Author: Phil Masters

Phil Masters has witnessed and shaped the convenience services industry for over five decades. Since earning his associate's degree in Marketing in 1970, Phil has played a pivotal role at Vending.com and The Wittern Group, Vending.com’s parent company. He’s been a key contributor and leader in evolving vending solutions. His impact surpasses the typical roles associated with sales. He has pushed boundaries and embraced change by spearheading new stylings for Vending.com’s vending equipment line and pioneering corporate partnerships and branding campaigns with iconic companies like Harley Davidson, John Deere, General Motors, Ford, and others. Phil is fortunate to be a part of driving the success of Vending.com and looks forward to celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2031. He’s thankful for the opportunities to introduce new programs and provide innovative and tailored solutions to help individuals and companies reach their vending goals and thrive in an ever-evolving market.
Posted on | by Phil Masters

Easy Mobile Upgrade for Vending Machines

Incorporating mobile technology into vending machines is a popular trend that is creating tons of new possibilities for payments, technical service and customer interaction. A company called LikeUS Network is coming out with a new technology that gives vending machine patrons more options for mobile payments.

This new “plug-and-play” technology is one of the easiest vending machine upgrades available. This solution allows vending machine operators to plug a device into their existing vending machines and immediately be able to use the technology without the need to change any settings. This new mobile technology is a great addition to allow vending machines for sale currently from companies such as Vending.com to accept payments from PayPayl and Google wallet.

There is also a mobile payment option that allows patrons to interact with the machine via social networks such as Facebook and receive free beverages or snacks in exchange for a Like, Retweet or share. This is an interesting new way to promote your vending machines because a branded message is shared on that customer’s social network that tells all of their friends about your vending machine.

This easy vending machine upgrade is also a great way to gain demographic information on your customers that is typically unavailable to machines that accept cash or credit and debit cards.

Posted on | by Phil Masters

Luxury Gift Vending Machine

A vending machine in Berlin is offering a range of items that you might not find in your traditional vending machines. The vending machine was launched by German delicatessen Floris Feinkost and features gourmet selections including luxury items such as prepared food and gift packages.

This luxury vending machine has gifts that anyone would want to receive including pint-sized bottles of champagne, pastries, pralines, flavored salts, chocolates and even bottles of wines. These are just a few of the more than 60 products customers can browse through.

The unit has ten levels of display cases that showcase the wares. Vending.com has seen vending operators benefit from improved displays of vending products through updated machines, captivating graphics on the machine, and well-lit and organized product displays. In this particular luxury vending machine, the gift cases look like miniature storefront displays, with products perfectly packaged and displayed.

About Vending.com

Vending.com brings together a multitude of vending expertise through our circle of services. Everything you need to start, grow, or manage your vending business is provided through our easy online access. We provide vending services, financing, vending industry news, technical repair, parts and much more. Vending.com is one of the companies under the Wittern Group umbrella. Whether you are an entrepreneur starting your own vending machine business or expanding your current business, Vending.com offers you a full range of vending machines, financing, location assistance and other services to meet all of your vending needs. As a full-line vending sales company we provide customers nationwide with the right equipment for their client’s location. Our large selection of snack, soda machines, hot beverage, cold and frozen food and other quality vending machines can be configured and customized to fit any size location from small businesses to large factories. Let our network of vending machine companies go to work for you.

Posted on | by Phil Masters

Google Play Vending Machine

Another unique vending machine has launched in Tokyo recently. There is definitely no shortage of odd and creative vending machines in Japan, but this one has a very large brand name attached to it. This new machine was launched by Google and does not vend physical products, but it is a brick and mortar interface for Google’s Play market.

This creative vending machine requires that you have a smartphone that is running Android 4.0 and has NFC technology. So not all smartphone users will be able to interface with the machine, but most new Android devices should have no problem. The machine features a large screen that uses the same interface that Android users would regularly see when they visit Google Play on their desktop or mobile devices. Customers can then browse the selections on the screen while they are assisted by two attendants that will be stationed at every Google vending machine.

