Thursday, May 28, 2009

Planet Antares Vending Business Innovations

Over the decades, the vending industry has gone through many changes. Vending machines are constantly evolving and today, we even have vending machines that are able to accept credit cards and technology to monitor vending machines from far away. It is possible to place these innovations in Planet Antares vending machines, so as to make your vending business more profitable.

Other recent innovations include improved coin and bill validation and the rapid adoption of sense-and-feedback systems that verify the fact that a vend sale took place. This kind of innovation has improved the state of the vending business.

Talking about innovations, one very important innovation that we must discuss is that of telemetry. Reliable, affordable wireless technology has made this practical and provided the means through which cashless payments can be authenticated. According to research studies, 50% consumers will not make a purchase from a vending machine if there is an “exact change only” sign.

Planet Antares vending machines are equipped with telemetry so that sales and inventory data can be transmitted to a route truck in the parking lot. This will help the driver to know exactly which products to bring in for refilling the vending machines. He data can be transmitted to remote headquarters for use in scheduling a route stop, determining component failure or verifying collection information. One of the most significant developments in vending technology since the invention of the bill changer is that of telemetry.

Today, the customers want quick and convenient access to competitively priced products. This is why technology has played a significant role in providing consumers with the kind of service that they would expect. Vending is a multi-billion dollar industry that is growing at a rapid pace. Snack, beverage, candy and food products remain the most lucrative and stable business in the vending market. Technology has allowed customers to gain convenient access to Planet Antares vending machines.

Modern vending machines are equipped with spirals so that they can hold products near the access door at the bottom. When an item has been purchased, it has to pass through a laser beam. If it fails to do so, the spirals will turn three times to ensure that the product drops. If it still doesn’t drop, the customer will be asked to make another selection or the money will be returned to them.

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Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Know About Planet Antares Vending Business

Even though vending may seem to be an easy and boring business with repetitive day to day operations, you cannot allow yourself to remain stagnant in this fast evolving industry. The vending business is highly competitive, so you need to find ways to keep you ahead of the competition.

Some of the things to be kept in mind to prevent falling behind others in the vending marketplace are given below:

1. By having a secured vending machine location, it doesn’t imply that you have a safety net. If you have a Planet Antares vending business, you will need to give your locations the attention and service that they deserve. The trick to successful vending is high customer satisfaction level. This is because it is based on reputation and word of mouth advertising. Make sure that the reputation of your Planet Antares vending business is excellent so that the word of your vending business can be spread. If the clients are not satisfied, a vending business competitor will take over the vending machine location. This will mean a loss of location for you.

2. As a Planet Antares business owner, you must extend your oversight beyond your company office. You must get into the field and get to know individual customers at the locations. This can be done by carrying out periodic location visits. Talking to vending machine users and keeping an eye on vending machine purchasing trends will help you in tailoring of menus and services to specific vending machine locations.

3. As a whole, the vending industry can move forwards by sharing information and vending machine business tips with other vending business owners. This doesn’t mean that all secrets have to be disclosed. It’s benefit will be universal as sharing of information will divulge consumer demands that steer the entire vending industry.

4. You should never slander you vending machine competitors openly. Vending business needs to be operated with mutual respect and fair play. Healthy competition will only foster growth in the vending industry. On the other hand, undermining it will give a bad reputation to the industry.

If you are running a vending business, it is imperative to keep the goal of progress in mind. A static vending machine business will not be able to survive the competition that marks the vending industry at present.

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Monday, May 18, 2009

Packaging Challenges Faced by Planet Antares Business

With busy lifestyle and less time or rather no time on hand, people prefer to have food on the go. It is important for Planet Antares business owners to know this and should have their vending machines stocked with products that provide convenience, comfort , taste and easy to open packaging. All at the same time: The aim being to make life easier for our busy customers.

Let us just list out some of the challenges that are faced by Planet Antares operators

1. The first and foremost concern of an operator must be to make packaging cost-effective. Customers will not buy if they find that the cost goes too high just if they have to buy it from a vending machine. A marginal raise which can be about 5 percent of the product cost can be acceptable.

2. Look at the form and function of the product. Confections and beverages appear in Planet Antares vending machines in the same packaging as they do in the stores. However, many non-food products and non-traditional items require vending specific packaging to maximize “appetite appeal” and protect against damage.

3. In vending machines, consumers cannot handle the product before they purchase it , unlike in stores. They just cannot feel it or turn it to see back labels etc. So it is important to display the key information on the front facing panel. A little research might be needed but be sure, it is all worth it. Consumers should be able to see it through glass front two or three feet away.

The truth is that when you sell your product through a vending machine , it is important packaging is well thought about as the product sold through vending machine should look good inside your Planet Antares machine and should look good when in consumer’s possession as well.

