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Planet Antares Inc - A blog to discuss the vending solutions provided by Planet Antares.

Thursday, January 31, 2008

New Vending Products – Fat Free Food Items

Like any new changes, the vending industry was slow to adapt to the sudden increase in demand for healthier, fat free snacks. Most vending operators were not ready to replace their conventional bestsellers with new products. As more and more people become health conscious, vending operators will have to respond accordingly.

Since the beginning of the vending industry, snacks and beverages have been the favorites of Americans. Many companies have made huge profits with the help of reliable vending machine programs like those offered by Planet Antares Inc. There is no doubt that this is the most lucrative category in the vending industry.

The issue that arose public interest is that most of the junk eating, vending customers are now overweight and face serious health problems. In an effort to stop this rising trend, health organizations and experts are advising people to switch to healthier food options. As a result, millions of consumers are now looking for ways to reduce their fat intake and want to buy fat free snacks from vending machines.

A smart vending operator will recognize this opportunity to cater to a larger segment of the market and keep some shelf space empty for fat free snacks in their Planet Antares vending machines. Not only will you be able to satisfy fitness oriented customers but also get a chance to increase earnings from a low performing machine or location.

However, there have been some concerns regarding the future of fat free snacks. Their performance has not matched the expectations of either the sellers or the customers. Following are the reasons behind such concerns:

1. The products are priced at a premium and this makes them affordable for a lesser number of people.
2. Most vending customers still prefer the traditional snacks over the new, healthier items. They are not interested in fat free products. However, the increasing amount of promotion and awareness has helped in changing the scenario. Nowadays, people are more conscious about what they eat and want fat free, low cal snacks.
3. Vending operators have not shown great results with the fat free snacks. A survey of vending operators indicated disinterest and disappointment on their behalf. Vending locations have not witnessed much success but that doesn’t mean that your Planet Antares vending machine business will face difficulty in selling fat free products. Different products are a hit with different consumers and you just need to be smart enough to realize which snacks suit which customers.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Quality Vending Services – Meaning And Importance

When you enter the $40 billion vending industry, it is important to provide quality vending services that will increase customer patronage as well as help you in surviving the competition. Make sure that your vending business is not lacking in any sense.

As an Antares vending machine operator, you would like to get your equipment placed in certain locations. Popular places for vending machines include schools, business offices, hotels, restaurants, doctor’s clinic and other places that require vending machines in their premises. When you offer Planet Antares vending machines to them, explain the benefits of keeping your machines and negotiate the commission to be paid to the location owner.

Just installing the vending machines does not mean that your task is complete. You will have to plan a proper time schedule for cleaning, maintaining and refilling of the vending machines. Cash collection is another activity that will have to be performed by the route driver or the operator. The type of vending machines determines the amount of time needed for servicing and repair.

Remember that the location owner wants no problems concerning the use of vending machines in his premises. Thus, it becomes crucial to keep your vending equipment up and running at all times. Otherwise, the location owner may ask you to remove the vending machines from his premises. You don’t want to lose a well-chosen, lucrative location due to lack of quality services. Not only will this reduce business sales and profitability but also have a negative impact on your reputation.

Buying Planet Antares vending machines enables you to enjoy many benefits especially that of quality vending services. These machines will never let you down as they are built of reliable and durable material and hardly suffer from any downtime at all. For vending operators, downtime is equal to loss of sales. So, prevent such a loss by keeping your vending machines functioning at all times. Preventive maintenance can help you ensure smooth operations and customer satisfaction.

A consistently performing vending machine will keep the location owner as well as customers happy. On the other hand, frequent breakdowns can lead to customer frustration and cancellation of your vending contract by the disappointed location owner.

You need to keep track of the regular intervals at which the machines must be refilled. This is an integral part of providing quality vending services. Check the vending machines for amount of products still left to estimate the time of next refilling. It’s important that the vending machine never runs out of products to be sold, especially the fast moving bestsellers that are in demand currently.

Try to observe and understand the needs of customers and clients to get best results. Provide the desired items through your vending machines. Customer preferences should be kept in mind while deciding the vending machine menu. Also, take the opinion of the location owner as he has useful information about the customer requirements. This will help you in making a good selection of products for different vending locations.

Better the quality of your vending services, greater will be the rewards obtained from them.