Thursday, May 31, 2007

The Right Supplier and the Right Product Mix

Engaging the right supplier for your Planet Antares vending business is crucial to having the right product mix in the vending machines. For a product to be a winner it has to have quality, name brand recognition, catchy packaging and a good profit margin. The right kind of supplier would have products with all these features.

There are various factors which tend to influence the customer’s perception of the value of vended products. Customers usually make their buying decisions based on how products are perceived in the convenience stores and in other retail outlets. Consumers are oriented toward value, and that means that they compare pricing with what they see and buy in c-stores. Vending machines mostly sell the same products for lower prices than c-stores and other retail outlets.

The right product mix
The right product mix in your Planet Antares vending machine is very important for the success of your vending business. Branded products always do well in vending machines because they are easily recognized. These are products that are already in other retail sectors and they are always nationally advertised. If you have them in your vending machines, there would be no need for you to promote the products in order for them to sell. Since they are branded, they will sell themselves. There are products that are popular for only a period of time and usually lose popularity after some time. When that particular product is popular, you should ride the wave by placing the product in your Planet Antares vending machine. When its popularity is over, you can replace the product with the next popular one. This will ensure that you have only wining products in your vending machines. Planet Antares vending machines have the advantage of being glass front vending machines. This means that the products are visible to the buyers. A potential buyer can decide to make a purchase from your vending machine if they like what they see in the vending machine. With a glass front vending machine, it’s important that you keep attractive looking products at the front of the vending machines. In addition to this, the products must be popular with the public. This will encourage people to buy from your vending machine.

The right supplier
Associate yourself with the right kind of supplier so that you can have access to a wide selection of products. There are some locations that make request for certain products. This can be health products or organic products. If you have a supplier that can provide you with these products, you will be able to cater to the needs of your customers. The right supplier should also be able to provide you with a bulk supply of merchandize.

Monday, May 28, 2007

A Vending Business Opportunity

Planet Antares offers a unique business opportunity that is also lucrative. Before venturing into the vending business, there are a few things that you would need to know about the vending business. This is information that you can collect from the internet or from a vending company like Planet Antares Inc.

One thing that you should be careful about the industry is the “too good to be true” opportunities. They are people out there that are giving false claims of the kind of vending opportunity that they can provide you with. If you make investments with such companies, you might end up losing a good amount of money. There are quite a number of vending scams that are going on everyday, which have resulted in people losing thousands of dollars. This is why you need to go for the reputable vending companies that will provide you with effective vending programs that will actually work. Planet Antares will provide you with quality snack and beverage vending machines that have high capacities and are well designed for problem free functioning. A vending machine that is always in good working order will maximize sales.

Once you have the vending machines, it will then be time to look of suitable locations to place the vending machines. A snack and beverage vending machines does well in high traffic locations where people are passing through or waiting for several minutes. Location is of course of primal importance in a vending business. The advantage that Planet Antares vending machines have over other vending machines is that they are always in demand in most locations, since they are snack and beverage vending machines. Location owners usually look for snack and beverage vending machines for their locations. They do this because they know that these are the products that are in demand by the public. However you should not settle for a location just because the location owner is ready to accept your vending machine. Study the location first, to see if it will be suitable for your vending machines. If a location doesn’t work well with a vending machine, you will end up going at a loss. The next step would be for you to engage a local supply that will provide you with all the snacks and beverages that you would want in your vending machine. A local supplier would be your best option since they are locally based.

By starting a vending business you get a chance at being part of a $30 billion dollar industry. Every 15 minutes, over 3.5 million coins are inserted into vending machines in the U.S. alone. Approximately 8 billion snacks and confections and over 5 billion beverages sell through vending machines each year. It is truly a great business opportunity.

Monday, May 21, 2007

The Use of GPS Technology in Vending

If you are the owner of a Planet Antares vending business with a vehicle fleet, you will find this technology useful for your vending business. The “wireless revolution” has allowed vending operators to monitor their fleets over their computers.

