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Non-food vending innovations bring add-on sales
Elliot Maras



Non-food vending innovations bring add-on sales

By elliot maras, editor

Internet connectivity opens numerous possibilities for full-line vendors interested in nontraditional applications

Think Safety First
International Vending Management, an Indianapolis, Ind.-based vending management firm, has contracted full-line operators to manage safety product dispensers in addition to the traditional snack, soda and food machines.

As telemetry-based management tools become more widely used in automatic merchandising, vending operators will be more
adept at managing inventory via computers from remote locations. In time, full-line vending operators may be monitoring more than their traditional products over their computers.

As reported in the August issue, telemetry has made credit transactions more economical for vending machines, which in turn enables them to vend a greater variety of non-traditional merchandise, such as books, CDs, office supplies, limited-use cameras, and industrial supplies. When such merchandise meets a need in the same location as traditional food and beverage machines, it only makes sense for full-line vendors to expand into these non-traditional markets.

Vending machines equipped with computerized inventory control devices have long been used to dispense high ticket merchandise. Inventory control systems have been specially developed for closed environments to control transactions of industrial, medical and office supplies.

Industrial supply market draws interest
Telemetry solutions that are starting to enable traditional snack and soda machines to incorporate credit card readers more economically, as reported in the August issue, are also finding a place in closed environments where inventory control is the paramount concern. In time, industrial automated retailing may no longer be the exclusive domain of specialists. There are already signs that traditional, full-line vending operators are making inroads in this market.

Traditional industrial supply systems, also known as cost recovery dispensing, cost tens of thousands of dollars. The equipment, which enables a location to keep track of tools, in many instances is owned by the customer. The customer also often handles the service.

State Sales & Service Inc., the Baltimore-based vending equipment distributor which has been marketing the e-Port from USA Technologies Inc. in full-line vending machines, has developed an e-Port-enabled industrial supply machine. The company converted traditional glassfront snack machines to act as miniature stock rooms in factories. Employees open the machine using a magnetic strip card that is issued by the employer.

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Reader Comments
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Posted by stephen russell
stephenrusell@sbcglobal.net
Love to see vending machines combo dispensing:
Cel Phones
DVDs
Photos
RX
Handiwipes.
Books?
Magazines.
Condoms ( Amsterdam).
Swimwear???
Wow.
(02/13/07 - 07:32 PM)


Posted by Curtis Payne in GREENVILLE, TEXAS
cpayne@masonite.com
Vending machine information
please send me more information on the vending machine, I want a machine to dispense safety glasses, gloves, ear plugs, wrist supports, etc.
(04/25/07 - 04:04 PM)


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