Wondering what is the right place for your vending machine? Vending machine location is one of the key elements of vending, so check out what to look for and how to choose the perfect vending machine location.
What to look for when choosing a vending machine location?
Safety. The place you choose must be safe, preferably monitored. This will help you avoid unpleasant situations such as the destruction of the machine or other acts of vandalism.
Other machines. Check if another operator already has vending machines in the same place. Competition is good, but you can't share profits with competitors to make your business profitable.
People. There must be enough people in the place you choose to locate the machine. Generally, the more, the better. Without customers, the vending machine has no chance of success.
Permits. In most cases placing the machine in chosen location may require additional work. Often you need permission from the property owners and a contract to place your vending machine in a public building.
Products. The products you choose should be suitable for the location and the people who will use the vending machine. For example, if the vending machine is right next to a gym - it should have healthy snacks such as cereal bars, protein bars or dried fruit, as well as bottles of water and sports drinks.
Examples of vending machine locations
Once you know how to choose the ideal location for your vending machine, check out the examples that will give you an idea of what to look for.
Businesses, office buildings and staff halls: workplaces are ideal for coffee and food vending machines.
Educational establishments: these are ideal for food or beverage vending, as there are plenty of potential customers throughout the day, every day of the week. Examples: universities, schools, libraries.
Sports facilities: venues such as gyms, tennis courts, gymnasiums or sports schools are ideal for the placement of vending machines for cold drinks or healthy snacks and energy drinks.
Shopping centres: venues with a large flow of people throughout the day are always a good choice.
Tourist locations: tourist locations often have crowds of people who are thirsty for cold drinks from the nearest location, i.e. your vending machine. Examples: parks, museums, zoos.
Train stations, bus stations, airports: places where waiting is often the only activity.
Government buildings: places where you go to fill out or deliver documents, to make an application. They tend to be crowded and people are often tired and impatient with long waits; access to a snack machine in such a situation would certainly be welcome. Examples: employment department, town hall.
Hotels and hostels: In addition to snack vending machines, hygiene vending machines are also a good option.
Medical centres: Vending machines with hot drinks, snacks or even hygiene products are good options for places such as hospitals and larger medical centres.
Ready to start?
Once you've found a suitable place to put your vending machine, write down the address and name, and by them the products you can sell there. Also, read the article on choosing products for vending machines, it will certainly help you decide which will be best for you. This way you can plan your offer and compare different locations to choose the most suitable one.