GPS technology can provide you with current information on driver and vehicle activity such as service stops and variations in routes. If you are considering a GPS system for your vending business, it is important that you first consider whether it is worth investing in. There is no need for you to invest in technology that will cost you more than what you make in the vending business. First determine that the GPS system is financially beneficial for your Planet Antares vending business, before deciding to invest in it.

A GPS system consists of two main types, namely “active” and “passive.” When it comes to the active system, data is presented via cellular telemetry to the main office or to a website where the subscribing company can view its fleet activity in real time. In passive system, the data is stored for retrieval and uploaded to the main fleet computer once the vehicle returns. There is also a two way tracking system that utilizes low orbit satellites that will allow communication between you and the drivers.

The vending trucks that you use for your Planet Antares vending business uses fuel to move from one point to another. If the vehicles are being misused in anyway, the GPS technology can help you to monitor the company vehicle movement to make sure that it is not being misused. If there is any misuse of the vehicles, you can put a stop to it as soon as you find out. The money that is used for fuel for your vehicle will not be wasted. The technology will also allow for more efficient routing by letting the managers to know how fast the vehicle is traveling so that no fuel is wasted on excessive speeding.

Some of the benefits for this system are faster response time, improved customer service, cost savings, increased reliability, improved employee accountability, decreased vehicle wear and tear and increased revenue for your Planet Antares vending business.

The upfront cost for investing in the GPS system may be quite high but it is worth investing in, since it can increase revenue for your vending business. The system will also allow you to meet the needs of your customers, which is very important for the successful running of your business. The money that you make in your vending business should not be wasted in any way. Fuel costs are high, so if you can save on money for that, it will be beneficial for your vending business.

Friday, May 18, 2007

Network Communication Systems in Vending

Computer network technology is used to reduce paperwork and improve both internal and external communications. Vending operators have now started implementing state-of-the-art, network communications in their own operations. This is just to improve day to day vending operations. Internet based technology creates better external and internal communications. This is something that you can use in your Planet Antares vending business so that you can reap the benefits of the technology.

While automatic merchandising has gained a reputation for being slow to utilize new technology, only a small percentage of operators have been known implemented state of the art communication networks in recent years. These operators have reported improved operating efficiencies, with further benefits on the horizon. You can implement communication networks in your vending business, so that you can have a more reliable and effective business.

Most of the experimentation has been by large companies. These companies usually have multiple branch operations. Network communications are especially beneficial on a cost benefit basis to companies with high operating costs. If you have a large Planet Antares business, you will stand to gain a lot financially with network communications.

Network communications, led by computer and telecommunication providers, has made major strides in recent years, thanks largely to the Internet and the technologies it has unleashed. Vending companies that have used network communications will hasten the pace of consolidation in the vending industry.

Consolidation
Virtually every vending operation that has been on the acquisition trail in recent years has implemented a network communications system. These systems are destined to play a bigger role in automatic merchandising.

While the large companies stand to gain the most from network communications, feedback indicates that the new technology will benefit any company with multiple operating facilities. This would make the systems ideal for almost any size of Planet Antares vending operation. This technology is always evolving, which means that network computer communications will play a role in any industry where services are delivered from multiple locations.

Technology is changing the vending industry for the better. There are all kinds of technology for vending machines that are available in the market today. Implementing network communications systems in your Planet Antares vending business is a great way of improving the running of your vending business.

Monday, May 14, 2007

Vending Machine Protection

Once you have placed a Planet Antares vending machine in a location, someone can easily rob or vandalize the vending machine. This has always been a problem in the vending industry. Vending machines usually get vandalized when there is no one watching over the vending machine. It all just depends on the location that you have placed the vending machine. There are some locations that don’t have someone to supervise the location, while there are locations where there is not always someone around every hour of the day or night. It is always advised that you shouldn’t place your vending machines in bad neighborhoods. Vending machines are usually targeted in such areas.
Thieves and vandals have become more sophisticated in their efforts to beat the vending machine. As a Planet Antares vending operator, you should look for ways that you can curb vandalism and robbery from occurring on your vending machines. There have been cases where entire vending machines have been stolen. Full line vending machines like those provided by Planet Antares are too heavy to move, this makes it practically impossible for thieves to even think of stealing one. The damage that is done to a vending machine during robbery or vandalism is staggering. The doors are usually pried open and the dollar bill acceptors with the money intact and the products inside the vending machine are stolen. To repair the vending machine, it can cost you anything from $50 to over $1000. These kinds of extra expenses should be avoided.

