than broad scope venders. This is because customers are willing to pay more to find exactly what they want and for the perceived additional value to your products.

• Easier targeting of markets – By having a very specified, niche product, you will easily be able to identify your target markets. Operating vending machines that only vend energy drinks and beverages will be easier to place effectively based on your ideal consumers instead of a machine that sells every kind of beverages from water to coffee and soda.

Niche Vending Disadvantages

• Small Market Size – The main disadvantage of niche vending is that your customer base, or target market, shrinks considerably the more specialized your machines become. If you only sell one product in your machines, then only people that want or need that product will purchase it. If you offer a wider range of products, you will attract more customers.

Niche marketing can be a very lucrative strategy for your vending business, but you will have to do your research and make sure that you understand your target market. Being extremely effective at meeting the needs and wants of your target market will be key to succeeding with a niche vending business. This means finding locations, equipment and suppliers that all work together to maximized the real and perceived value of your services to your customers. USelectIt.com has a wide range of vending machines for sale that will help get your niche vending business up and running!

Satisfying Drink Vending Machine Options for Summer

Summer is getting hotter than ever, and customers need cold refreshment like never before. People frequently flock to their local vending machine whenever the heat gets the best of them, so now is a great time to optimize your drink vending machine for any thirsty customers who may be coming your way.




From the basics to today's latest drink innovations, here are some great ideas for keeping customers refreshed this summer.

The Basics: If you own a drink vending machine, you have to start with the core drinks that will consistently drive business. Water is a no-brainer and practically a requirement, whether you opt for Poland Spring, Aquafina, or one of the many new nutrient-infused water drinks. Soft drinks are another staple, as many customers associate summer with guzzling down their favorite colas.

Delicious Juice: Aside from soda and water, juice drinks often take major prominence in most drink vending machines. From orange juice to mixed fruit juice, you can't go wrong selling fresh juices to customers who want a cold drink. These beverages provide unique variety to those who aren't in the mood for soda and water, so be sure to be stocked with plenty of them!

Energy and More: Energy drinks are all the rage these days, and having them in the summertime will surely go a long way for your vending business. Whether you get a surplus of Monster and Red Bull or experiment with newer, health-friendly energy drinks, these beverages will keep your client base buzzing throughout the entire week!

There is no right or wrong choice when it comes to stocking up your drink vending machine for summer--Just make sure you have enough of whatever you order! This is undoubtedly the hottest time of year, and you need to be prepared to give customers the cold beverages they need most.

How to Get Your Vending Machine Business Off the Ground

Have you recently passed your local snack vending machine and thought, "I'd like to operate one of these"? While the vending industry seems simple on the surface (after all, who doesn't want to buy drinks and snacks), there are a multitude of steps that must be taken before you can enjoy true success with your vending unit. Fortunately,  we've compiled some of the key components of entering the industry, from selecting a machine to maintaining it for perfect use!

The first step to entering the vending business is obvious: Getting a machine! No matter what type of products you'd like to serve to customers, there are vending machines for sale all over the country that suit both general and specific needs. While the average machine runs for a few thousand dollars, many companies have generous financing plans that allow you to pay your machine off while earning profits from it. This is certainly recommended to those entering the industry for the first time!

Once you've secured a machine, maintaining the right product selection is key. Operating a coffee vending machine for the office? You need to have plenty of popular roasts and blends. The same goes for a combo vending machine, as it is crucial to provide a wide variety of sodas, snacks, and candies that are widely enjoyed in your school, gym, or any other place of business.

Even if your vending operation has been running smoothly for months, vending machine maintenance will always be important. You never quite know when a product will get stuck or when your credit card reader will suddenly stop working, so make sure to always know who your local vending machine service representative is. Vending is certainly lucrative, but not during a big machine malfunction!

While there is much to explore in the world of vending machines, knowing the basics of financing, stocking, and maintenance will go a long way, whether you're vending potato chips or expensive car parts. Vending is one of the most enduring and profitable industries around, and by running yours properly you can profit for years to come!

Top 4 Items for Drink Vending Machines

Drink vending machines can distribute a variety of different beverages, from soda and juice to water and coffee. Let's take a look at our favorite items to put in drink vending machines.

4. Coffee

If you're in an office, a coffee machine is a must. Modern coffee machines are particularly impressive, as these state-of-the-art devices can feature 30+ drink combinations, including decaf. options and specialty items like cappuccino.

3. Water

Our bodies are already over 60% water — why not add a little more? These vending machines offer chilled water (including flavored options) poured into paper cups or users' own glasses and mugs to cut down on waste. The water is filtered to remove the odor and taste of tap water.

2. Juice

Available in a variety of flavors, juice is a great afternoon pick-me-up for employees and students alike. The best juices are made with natural ingredients with low concentrations of sugar, so choose wisely!

1. Soda

What would vending machines be without soda? Drink vending machines for sale have more soda options than ever — including a variety of diet drinks that are free of sugar and calories.

The Automat—America’s First Snack Vending Machine

Remember the automat? If you worked in Philadelphia or New York City during the first half of the 20th century, chances are you took your lunch in a restaurant that was one big, shiny snack vending machine.

You’d enter the restaurant, make your choice, drop a few nickels in the chrome and glass machine, lift a hinged window and remove your meal, which was probably wrapped in waxed paper. Behind the windows was the kitchen, with a staff ready to replenish each window as the meals disappeared.

The automat started to disappear in the 1950s as the suburbs burgeoned and fast food restaurants came up with drive-thru windows. But once upon a time, this communal snack vending machine was America’s largest restaurant chain, serving 800,000 people a day.

Nowadays you’re more likely to select a candy bar, a bag of chips, or a yogurt from a snack vending machine than a slice of coconut cream pie or dish of baked beans. Fresh coffee’s as popular as ever, though, a true classic. You might not think of Edward Hopper’s 1927 painting or hum Irving Berlin’s automat-inspired tune, “Let’s Have Another Cup of Coffee” as you make your choice—but then again, you might.

Does Your Vending Machine Manufacturer Offer Maintenance and Repairs?

Even top vending machines need maintenance and repairs every once in a while. Does your manufacturer have you covered? USelectIt.com is a vending machine manufacturer partnered with a parts and services company called Vendnet, which offers comprehensive support throughout the country.

What can Vendnet do for you?

Technical Support: If something goes wrong with your machine, trained representatives with knowledge of your specific make and model will troubleshoot the issue. And if we can't solve it over the phone, we'll refer you to one of our 435 service provides across the country so that you can receive local, specialized support. In addition to toll-free assistance over the phone, we also offer technical support via email and online chat.

Overnight Parts Shipment: The Vendnet parts department is fully stocked with coin mechs, breakers, grommets and more — if it breaks, we can fix it! We offer worldwide shipping and overnight delivery in many cases.

In-House Repairs: If your snack or soda vending machine needs significant work, our repair facility will resolve the issue in-house and return your machine as soon as possible.