Planet Antares Incorporated | Planet Antares Vending | Planet Antares

A blog for people to know about how to manage and find information on vending business.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Merits and Demerits of Planet Antares Vending Machine Business

Till date we have often been looking at one side of the coin and are only considering the positive aspects of vending machine business. Just as a coin has two sides, so does vending machine business. Similar to all other business models, vending machine has both merits and demerits. However, the merits of this business dominate or out beat its demerits thus making it very popular among business community.

Let us now look at both these aspects. To begin with, let us look at some of the benefits operators derive from taking up this business:

• Unlike other business ventures, vending can be started with limited capital.
• Operators have the option of starting this business either on a full time basis or a part time basis. In case you are already full time employee and looking for some additional income to support your family, vending is perfect for you.
• There is complete flexibility in terms of operations style, selection of products, working hours, kind of machine to purchase and the location you would like to install it.
• This is one of the very few business models that give you financial independence while letting you be your own boss.
• Profit margins are quite high. However, they are not uniform across all products and keep varying from one product to another.
• Purchasing a new vending machine is also pretty cheap and affordable by most entrepreneurs.
• One of the highlights of this business is that it does not ask for any specific knowledge or skill set. So, anyone can take up this business.
• Overhead and operational costs are also very low in comparison with most other business models.

On the other hand, the disadvantages or demerits of this business are:

• The ease of starting up this business is drawing more and more operators towards this business thus leading to severe competition.
• Chances for theft and pilferage are high especially when these machines are located outdoors.
• Replacement of parts is little expensive.

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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Identifying New Vending Locations – Planet Antares

Expansion is part and parcel of every business. Vending is no exception to this fact. In fact even though vending business is started on a small note, every operator dreams to expand it over a period of time. Every operator has two options when it comes to expansion. You can either add new machines to existing ones or go expand your business by going in to new locations.

Choice of expansion depends on available funds and most importantly your scale of operations. However, operators reach a stage where is becomes imperative to look out new and prospective locations. In this situation, operator may find new locations all by him or take the assistance of a professional vending locator.

If you want to go by the first method and find new locations on your own, you can resort to these methods. Flyers are ideal while searching new locations. Flyers carry information about the services offered by the operator along with his contact details. However, a lot of care needs to be taken while designing them. Flyers need to be short and informative. Flyers is one of the best methods for collecting information like existing operators in the locality, most commonly used models of vending machines, their prices, services offered and other information that impacts the success of your business. Operators should keep on distributing flyers until they identify the most profitable location for installing their machine.

Another way of identifying new locations is by advertising. But before investing in advertising, operator needs to be very careful. Huge amount is spent on advertising expecting good returns on investment and good returns would mean generating good leads and thus identify prospective locations. So, operators need to be very choosy while investing their hard earned money.

Once you collect leads, it is up to the operator to close the deal on location. One point that we would like to reiterate before closing is to choose the right place that is capable of generating huge revenue.

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Monday, March 29, 2010

Benefits of Starting Planet Antares Vending Machine Business

• High profit margins: This business has extremely high profit margins when compared to any other business.

• All cash business: Vending is a complete cash business. There is no scope for bad debts or out standing amounts. Revenue gets generated from the moment the machine is set up.

• Additional source of income: You can continue with your regular job and take up vending business on a part time basis. Once it clicks, you can gradually expand this business by reinvesting the profits generated by the existing machines.

• Flexibility: Planet Antares business provides allows unique flexibility in terms of working hours. You can service your machine whenever you have time. Moreover there are no fixed working hours and you can operate your machines round the clock.

• Sales personal: You need not appoint any sales force. Your machine does sales 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.

• Advertising costs: This business does not require huge advertising or marketing costs. Most of the advertising is done by customers through word of mouth.

• Instant cash: Revenue generation starts instantaneously from the moment you set up your machine in a location.

• Tax advantages: You also have the tax advantage from this business.

Wondering what all this is about? These are nothing but the benefits associated with taking up a vending machine business. Although vending is not a new business model and has been in existence for quite sometime, it has gained prominence only in the recent years.

The main reason for this increasing popularity of vending business is busy and hectic lifestyles. Modern man is too busy and preoccupied with lot of activities. In such a situation he is in the look out for something that can give him instant and quick services. Vending is one such equipment that meets all your requirements within fraction of seconds.

Thus more and more customers and operators are keen towards these machines.

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Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Factors to Be Borne In Mind before Starting a Planet Antares Vending Business

No matter what kind of business you take up, success cannot be achieved in a day. Thorough planning, proper market research and analysis backed up by strategic planning and implementation is mandatory for becoming successful in this business venture.