Solutions
There are some weapons that you can use to curb vending machine theft and vandalism. Today, there are new technologies such as charge card accessibility and cashless vending. With this technology, smart cards are inserted into the vending machine instead of cash. If there is no cash in the vending machine, thieves will stay away from the vending machine.

Electronic locks can also protect your Planet Antares vending machine securely. External theft and internal theft are both a major problem in a vending business. It is very hard to pick an electronic lock and to gain entry into the vending machine; it has to be a keyed entry.

Vending machine alarm systems are also available to protect your vending machine. There are those that will sound a loud siren if the door is opened without a proper code and then there are those that will sound an alarm if the vending machine is tilted or roughed up. Some systems can even take a photo of the attendant every time the door is opened without a code.

A security cage is designed to wrap around a vending machine, allowing access only to small openings at strategic areas. These cages are also designed to protect all sides of the vending machine. If want to protect the whole vending machine, this is the best kind of protection that you can get for the full body of the vending machine.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

How to Expand Your Vending Business

As a Planet Antares vending business owner, there will come a time when you would want to expand your vending business. This is a move that you should make when you are in a good financial position. When you are ready for an expansion in your vending business, use the Planet Antares vending program.

A vending business is mostly started as a home based business, because people usually start with a few vending machines. A vending business requires low investment at the start since you will not be required to have an office or a warehouse to run your vending business. This is the reason why a vending business is such a great business opportunity.

Expanding your vending business would mean, moving your business out of your home or just simply acquiring more vending machines and locations. Your Planet Antares vending business has to be financially stable in order for you to expand the business, because expanding would mean investing more money in your vending business.

Purchasing vending machines
When you are looking to expand your Planet Antares vending business, the first thing that you would need to do is to buy more vending machines. As you buy the vending machines, the locations that you have may not be enough to cater to your vending machines, which would mean that you would need to acquire more locations. Since you would already be familiar with the running of a vending business, acquiring locations would be something that you would be used to. Just make sure that you understand customer needs in the new locations.

Established routes
People who are retiring or getting out of the business usually sell their vending business as established routes. If you are expanding your vending business, purchasing established routes would be a quick way of growing your business. This is because you don’t need to go out looking for location or a supplier. In other words, you will start where the other vending operator left off and even possibly provide a better vending service.

A Planet Antares vending business is a snack and beverage vending business. When you want to expand your vending business, you can try other vending businesses such as bulk vending and special products vending. Being successful in a snack and beverage vending business will prepare you for the other kinds vending businesses.

Monday, May 07, 2007

The Right Supplier is Very Important for your Vending Business

When you get started in the vending business, try to sell products that you know the customers will want to buy. Snacks, candy and beverages are products that always do very well in most locations. These are products that can be sold in Planet Antares vending machines.

Look for a supplier in your local area, because you shouldn’t have to drive a long distance just to buy your supplies. Search the Internet for information on the suppliers in your area. The supplier should have all the products that you would want to purchase. When a product is new in the market, the supplier should have the product available with them, especially if the product is popular with the public. This means that if you want to be on top of your Planet Antares vending business, you should be very much aware about the products that are popular in your area at any particular time. When you are armed with that piece of information, you can then ask your supplier for these products. Trends come and go; a product may be a hit for a short or long period of time. This is the reason why you need to be up to date with how products are doing in the market.

A vending machine supplier will also provide you with information on the products that you want to sell in your vending machine. This means that for your Planet Antares vending business, you need to look for a supplier of snacks and beverages. They will tell you which locations are ideal for these kinds of products. These suppliers deal with a huge number of operators, so they get to know a lot about which locations are working well for the vending operators in your area. They are the best people to give you advice on this.

When it comes to snacks and beverages, a vending machine will need to carry name brand products as well. These are products that sell themselves, so your supplier should be able to provide you with these items.