The purchases on the machine can be paid for with your mobile device and will be downloaded after payment is received. Vending.com has discussed NFC technology and mobile payments for vending machines before, and seeing how Google uses their own technology could lead to some interesting innovations!

About Vending.com

Vending.com brings together a multitude of vending expertise through our circle of services. Everything you need to start, grow, or manage your vending business is provided through our easy online access. We provide vending services, financing, vending industry news, technical repair, parts and much more. Vending.com is one of the companies under the Wittern Group umbrella. Whether you are an entrepreneur starting your own vending machine business or expanding your current business, Vending.com offers you a full-range of vending machines, financing, location assistance and other services to meet all of your vending needs. As a full-line vending sales company we provide customers nationwide with the right equipment for their client’s location. Our large selection of snack, soda machines, hot beverage, cold and frozen food and other quality vending machines can be configured and customized to fit any size location from small businesses to large factories. Let our network of vending machine companies go to work for you.

Posted on | by Phil Masters

Break Room Vending Machines

When you have worked in an office for any amount of time that has a break room, it is easy to notice how odd and often gross, they can be. The reason for these oddities is often food brought in by coworkers.

Storing perishable food can often become a challenge as expiration dates become lost in the well-lit abyss that is the back of the communal refrigerator. Once good ideas for lunch may sit, left and forgotten, on tables or in communal microwaves for days on end and pots of coffee made with the best intentions can become caffeinated science projects gone wrong.

An easy way to avoid these break room horrors is with vending machines! Vending.com has a wide variety of vending machines specifically for office break rooms that include, food, snack, drink, coffee, water and more. Break room vending machines are not just for grabbing a candy bar or can of soda anymore; many of our machines can vend enough fresh food to keep employees happy and well-fed every day.

Depending on how your office decides to operate the vending machines at work, profits from them can be donated to charity, reinvested back into the office or a variety of other options that will help out more than your break room’s hygiene!

Posted on | by Phil Masters

Vending Machines Help Relieve the Heat

Drink vending machines are a mainstay in most vending lineups and can be found year-round in most locations. Vending.com noticed that Coca-Cola recently launched a vending machine in Spain that adjusts its pricing strategy of its drinks depending on the on temperature.

These machines were placed in water parks and theme parks and the surprising vending machine pricing strategy was that the prices of cold beverages actually went down as the temperatures went up. With three different price points depending on how high the thermometer was reading, these machines sold drinks for the least amount of money when the temperature was the hottest.

The reasoning behind this pricing strategy was that hot and busy days at these amusement parks would be a good time to test a new Coke beverage, so decreasing the price on hot and usually busy days meant that the new drink got into more people’s hands.

Most vending machines for sale currently do not offer features to adjust the price based on external conditions such as weather. Adjusting prices based on time of day, number of people around the machine, or weather conditions could open some interesting marketing strategies. What conditions would you have your machines’ prices fluctuate with?

Posted on | by Phil Masters

Vending Machine Industry Confidence Index

Vending MarketWatch recently released a new study of the vending industry, the Vending Operator Confidence Index. The aim of this index is to measure the confidence vending operators have in the industry and assign it a positive or negative value. In their first ever index, Vending Market Watch rated the vending industry confidence level at 136.00. The average is 100 so a reading over that indicates various levels of positive outlooks. 136 puts it at a cautiously optimist outlook for the vending industry.

This index will be conducted monthly and give industry members a view of how the overall industry is doing on a more regular basis. The vending industry usually relies on annual reports or smaller studies and the monthly delivery of this survey will certainly give some unique insights into the industry. Having monthly indexes will most likely cause a few unduly high or low points based on industry trends or developments, but it will hopefully draw attention to those developments as well.

With new developments occurring more and more frequently and new vending machines for sale hitting the market, having a way to keep tab on these technological advances and the overall trend of the industry will be very helpful.

Posted on | by Phil Masters

Finding the Right Vending Machine Size

The snack vending machine size you choose depend on a lot of factors: the size of your location, the demands of your customers, the dimensions of door frames and spaces allotted to you, and even the amount you have to budget for new machines.