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Friday, May 15, 2009

A Viable Business : Planet Antares Vending

Since the early days of vending, operating costs have increased significantly. However, financial realities still make Planet Antares vending a good bet for the serious enterpreneur.

Vending may be the last truly viable business opportunity for someone with enterpreneurial skills to earn a decent income. As much as the industry has consolidated and it has become more expensive for a business to enter the “big league”, there is still scope for the small enterprises. This is something that will not change any time soon.

Majority of the people would start a vending operation to earn some extra money. While some start it on a part-time basis, others build it into a full time job. Vending opportunities by Planet Antares Inc are both easy-entry business and a very flexible one too. A vending operator can start running it from home and can also decide how quickly to grow the business. Due to these qualities, it is a very attractive business program.

If you want to start a vending business, you can begin by purchasing new or used Planet Antares glass front snack and cold drink vending machines at a very affordable rate. If you have enough equity at home, it won’t be tough to finance the purchase of equipment.

Use your garage to store products and your car to transport the products. Once you have started running yoru business, you must solicit only locaitons that will generate avergae minimum sales of $100 per week, per machine and keep the commission costs below 10 percent of sales. Make sure that your products are priced in a way that you can derive at least 50 percent gross profit.

When you decide to shift your business out of home, your startup costs will rise to that of running a full fledged business. The new facility will come with additional costs, so in order to provide the additional revenues to pay for all this, you will have to get more customers and machines for your Planet Antares vending business. The ROI will vary according to the size of the entity. In a one-man business, operating out of home may make it possible to earn a realistic 40-50 percent ROI.

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Monday, May 11, 2009

Brand Preference Analysis In Planet Antares Vending

If handled effectively, wireless transmission of data can enable the Planet Antares vending operator to solve a lot of problems. If every machine were to be equipped with an automatic transmitting device, dynamic scheduling would become easier and you would instantly know when a machine is out of order.

However, real time transmission of data is not essential for Planet Antares vending operators and suppliers to reap all benefits from recording and reporting brand preference analysis by individual machines.

Individual consumer brand preferences don’t change quickly. Brand preference data which it harvested from the machine by a handheld computer and later downloaded into a host computer when the driver returns is just as important as it would be transmitted in ‘real time’.
This allows the driver to cut out repeated trips to the machine. One trip would have been to check the inventory and the other would have been to go back to the truck to pick the order and then return to the machine to fill it. You should be able to do brand analysis for your Planet Antares business to save one trip for your driver.

To increase sales in your vending business, a remote data transmission system can be used. Of course, this will be based on improving the product mix at each location. In addition, each driver will be able to service more machines. Based upon greater productivity, the operator should show lower operating costs and lower office costs, based on no data entry costs.

Finally, there is another opportunity to improve profits. Even thought the primary goal of brand preference analysis is to enhance sales, there will be many situations where astute operators will observe a product that is yielding one or two sales per week in a specific machine.

In such circumstances, Planet Antares vending operators have two choices. Either, he can substitute a different product or he can choose to add another column of the best selling product in the machine so that he can extend the interval between services for another day or two.

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Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Planet Antares Vending Gives Emphasis On Driver Comfort

Due to product upsizing, cold drink bottles are taking up more space, particularly the 20 and 16 ounce cold drink bottles and the loads are getting heavier on both the driver who lifts them and the vehicle that carries them. As a result of this, suspension systems have to be stronger. More room is needed for the body and the bottles have to be arranged in a way that minimizes the need to bend and lift.

Now, Planet Antares vending operators have to consider vehicle capabilities, ease of use and driver comfort features. The traditional step in van continues to be the vehicle of choice among most vending operators. The advantage offered by step vans includes ease of loading and this has become critical with the growth of bottles. Step vans ensure that the driver has access to merchandise without leaving the vehicle.

Many vending operators are also recognizing that there are other options to consider in trying to minimize the driver’s work load and at the same time achieve greater cost efficiency. Bigger chassis, with a higher capital outlay can offer:

1. Enhanced driver comfort
2. Better maneuverability
3. Greater cost efficiency
As with any other product, individual needs must be considered. Vending operators with dedicated food trucks are more probable to have built in temperature controls.

The increase in truck loads has encouraged Planet Antares vending operators to pay greater attention to driver comfort, both inside and outside the truck. The ease of loading is the main purpose in purchasing a new route vehicle. This is the reason why Planet Antares vending operators are suggested to purchase a dedicated beverage truck so that the route driver can only transport beverages. Separate transport can be done for snacks. This will ease loading of the trucks. The driver’s morale will be boosted with a comfortable truck and this enhances his attention to the tasks at hand.

A common mistake made by operators while buying a truck is underestimating the weight of the vehicle. As a Planet Antares vending operator, you will need to evaluate the actual weight of a typical route vehicle before deciding the size of the chassis. Also, you need to determine the capacity of drinks they need to carry on the trucks.

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