One of the most important factors in making a vending machine profitable is the products sold in it. Choosing the wrong products can lead to low sales and wasted stock, for example when products expire.
Some of the most common mistakes when choosing products for vending machines are the following:
Not adapting the products to the location of the machine
One of the most frequent mistakes is placing the same products in every vending machine without analysing the type of customer. A person in a gym does not consume the same products as a student.
For example, in a gym, isotonic drinks, protein products or healthy snacks usually work better, while in a university, soft drinks, chocolate bars and budget-friendly products tend to perform better.
Consequences:
Low product sales.
Risk of products expiring.
Low machine usage because the product types are not interesting to those customers.
How to avoid it:
Above all, analyse the average age of the customers and the type of environment.
Offering too many similar products
Sometimes the machine is filled with many similar products, for example, 5 types of crisps or 7 types of energy drinks. Although this may seem positive, doing this also means leaving out other different products.
Consequences:
Wasted space inside the machine.
Products with very low rotation.
How to avoid it:
The ideal approach is to maintain variety, but in a balanced way, with sweet snacks, savoury snacks, healthy options, energy drinks and soft drinks.
Never renewing the products
When a machine offers the same products for months or years, customers gradually lose interest.
Consequences:
Customers become less interested.
Sales stagnate.
How to avoid it:
Updating the assortment periodically helps a lot. For example, seasonal products, limited editions and trending products can be added.
Not offering different price ranges
If all products are expensive or all are too cheap, some customers will not find options suited to their budget.
Consequences:
Customers have few alternatives.
Less variety in purchases.
How to avoid it:
Add budget, mid-range and premium snack options in order to cover different customer profiles.
Not checking expiry dates
One of the most serious mistakes is not checking product expiry dates frequently.
Consequences:
Poor company image.
Financial losses due to expired products.
How to avoid it:
Place products with the closest expiry date at the front and avoid unnecessary purchases of large quantities.
Not analysing which products perform best
Many owners do not check which products perform best and which ones barely sell.
Consequences:
Low-profit products remain in the machine.
Loss of space and money.
How to avoid it:
Keep a sales record to identify the most popular products and replace low-rotation products.
Choosing low-quality products
Trying to save too much by buying poor-quality products can harm sales.
Consequences:
Poor customer experience.
Fewer repeat customers.
Poor service reputation.
How to avoid it:
Select well-known or reliable brands and prioritise products with a good quality-price ratio.
