How Are Millennials Driving the Vending Industry?

How Are Millennials Driving the Vending Industry?

Millennials, those coming into adulthood in the year 2000 and after, are driving the market across many industries including housing, technology, marketing, and even vending machine industry trends. As this group reaches maturity and have more disposable income, everyone is taking notice of how to market and sell to this demographic.

What Do Millennials Look for in Snack Vending Machines?

  • This generation has grown up with technology. Vending machines that provide fresh, affordable snack and beverage options at a touch of a button appeal to them.
  • The younger generations are more in tune with the impact that sugary sodas and snacks have on obesity and health causing the health market to be the fastest growing channel in vending machine industry trends.
  • Millennials rarely carry cash and prefer cashless options like Apple Pay, Google Wallet, and credit or debit cards; however, for low-cost transactions the probability of any consumer paying cash rises. A market savvy vending machine manufacturer will provide both cashless payment options as well as cash options that accept a wide range of bills and coins.
  • Providing mobile payment options also influences where operators place their machines. To complete a wireless transaction, consumers must have access to a clear cell signal, so locations such as basements where cell signals are at their worst are becoming less than ideal.

How Does This Change the Vending Industry?

Because the vending machine market is large, change will take time. Millennials are the perfect demographic for the vending market. They expect self-checkout options and as vending machine operators gather more data, micro-markets are expected to emerge.

The technology that serves the millennial generation so well is also helping the vending industry cater to them. Market analysts are beginning to predict a customer’s future possible purchases based on their past purchases. This data will help vending machine owners group products in a single machine that will encourage larger or repeat purchases from the same customer.

The convenience provided by technology also benefits machine owners. As owners provide machines that have wireless connectivity to allow cashless purchases for their customers, owners find that the same connectivity allows them to check machine inventory remotely. By knowing the machine’s inventory ahead of time, owners save precious time and money in restocking efforts.

As the nation’s leading vending machine provider, Vending.com sells and services snack and drink vending machines across the United States. Contact us at 855-712-8781 to see how we can assist you with your vending business.

There’s No Stopping The Social Vending Revolution by Retailers

Social media reaches into the homes, smartphones, tablets, and thoughts of every person daily. However, people do not usually equate social media with vending machines, yet that is exactly what is happening. Vending machine manufacturers have seen the uptick in use of social media as a vending machine campaign to expand their current market. The social vending industry requires users to perform a given task on social media in the hopes of winning a prize. Finding a vending machine for sale doesn’t quite describe how the masses have responded to the use of social media vending machine campaigns.

All-Star Prizes and the Cincinnati Reds

With baseball season officially in full swing, the Cincinnati Reds want to show appreciation to their fans, and a social media vending machine campaign was an excellent option. Users would line up at the vending machine, and the machine would generate a unique Twitter hashtag for @AllStarGame. The vending machine provider would then randomly select All-Star Prizes for different people using the corresponding unique hashtag.

Fans won a variety of prizes, which included autographed baseballs by players in the Hall of Fame, former All-Stars, and current Reds players. In fact, at least one person won tickets to the iconic All-Star Game in July 2015.

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New Balance’s Free T-Shirt Promotion

Another social media vending machine is spitting out free t-shirts as a promotional product for a coming New Balance store.  However, some people were skeptical as to if the machine even had any t-shirts at all. Upon reading the Instagram post of one concerned follower, New Balance Philly advised people to try to get to the machine early since it is refilled every morning.

In addition to a free shirt, the Philly New Balance vending machine campaign promises to send out a gift card, valued between $10 and $500, to anyone who happens to score one of the free shirts. The shirts boast white lettering among a red background, and #LoveNBPhilly sends out the message of hitting up the vending machine.

new-balance

More businesses are looking to increase their profits, and the vast inter-connectedness of social media offers an excellent outlet for combining vending machines and social media. By promoting events, products or services, a vending machine manufacturer can enhance an organization’s image without expensive marketing campaigns. Candy bars and sodas won’t be the only things in a vending machine for sale anymore; the selections will be amazing prizes, free gifts, and opportunities for once-in-a-lifetime events.

Healthy, Local Snacks in Taste NY Vending Machine Program

laguardiaGovernor Andrew Cuomo of New York recently unveiled an exciting new type of snack vending machine that highlights healthy choices, supports local agriculture, and benefits the Food Bank of Central New York and the New York Commission for the Blind’s Enterprise Program. The Taste NY snack and drink vending machines debuted at the recent New York State Fair.

These exciting new vending machines break away from standard offerings to provide healthy vending machine choices from local New York producers. The vending machines are to be installed at select rest areas throughout the state of New York. Travelers will make their snack and drink choices among offerings from Chobani, Emmy’s Organics, Heluva Good Cheese curds and string cheese, Red Jacket Orchard juices, Barkeater Chocolates, Sweet Sam’s Cookies, and other local purveyors.

Governor Cuomo is hoping that in addition to promoting healthy New York vending machine snacking habits, the Taste NY program will support and broaden the audience from some of the state’s finest food producers. According to the Governor, “The Taste NY Program is continuing to raise the profile of many of our world-class brands, and I encourage all New Yorkers – whether at the State Fair this week or on a drive across the state this fall – to be on the lookout for these tremendous products.”

