How to get a Vending Machine that’s right for your Business.

Snack Vending Machines

The clock strikes three, energy levels dip and the need for a quick pick-me-up arises. This is where the snack vending machine comes into its own. If you’re looking to offer crisps, chocolate, sweets and more, a snack vending machine may be for you. Not only that, but healthier alternatives such as nuts and cereal bars can be offered too.

One of the bonuses of having a vending machine is the simplicity. Snack vending isn’t like it used to be. No more frustrating, dirty, cash-only vending machines with empty shelves. Employees can simply tap their card and grab the snack of their choice.

If you’re concerned about security, a vending machine may be the right choice. The benefit of a vending machine is that all the crisps and bars rest within the spirals and cannot be accessed unless paid for. This gives you peace of mind where it matters most.

In addition, easy operation. We can replenish and maintain the machine for you, but you also have the option of a DIY vending machine, where you replenish it yourself. However, it takes away the hassle from you entirely if Connect Vending’s experienced operators replenish for you.

Lastly, we collect anonymised data for you about which products are selling well and which you may want to swap out. This helps you get the best vending machine return on investment – and ensures your employees don’t become bored of the snack selection.

Drink Vending Machines

Drink vending machines are a convenient way to provide hydration on the go for your staff. You can also look into coffee machine rental for hot drinks, but here we’ll just talk about cold refrigerated drinks. Our machines are fully tested in-house so that they can plug and play when they reach your site.

You can include cans and bottles of “full fat” soft drinks, low sugar versions and energy drinks. Healthier soft drink vending alternatives include iced teas, vitamin drinks, smoothies and water. Depending which commercial drink vending machine you choose, you can add in some great varieties of drinks, both bottled and canned.

Again, drink machines are simple and secure. If you have a combination snack and drink machine, on some models you can even make multi-selections or create meal deals. These can be advertised using inbuilt screens of varying sizes, depending which model you select.

We can also service, maintain and replenish drink vending machines for you (even commercial coffee machines), collecting data to ensure your drinks dispenser maintains profitability.

Fresh Food Vending Machines

Fresh food vending machines include standard options such as the Evoca Festival are great for an easy, secure solution that can slot into limited spaces. The solution has an inbuilt fridge and can run 24/7, great for when you need a catering option after-hours. However, it’s not the most engaging option to present food and entice employees to buy.

A smart fridge for fresh food vending is also a great option for 24/7 sites. Even better, we can review stock and reports remotely, before the operator gets to site. A commercial smart fridge is monitored constantly to ensure the fridge remains at a hygienic temperature and stock doesn’t go out of date. If your smart fridge does dip below temperature, it will lock so that employees are not exposed to potential bacteria.

How do Smart Fridges work?

• Tapping your contactless payment card or device on the card reader, mounted to the front of the smart fridge. This pre-authorises your card for payment and unlocks the door
• Open the fridge door, browse and grab your product selection/s
• Ensure you close the fridge door securely when finished selecting your product/s
• Scan the product/s you have selected using the scanner at the bottom of the reader
• Press “Checkout” when you have finished scanning the item/s and your card will be charged

If you’re concerned about security, the pre-authorisation limit can be set to an agreed amount – and the smart fridge won’t open without the authorisation taking place.

A smart fridge can be a more engaging way of displaying and selling fresh food than a standard vending machine. It also allows staff to read the labels for nutritional content, as opposed to having to commit to buy before the product vends. In our experience, businesses generate more revenue this way.

Micro Markets for business

Another vending solution is a micro market – the ultimate in employee benefits. Connect Vending is now the UK’s largest independent supplier of workplace micro markets.

This is an ideal solution for medium to large businesses with over 50 employees and is a great alternative to contract catering options.

Contract catering for business can be costly, unpredictable in quality and lacking in variety. Although the initial setup cost is higher, at Connect Vending, we have seen  customers increase their revenue from micro markets by up to 15 times, compared to standard fresh food vending machines and contract catering. The solution can soon start paying for itself.

Think of a micro market as a simple scan, pay and go – just like when you visit your local supermarket. The build is designed and branded bespoke to requirements – and can even work in limited spaces. We also service, maintain, clean and replenish micro markets for you.

Micro markets usually include fresh food fridges for sandwiches, wraps, paninis, salads, pastas (and more!), bottled and canned soft drinks. You can add ambient snack bays for crisps, chocolate and even healthy snacks, as well as coffee vending solutions (such as our exclusive on-the-go illy coffee solution). We have also recently added freezers to our micro market offering, for an extended range of ice-creams in the summer, and more homely, delicious ready meals in the winter.

Summary

Of course, a micro market solution is not for everyone – and with our consultative approach, we’ll be honest about whether we think it’s the right solution for you.

However, we’ll always advise you if we think you could be getting more out of your vending solution. Ultimately, the choice is yours – but our vending service, maintenance, replenishment and cleaning services are always available as supporting options.

What size are Vending Machines?

With almost 30 years of experience with vending machine manufacturers, we’re familiar with the dilemma of “how to get a vending machine to fit my office space”?

Thankfully, the vending industry has moved on from large, clunky machines that take up far too much room. If you’re working with limited space, our vending machine manufacturers offer taller, slimmer machines such as the Evoca Twist for everything from fresh food, snacks, cans and bottled drinks vending.

If you do need something bigger, our installations team have years of experience measuring up – and working with tight corners! There’s not a single customer we haven’t managed to complete an installation at, so rest assured you’re in safe hands.

Where can I put a Vending Machine?

It’s important to consider footfall when deciding where to put a vending machine.

Think about the common journeys your staff make – say from the reception to their desk, or the warehouse to the kitchen. By placing the vending machine on regular walking routes, using it becomes a habit, selling more – and therefore paying for itself sooner.

For more information, read our detailed blog on where to put a vending machine for ultimate footfall and profitability – or just contact us!

The capacity of your vending machine is up to you! Whether you have a small site and are looking for a more compact machine – or if you have many mouths to feed, there are plenty of vending options for any size of business.

When we talked about vending machine size earlier, vending machine capacity is interlinked – which may seem obvious, but there are other factors to consider.

Through our research and customer data, we have established that when a vending machine has empty spirals or shelves, you’ll actually sell less. That’s why it’s important to think about how many staff are on site, to get the size and capacity of your machine right.

We can of course replenish, service, clean and maintain your vending solution, but if your machine is too low capacity, it can lead to lost revenue. At Connect Vending, we have decades of experience with businesses just like yours – so we can help you decide exactly which option will suit your organisation.

In today’s fast-paced world, convenience is key. With the rise of contactless payment methods, businesses are exploring new ways to streamline transactions and enhance the customer experience. One such innovation is the contactless vending machine, a modern twist on the traditional snack and drink dispenser. But, is this technology right for your office? 

The main benefit of a contactless vending machine is it’s so quick and easy to vend a product, in a world that is quickly moving away from pocket change. The ease make it more likely that your employees will buy, and keep buying from your commercial vending machine. Nearly everyone carries their smartphone these days, so a quick snack at breaktime becomes commonplace. Contactless vending also eliminates the hassle of handling cash and is much more hygienic.

Introducing contactless card payments to your vending machine also future-proofs it and ensures it will remain current and cutting edge for many years to come. That’s a big relief when you consider the outright or even monthly cost of the machine. Why not invest in technology now to ensure the longevity of your drink or snack vending machine?

Downsides can include lack of data signal for the contactless reader, but this is an issue easily overcome by using ethernet, or a signal booster. The cost may be slightly more at the outset, but the benefits of a contactless vending machine should outweight any commercial risk associated.