Monday, April 28, 2008

Business Strategies For Vending Operators

The best thing about the vending business is the potential for profit earning that does not require a large and involved organization. A positive factor of this business is that labor involvement is zero. When you have Planet Antares vending machines placed at good locations, they will be your employees. All that is required is servicing and maintenance once in a while.

Basically, the vending business is an all cash business where there are no checks and paper work required for clearing. This is what makes it such a great business.

For success in this business, you will need to look for quality vending machines, such as those offered by Planet Antares Inc. the vending equipment provided by them are trouble free and have durable quality. This makes the vending machines superior in performance. The vending machines also have high capacity to allow you to stock enough of your merchandise. This is a critical element, especially when you have placed a vending machine in high traffic location. Quickly emptying vending machines will need frequent servicing and refilling and that can be a problem for you.

When you select the right vending machines, all that will be needed is to find the right kind of location for the vending machine. Prefer locations that have high traffic as these can bring high profits to you. It is always better to speak directly to the owner to know about their current vending services.

If they are unsatisfied with it, you have to convince them of a better service through your vending machines. Look for areas that are easy to access and visible too. This is a great way to enhance sales. People should be able to see and get to your vending machines. Ask around to check whether the chosen location is in a safe neighborhood. Don’t overlook this matter because you will not be there to watch over the vending machines all the time. Vandalism and theft are often problems that are faced by vending operators. Make sure that you take adequate measures to protect your Planet Antares vending machines against damage or theft.

Another important factor is the kind of products that you sell in your vending machines. These should match with the locations and kind of customers you cater to. Snacks and beverages work well in almost all types of locations. Branded products are a must-have in all vending machines in order to have high sales and provide good quality items to customers. Moreover, there will be no need to advertise these products.

If you want to generate good returns from your vending business, it is imperative to frame effective strategies for the same.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Rising Costs Of Running A Vending Business

Planet Antares vending operators have raised their prices in some product categories, but the price increases are not enough to offset the losses in pre-location sales as well as machine placements.

Usually, the price gains are only a few cents on average. This reflects selective increases on an account basis as opposed to “across the board” increases. Retail vend prices took low percentage point increases in some of the major categories.

In other sectors as well, the operating costs have increased. There has definitely been an increase in product pricing, but at the same time there has also been an increase in fuel. Vending operators have suffered a double assault with rising prices because besides raising their own operating costs, these increases also hurt consumers’ disposable incomes, which have made people reluctant to spend on refreshments.

Moreover, the currency upgrades continue to add costs. In 2003, the government introduced a new design for the $20 bill. Upgrades of bill changers and validators continued at certain percentage points. Planet Antares vending operators viewed higher denomination as a way to support higher product prices. It also necessitated dollar coin payout, which in turn required more 4 and 5 tube coin changers.

Historically, rising operating costs drive market share to both the extra-large and small operators. The larger vending operators have the financial resources to meet rising costs and offer a vast range of products and services to customers. The small operators enjoy the advantage of low overhead.

Your ability to invest in new technologies that offer new customer benefits can also be limited by suppressed revenues. Convenience stores and other sectors have already introduced more cashless options and broadband wireless internet connectivity to allure customers. In this competition, vending operators fall behind them in offering new technology to customers.

There has been no significant change in the percentage of vending operators that are using DEX (digital exchange) handheld computers for enabling more accurate cash accounting and the ability to match selections to account preferences based on line item sales.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Essentials Of A Vending Company Website

Basically, a website must feature a creative layout and artistically pleasing graphics and design. There can be a significant impact of innovative developments on site traffic.

Some of the essential features of the Planet Antares vending business website must consist:

1. Home page
The website’s home page should inform visitors about the vending business, products and services. It needs to be more than just an index or hyperlink to other pages residing locally or remotely. Often, the home page contains reasonable items such as a vision or mission statement, history of business, philosophy of business, etc. Make sure that the home page is inviting and interesting.

Moreover, it should contain information about product lines (goods and services) and the ability to communicate electronically with the company staff too.

2. Domain name
An ideal domain name will be descriptive, uniqe, short and memorable. The Planet Antares vending business should have their internet address name to parellel their business name.

3. Graphics
Effective graphics are said to be those auto-load images of small size that can load in a matter of three to seven seconds. It takes longer for larger graphics to get displayed. This can result in visitors turning to other websites. Keep in mind that not all visitors have a PC capable of displaying a broad spectrum and hence, it is better to test web graphics in a lower color system.

Incorporate well designed graphic images and background colors to make your Planet Anatres vending business website look more attractive. Choosing bright colors and applying contrast can help the company in presenting a crisp and fresh online image. The background color should be subtle and complement the accompanying text.

An individual web page for your business website should not exceed the equivalent of two typed pages of information. Pages that exceed this limit should be broken into additional, separate pages. These web pages must contain only relevant hyperlinks, not all known links.
In short, the website of your vending busienss needs to be attractive and have all the relevant information of the company.