These vending machines will offer more than unique snacks to weary travelers. According to John Murn, Vice President of the New York State Vending Machine Association, “These state-of-the-art machines will feature a rotating selection of food and beverages that represent the diversity and creativity from producers across the State. Highlights from these machines will include video clips from New York-based companies as well as Taste NY videos.”

In addition to healthy fare, the Taste NY snack and drink vending machine program will benefit two-state charitable programs. The machines will be maintained by participants in the New York Commission for the Blind’s Enterprise Program. New York State Commission for the Blind Associate Commissioner Brian Daniels said, “The Commission for the Blind makes self-sufficiency for legally blind New Yorkers its top priority, and we are thrilled to… provide new jobs and provide more opportunities for individuals who are blind to achieve independence.”

Proceeds from the healthy vending machines will be used to support the efforts of the Food Bank of Central New York which provides food for over 11 million meals each year to the state’s residents.

The Taste NY snack vending machines will highlight a rotation of products from the larger Taste NY program. More information on the initiative is available at taste.ny.gov.

Source

https://www.vendingmarketwatch.com/management/news/11669212/governor-cuomo-announces-taste-ny-vending-machines-to-premiere-at-the-2014-great-new-york-state-fairhttp://www.vendingmarketwatch.com/news/11669212/governor-cuomo-announces-taste-ny-vending-machines-to-premiere-at-the-2014-great-new-york-state-fair

iHeartRadio Loves Instagram | Get Swag For Your Instagram Photo Via Vending Machine

instagram iheartradioEver thought of promoting a brand by offering merchandise in exchange for social media exposure? That’s exactly what’s happening on an iHeartRadio tour featuring a t-shirt vending company that accepts Instagram photos as payment for merchandise.

The marketing campaign is targeting college students by setting up these vending machines at the Universities they visit throughout the Midwest and South.

How does it work?

  • The consumer touches the screen
  • Retrieves a unique four-digit code
  • Takes an Instagram photo
  • Tags it with hashtag #iHeartRadio followed by the unique four-digit code
  • Retrieves their swag – either iHeartRadio t-shirts or iHeartRadio emblazoned sunglasses.
  • The Instagram photo can then be shared and re-shared all over social media, including Instragram, Twitter, and Facebook.

It’s that simple.

The days of setting up tables and tents and giving away pens and magnets to promote brands are over. Instead of trying to lure consumers to temporary tents and trying to unload free stuff, vending machine companies have really come up with a genius marketing campaign that attracts consumers directly to the vending machine like magnets and then gets them to interact and spread their message.

The idea of interacting with the vending machine using social media is truly novel. And although the merchandise is essentially free, the consumer has to put some effort in, but the effort is something fun, something he or she likes to do anyway, whether or not they get a free pair of sunglasses.

Social media vending machines can be rented or bought from vending machine manufacturers and companies, which are integrating this technology as an innovative new way to enhance a brand’s awareness and visibility. Additionally, social media vending machines for sale may also include a used vending machine, lowering the initial investment to get your brand or service out there.

This is a fun way for people to share photos, which is something they like to do anyway, and then receive something free in return. The benefit for brands that participate in this campaign is also quite significant. After all, who wouldn’t brag about getting a t-shirt, sunglasses or keychain just for sharing a photo? This creates an interactive buzz about products and brands that will reach much further than any type of traditional advertisement or television commercial.

So are vending machines that exchange swag for Instagram photos the wave of the future? Time will tell, but there are few who would turn down this easy way to score some free stuff!

Source:

http://www.adweek.com/digital/iheartradios-vending-machine-turns-instagram-photos-swag-160986/

How to Get a Vending License

The licenses and permits that you will need to operate soda or coffee vending machines, snack vending machines, or other machines will vary depending on the state and even county

vending permit

 

where you live. Knowing how to get a vending license or permit and how much it costs are details to check into before you purchase machines so that you have them established before installation.

The Small Business Administration has a directory where you can find your state’s webpage for license requirements. If you are are unable to find the answer on your state’s site, call a local office of the SBA. Someone there will most likely be able to help you find the proper forms and information.

Having licensing and permitting in order before you install machines can save you expensive downtime or even fines later on. Licenses for drink vending machines and other types are generally inexpensive. In Alabama, for instance, the fee for a license is only $75 per year for a vending business that has revenue between $60,000 and $80,000. Other states have fees that are in the same range. Some do not require licensing at all.

Are you ready to start or expand your vending business? We have a vending machine for sale that fits your needs.

About Vending.com

Vending.com brings together a multitude of vending expertise through our circle of services. Everything you need to start, grow, or manage your vending business is provided through our easy online access. We provide vending machine financing, services, vending industry news, technical repair, parts and much more. Vending.com is one of the companies under the Wittern Group umbrella. Whether you are an entrepreneur starting your own vending machine business or expanding your current business, Vending.com offers you a full-range of vending machines, financing, location assistance and other services to meet all of your vending needs. As a full-line vending sales company we provide customers nationwide with the right equipment for their client’s location. Our large selection of snack, soda machines, hot beverage, cold and frozen food and other quality vending machines can be configured and customized to fit any size location from small businesses to large factories. Let our network of vending machine companies go to work for you.