Is vending machine a profitable business to start or invest in? Here is everything you need to know about owning a vending machine business.
Vending machines are machines that allow for the purchase of single items or a variety of items. The vending machine business provides steady income and it is considered better than most businesses in terms of revenue generation, especially if you have found a very good location to site your machine.
The vending machine business is very easy to operate as restocking can be done once or twice a week. Even though owning a vending machine can be costly depending on the type of machine and the size, it is still better than renting a facility or storefront to run your business.
There are close to 4.6 million vending machines in the United states and even though most people are now becoming more conscious of what they consume i.e. healthy snacks; most vending machines are still stocked with snacks that are considered junk.
More than half of the vending machines in the United States are either in offices or manufacturing buildings, with about 30 percent in schools.
According to Brandongaille.com, the average sales for vending machines in the United States is more than $7 billion with an estimated 56 percent of products sold from the vending machine being cold drinks.
Is a Vending Machine Business Profitable?
You have probably seen an advert that promises that you would make a large amount of money with no sweat if you start a Vending Machine Business. But are the adverts just too good to be true or can a Vending Machine really be that profitable?
Even though you may have heard that Vending Machines are quite profitable, it is good to note that like any other business, it requires planning and hard work.
A profitable Vending Machine business goes beyond installing a machine and then sitting back to collect lots of money. With time, people who start the business come to realize that it simply doesn’t work that way irrespective of the cozy pictures that commercials paint.
But still, a vending machines business can be very profitable if you plan contentiously. Starting a Vending Machine Business is one of today’s fastest growing businesses.
In fact, every day, 7 out of 10 people do business with a Vending Machine. In the United States, $79,000 is spent every minute in Vending Machines.
According to statistics from The National Automatic Merchandising Association, 18 percent of vending-machine operators make between $1 million and $5 million a year. Good news right? Well yes and no.
The Better Business Bureau warns of scams, and a search of “vending machines” on the Federal Trade Commission’s website will show you a plethora of fines and lawsuits. So to answer the question, yes, Vending Machine Business can be profitable if well handled.
A Vending Machine Business can get you a lot of income in a month if your machines are at locations that are not too far from each other.
This will allow you or an employee of yours to easily service your route in one day. It will also make it easier to load the goods into the machine and collect your cash.
You can also make a lot of money if you have a lot of Vending Machines. 10 to 15 machines in choice locations around the city can fetch you up to $2000 on a daily basis.
Factors That Make Vending Machine a Profitable Business
1. Low Start-up Cost
One of the good things about a vending machine business is that it is cheap to start. To get started, you may need as little as $2,000 to get a single machine and to also add the inventory you need to it.
You can easily take advantage of the franchise opportunity to buy products like gumballs and other sweets in bulk as opposed to going through a distributor of the product that will end up charging you higher.
2. Steady Income
Unlike a lot of businesses that you need to stay for some time before they become profitable, a vending machine business can start turning in a good amount of profit within just several months.
As long as you have a lucrative location with a lot of traffic and you establish your route, you can earn a steady amount of income on a weekly basis.
Items such as chips, candy and soft drinks usually have a high profit margin and as such they can generate a lot of money for the owner of the machine. It should be noted that the more vending machines you own, the more you will earn from the business.
3. Easy to Operate and Run
Owning and managing a vending machine business is a fairly easy process. You get your machine, put it in a location with a lot of traffic, source your preferred inventory that you think will generate the most profit from a wholesaler to reduce cost, stock your machine and you are good to go.
As long as you replenish your stock on a regular basis, you will be able to make profit from your machine. Usually, if your products sell out fast, you may need to restock your inventory on a weekly basis so as to keep your products fresh. It is not like a store or shop where you have to be physically present and interact with your customers.
4. Low Time Investment
A vending machine if handled properly can be considered a passive means of generating income. This is because as the owner of the machine, it requires very little investment of your time in other to makes the business work.
Your routine in respect to your vending machine business will involve driving to the location of your machine, picking up the money that it has generated, checking your remaining stock and refilling your stock if need be.
Alternatively, you can employ someone who will do this for you.
Due to the fact that a vending machine does not consume a lot of your time, you can easily combine it with another work without any hassles.
If you notice a reduction in the volume of your sales, you can find out what your competitors are doing differently and tow the same line.
5. You Can Sell a Wide Variety of Things with a Vending Machine
You can sell almost anything with a vending machine ranging from fresh fruits to electronics, to sweets and snacks. The possibilities are endless as long as you are willing to stock it. You can research what your location buys the most and then you can provide a vending machine that dispenses that particular product.
6. You Can Get Sales at Any Time of the Day
A vending machine has no opening or closing time; it is always available and ready to do business as long as there is a willing customer.
A vending machine is always operating and as such you can make money irrespective of the time of the day. This is a sharp contrast to most retail stores that are not available continuously.
7. You Get to Be your Own Boss
A vending machine business offers a means of self-employment. With this business, you don’t have to answer to a boss; you get to set the time you want to tend to your machine and can even go on a mini-vacation without the fear of being fired.
You can work as much as you want or as little as you want though it goes without saying that it will affect your income. If you are entrepreneurial in nature, then this business will suit you.
8. Little Overhead Costs
Vending machine business is associated with very little overhead costs. Removing the cash and stocking the machine yourself can eliminate the need for having an employee. Therefore you don’t have to pay anyone a salary or benefits.
Also, you don’t really need to advertise your machine as your fully stocked machine will speak for itself. You don’t also need to rent or purchase an office space in order to run a vending machine.
9. Cash Based
Due to the fact that a vending machine accepts money before products are dispensed, it eliminates the potential hassle of having a bounced check, credit card fraud or charge backs because customers pay before they receive the goods in cash.
10. You Can Easily Find Out What your Customer Want
You can easily find out what your customers want and will pay money for by visiting some stores and offices that are located around the location you want to install the vending machine and then asking people what they will prefer to be conveniently provided for them.
It could be fruits, candy, snacks or even cigarettes. Find out what people are likely to buy a lot of and stock that commodity in your vending machine.