Vending.com has a wide variety of snack vending machines for sale that are able to fit the bill for any vending operator. In this blog, we will break down the benefits of a few of our vending machine sizes.

 

Snack Vending Machine

 

Our 12 Selection Machine is ideal for locations where space is limited but you still need the capacity and flexibility of a compact, professional vending machine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vending Machine for Sale

 

Our most popular vending machine, the 23 Selection machine is perfect for nearly every vending location. This machine delivers a lot of value for a great price.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vending Machine

 

 

Our 47 Selection machine offers the largest capacity in the industry! The reconfigurable product selection spacing and auger timing make the vending possibilities of this machine limitless!

 

 

 

 

About Vending.com

Vending.com brings together a multitude of vending expertise through our circle of services. Everything you need to start, grow, or manage your vending business is provided through our easy online access. We provide vending services, financing, vending industry news, technical repair, parts and much more. Vending.com is one of the companies under the Wittern Group umbrella. Whether you are an entrepreneur starting your own vending machine business or expanding your current business, Vending.com offers you a full-range of vending machines, financing, location assistance and other services to meet all of your vending needs. As a full-line vending sales company we provide customers nationwide with the right equipment for their client’s location. Our large selection of snack, soda machines, hot beverage, cold and frozen food and other quality vending machines can be configured and customized to fit any size location from small businesses to large factories. Let our network of vending machine companies go to work for you.

Posted on | by Phil Masters

Coffee Vending Machine Convenience

Consumers today are used to getting what they want and when they want it. With the popularity of shopping online, consumers can find almost anything they want 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Vending services are no exception. As the ultimate in location-based convenience, vending machines are located in places were patrons will want a product without easy access to a store or restaurant.

Coffee and tea are something that is easily accessible in most urban areas in the US and the variety of products has grown exponentially in recent years. To keep vending customers satisfied and give them convenient options for hot, caffeinated drinks, Vending.com has an office coffee maker vending machine with 36 different combinations of coffee, espresso, cafe latte, cappuccino, cafe mocha, tea and hot chocolate! With all of those options, this machine will rival the menu of any cafe. With our European Designed state-of-the-art brewing and filter system, your beverages are brewed to delicious perfection every time.

Our coffee and hot beverage vending machines also feature a simple user interface that makes selecting and ordering from the comprehensive drink list easy. With the iVend Ensured Delivery Sensing technology that is included with this machine, a quality product will be distributed every time.

Posted on | by Phil Masters

The Blues, Naturally

Vending machine patrons that pay close attention to the ingredients of their favorite confections may have noticed that treats with natural food coloring are not available in blue or green. The reason for this, is that until recently, the FDA had not approved a natural color additive that created these desired shades. Now, the FDA has approved spirulina extract as a source of blue color in candy and gum.

This is big news for gum and candy manufacturers who until now had to use FD&C Blue #1 (“brilliant blue”) which is an artificial ingredient for blue coloring. US manufacturers had been left behind as spirulina extract has been previously approved in other markets. The benefit to this is that there is now a history of spirulina use for natural blue food coloring and testing that the FDA and manufacturers can take advantage of.

If you have been looking for a vending machine for sale, you will most likely know what kinds of snacks and candies are popular in vending machines. Vending.com‘s machines are very frequently stocked with chewing gum, and blue and green coloring will be a very popular choice for manufacturers. Representing “cool” and “fresh” flavors and breath, blue is an extremely popular color choice for many gum products and fresh breath candies.

About Vending.com

Vending.com brings together a multitude of vending expertise through our circle of services. Everything you need to start, grow, or manage your vending business is provided through our easy online access. We provide vending services, financing, vending industry news, technical repair, parts and much more. Vending.com is one of the companies under the Wittern Group umbrella. Whether you are an entrepreneur starting your own vending machine business or expanding your current business, Vending.com offers you a full-range of vending machines, vending machine financing, location assistance and other services to meet all of your vending needs. As a full-line vending sales company we provide customers nationwide with the right equipment for their client’s location. Our large selection of snack, soda machines, hot beverage, cold and frozen food and other quality vending machines can be configured and customized to fit any size location from small businesses to large factories. Let our network of vending machine companies go to work for you.

