The snack and soda machines we recognize today - multi-selection, accepting multiple coin types, dispensing change - originated in the 1940s. In the '40s, of course, vending machines accepted coins only, did not dispense change, and limited selections about 20 items. These were fully mechanical vend mechanisms and required no power to operate the vend cycle.
Early soda machines required power to refrigerate the product. The modern vending machine design with spiral dispense, full change capacity, dollar bill acceptance (usually by dollar bill coin changer), 30-40 snack selections, and up to 10 soda options, came to being in the late 1960s and was refined in the 1970s.
Improvements in vending machine technology since have been based on electronics and computer innovation, with standardization of protocols and improvements in currency acceptance. Ultra-modern vending machines can accept a variety of payment types - credit cards, large denomination bills (up to $100), cell phone charges (charging a product to your cell phone bill) - can be monitored remotely by Internet, can produce sales figures to individual unit numbers (sold 13 Snickers and 8 Doritos out of this machine last week), log machine entry times, and can even provide surveillance with camera technology. Yes, we've come a long way, baby.
So how is this history lesson relevant? Vending machine technology is responding to market need. The successful vending operators have driven this technology with their purchasing habits. Like all businesses, if technology affords a profitable advantage, that product has a market. The fact that the vending machine manufacturers have continued to produce better and better vending machines means that the vending business is a reliable venture when run properly.
Like all businesses, proper operations is the key to success. Learning about your account market, the kind of locations and businesses you serve, learning about marketing, the product you are you going to sell, and the type/s of vending equipment you'll use, all these factor into the success of your vending machine business.
1. How reliable is vending as a business venture?
The snack and soda machines we recognize today - multi-selection, accepting multiple coin types,
dispensing change - originated in the 1940s. In the '40s, of course, vending machines accepted coins
only, did not dispense change, and limited selections about 20 items. These were fully mechanical vend
mechanisms and required no power to operate the vend cycle.
Early soda machines required power to refrigerate the product. The modern vending machine design
with spiral dispense, full change capacity, dollar bill acceptance (usually by dollar bill coin changer),
30-40 snack selections, and up to 10 soda options, came to being in the late 1960s and was refined in
the 1970s.
Have a look at Vending
Improvements in vending machine technology since have been based on electronics and computer
innovation, with standardization of protocols and improvements in currency acceptance. Ultra-modern
vending machines can accept a variety of payment types - credit cards, large denomination bills (up to
$100), cell phone charges (charging a product to your cell phone bill) - can be monitored remotely by
Internet, can produce sales figures to individual unit numbers (sold 13 Snickers and 8 Doritos out of
this machine last week), log machine entry times, and can even provide surveillance with camera
technology. Yes, we've come a long way, baby.
Take a look at Vending Machines
So how is this history lesson relevant? Vending machine technology is responding to market need. The
successful vending operators have driven this technology with their purchasing habits. Like all
businesses, if technology affords a profitable advantage, that product has a market. The fact that the
vending machine manufacturers have continued to produce better and better vending machines means
that the vending business is a reliable venture when run properly.
See to Vendings
Like all businesses, proper operations is the key to success. Learning about your account market, the
kind of locations and businesses you serve, learning about marketing, the product you are you going to
sell, and the type/s of vending equipment you'll use, all these factor into the success of your vending
machine business.