When you are purchasing products for your Planet Antares vending business, you will need to buy a large stock of the products. Your vending machine supplier should sell the products in bulk, so that you don’t keep going back for the next stock. Since you are buying products in bulk, make sure that you have ample space to store them. A garage can be an ideal place for them if you are running the business from home. A warehouse is also another option, especially when your business expands.

Lastly, buy your products from a reputable vending machine supplier who will sell you fresh products instead of ones that are about to expire. The products should have a best before date that is well in advance of when you make the purchase. These are the reason why it is important to find the right supplier for your vending business.

Thursday, May 03, 2007

How Profitable is Vending?

The profit level of a vending business greatly depends on its use and the location of the vending machine. Countless of people have started vending businesses that have been very profitable. Having a vending business that is profitable is not something hard, so long as you use the right strategies. The first thing that you would have to look for quality vending machines as well as an excellent vending program, like that that is provided by Planet Antares Inc.

When you want buy vending machine, you can look up vending companies on the Internet. Vending machines can be bought as new or used, or they can be rented. It all just depends on the kind of budget that you have. Once you have bought quality vending machines it will then be time to look for suitable locations. Buying one or two Planet Antares vending machines is a great way of starting a snack and beverage vending business. Quality vending machines are critical for the profit level of your vending business.

Figures show that $64,000 is spent in vending machines every minute in the United States alone. With these kind of figures, having a profitable vending business would not be impossible. To ensure that a vending business that you start is profitable, you should find out all that you can about the vending business before you venture into it.

Products
The products that you vend in a location will determine the kind of profits that you make. When it comes to snack and beverage vending machines like Planet Antares vending machines, it is important that you have branded products in the vending machines. These products are always sure sellers. At the same time, try keeping only the popular products in your vending machines. It is important that you serve the location, the kind of products that they want. Keeping only the high sellers in your vending machine will make your vending business very profitable.

Location
A location that allows maximum potential customers view your Planet Antares vending machines will be a very profitable location. Vending machine purchases are impulse buys, so the more people see the vending machines the more profitable the location.

Vending is a profitable business if you go about your vending business using the rights strategies. It is a 40 billion dollar industry that helped countless people to have financially stable futures. Once your vending machines have paid themselves off and all the money that comes into your vending machines is considered as profit, you should plan the expansion of your vending business by buying more vending machines. This will mean that your vending business will become more profitable.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Buy Quality Vending Machines That Won't Breakdown

If you want vending machines that will make you the most money for the best possible price, look no further than Planet Antares Inc. These are quality vending machines that will not let you down.

There are many vending companies out there that provide customers with inferior vending machines. These are usually vending machines that have a short life span or are outdated and fading out of the market. Low quality vending machines usually cost less money and that’s what attracts unsuspecting customers. Quality vending machines, like those by Planet Antares will attract and generate more cash. This is why it is important that you buy quality vending machines for your vending business.

With quality vending machines, you don’t really have to worry about the vending machine breaking down. These kinds of vending machines are made with the strongest materials using the latest technology. This is what makes them durable as well as trouble free. If you have a vending machine that continuously breaks down, you will end up losing sales that would have otherwise been made. The reputation of your vending machine will also be damaged, because if your vending machine is known to be a machine that breaks down at any time, people will end up avoiding the vending machine altogether.

Many consumers have had frustrating experiences with vending machines that they usually end up shaking or tilting the vending machine. There are times that a coin can get stuck in the coin mechanism of the vending machine or a product refuses to eject from the vending machine. Customers get frustrated by such experiences because the money that they have placed in the vending machine goes to waste or they don’t receive their expected change. With Planet Antares vending machines, these are problems that will hardly ever occur because every single part of the vending machines is made with quality materials.

If you have your vending machines that are usually breaking down in a location, it will mean that the location owner will probably ask you to remove the vending machine. This means that you will have to go through the frustrations of looking for a vending machine again.

Investing in a vending business takes money, especially when it comes to buying the vending machines. Planet Antares vending machines are reasonably priced and will not pinch your pocket. Cheap vending machines are bound to bring your too many problems in your vending business. These problems will cost you your profits. This is the reason why you should only buy quality vending machines.