• Competition and strategy: Tough competition exists in vending business. Hence choosing the right product can be quite challenging. Try to purchase machines that are cheap and at the same time very popular among customers. Some of these machines are specially designed to cater to specific segment of customers. Besides selection, positioning of vending machines is equally important. For instance if you are targeting children, you need to place your machine in locations that has maximum children footfall.

• Nature of vending machine: There are various kinds of vending machines fom Planet Antares available in the market. Some of them run on electricity while others use mechanical power. Each of these machines has its own set of merits and demerits. The choice of them would however depend on the kind and number of products you would like to dispense.

• Product: Make sure you take enough time before finalising on the product you would like to dispense. There are several products available in the market targeting various set of customers. You can choose a product depending on your target customers, financial limitations and competition in your location.

• Location: Location influences the success or failure of your business to a great extent. Choosing a right location is vital for the success of your business. Make sure you place your machine in a place that has maximum customer traffic. However, the people who visit this place should include your target audience.

Wondering what these could be? These are nothing but the factors that need to be considered by an operator before starting a vending business.

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Friday, March 12, 2010

Location Critical For Planet Antares Vending Success

The main reason why any operator takes up vending business is to make huge profits. This aim can be achieved if and only if he is able to install his machine in one of the prime localities with heavy foot fall. How do you know if a location is potential or not? This is a common question which most operators would like to get clarified. To begin with operator needs to jot down the list of all potential locations known to him. His next move would be to make a presentation of his machine and convince the owner and close the deal as quickly as possible.

A lot of planning is required for identifying a potential location. To begin with operators can try out business card or flyer with some basic information about the kind of services offered and contact number printed on it. Flyers are really helpful. They spread across the message quickly and help you in getting contacted by people so that you can place your machines in their locations. This method also helps you gather huge information about various operators in that particular locality, kind of machines used by them, their pricing, services rendered by them and similar information which is vital for your business. You should go on repeating this process until you find few locations.

After flyers, the next best method for identifying vending locations is through advertising. In case things do not work for you, then you can always take the assistance and guidance of a vending locator. Since he is a professional, he is more aware of the market and can provide you with location of your choice.

However operators need to be very careful while finalising on a location since all locations are not the same and does not give you the same level of success. But don’t loose hope as one of the above methods would definitely help you in identifying your dream location.

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Monday, March 8, 2010

Choosing Right Product for Vending Business

With more and more number of customers being drawn towards vending machines, a wide variety of products are being introduced into the market. In case you are choosing products for your vending machine it becomes important that you try and find products that fit your customer requirements. Selection of product is crucial for success or failure of your business.

Your first move would be to determine the range of products that can satisfy your customer requirements. The most common mistake committed by operator is to fill his machine with every other product that is available. These people have a different attitude and are often under the impression that customers have no other option but to eat whatever is being offered by them.

How to choose a right product? The first thing an operator needs to do while choosing right kind of product is to conduct a thorough demographic analysis which helps in determining who all would be using your vending machine. This is something that needs to be done well in advance i.e. even before you place the first item in your machine.

Another thing that operators need to remember is that modern customers are inclined towards buying high quality branded items or healthy food. In such a situation, you need to be in a position where you can offer products desired by your customers and thus increase your sales. However, it is not necessary that all your customers are health nut type and therefore may not purchase these products. Hence it is always ideal to dispense more than one product at a time. The best combination is to offer one latest product along with a standard item that has consistent demand.

These simple aspects need to be borne in mind while choosing products for your vending business. Correct choice will not only increase your sale and boost your revenue but also keep your customers happy and satisfied.

For more information on vending business contact Planet Antares staff and get complete guidance on starting your own vending business.

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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Tips by Planet Antares For Choosing Vending Products

Vending is no doubt a very profitable business. But with more number of operators taking up this business, you can find a vending machine at every nook and corner of your streets. Although these machines are in use across the globe, you find majority of these machines in US. People in US are almost addicted to these machines that it is quite surprising to know that they spend more than $60 billion towards them.

If you are keen in starting your own vending business, wholesale clubs would be the most ideal place to begin with. Some of these stores offer members huge savings whenever they make bulk purchase. Hence it is beneficial for the operator as he would be saving decent amount which would later invested in his business.

In case you are looking at candy vending then you need to go for mass purchases or look for distributors who offer merchandising rebates. Even a trifle amount saved in the entire transaction, can be used for further development and expansion of your business. Not only this operators need to be in constant look out for products with high demand and easy availability. Soda is one such product that has both consistent demand and at the same time can be supplied easily.

Modern customers are interested in trying out latest and innovative products. This is quite handy in raising your sales since most customers prefer novelty. They like to experiment with various new products that enter the market. So, don’t hesitate to offer a different selection of products to your target audience. This will not only keep your customers satisfied but also give you a competitive advantage over existing players in the market.

Careful product selection and strategically placing them in the right location would definitely make vending a huge success.

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