Posted on | by Phil Masters

NAMA OneShow Enjoys Unprecedented Attendance

Vending.comThe NAMA OneShow just wrapped up a few weeks ago in Las Vegas, giving all members of the vending machine industry a glimpse of what the future of the business is looking like. The annual big event was bigger than ever this year, as NAMA revealed that this year’s convention set a new record for show attendance.

According to Vending MarketWatch, this year’s OneShow broke records in both crowd attendance and exhibitor numbers.

“Our industry is on such an important growth trajectory and the NAMA OneShow certainly is reflective of that,” said OneShow Executive Director LyNae Schleyer in a statement. The show was met with tremendously positive feedback from new exhibitors and industry veterans alike, as the event allows both big and small brands to grow their businesses.

The NAMA OneShow is an annual celebration of all things vending and includes everything from speeches to product demonstrations from people all over the vending industry. This year’s event was headlined by keynote speeches from Newt Gingrich and Magic Johnson and had high-profile sponsors such as Kraft and Hershey’s.

We’re thrilled to know that the OneShow was a huge success, and we certainly are looking forward to next year’s event. If this year’s OneShow has you inspired to enter the business, our snack vending machines make a great place to start!

Posted on | by Phil Masters

A Vending Machine Worth Remembering

While the upcoming Memorial Day weekend means different things to different people, there are two things on almost everyone’s minds: Food and drinks! People everywhere often take this three-day weekend as an opportunity to indulge in their favorite meals and beverages with close friends, whether they choose to do so at barbeques or dinner parties. However, just because the general workforce is off for Memorial Day doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be optimizing your vending machine business for the big holiday!

Sure, a large sum of people will be kicking back at home with their own stash of food and drinks, but many others will still be working hard on this national holiday. Everyone from retail workers to chefs will have a busy memorial day at work, so make sure your snack and drink vending machines are well-stocked with the products they love! Your customers will certainly appreciate having a well-stocked machine to turn to when working a holiday, so this is a chance to have your machine make a real impact.

No matter what your line of work is, we hope you have a safe and exciting Memorial Day weekend. And remember, a properly-stocked vending machine goes a long way for hungry customers on holidays!

Posted on | by Phil Masters

Optimizing Your Vending Machine Business for June

Optimizing Your Vending Machine Business for June

June is one of the busiest months of the entire year, and that goes double of you operate your own vending machine business. Between the start of summer and the plethora of of holidays and special events that are often celebrated, June is a time of year defined by big crowds and even bigger parties. What does this mean to the vending world? You better be ready to have your machine well-stocked at all times, as more people will be using your machines than ever!

If you are still in high school or simply have fond memories of those early times, June is the month to celebrate freedoms from the books. School is typically out towards the end of June, meaning students everywhere are enjoying their free time and ready to buy refreshments from your drink and snack vending machines! Summer makes its official start on June 21st, so it’s important to make sure your vending machine is full of all the drinks, snacks, and treats that consumers love to enjoy during sunny days. International Picnic Day also falls this month, making it a great opportunity for you to buy vending machines that provide a variety of picnic essentials.

We here at Vending.com wish you a sunny and prosperous summer, whether you’re stocking up your vending machine or just enjoying some well-deserved time at the beach!

Posted on | by Phil Masters

Make Huge Profits on Your Vending Machine Without Paying Upfront

vending.comFrom new technology to classic snacks and drinks, the vending machine business is one of the most exciting and enduring industries around. And while vending machines make a perfect complement to any business owner, we understand that the idea of purchasing one for the very first time can be a financially daunting one. From the initial purchase to restock and maintenance, vending products require their fair share of commitment. However, thanks to Vending.com, you can discover how to start your new vending machine business making money off of your snack machine before you are even done paying it off!

The vending industry is an ever-changing one, which is why our various financing options are among the most flexible around. No matter how you want to start your vending machine business, whether you want to pay all at once or would like to spread out your payments over a span of up to 48 months, all of our financing plans are designed to help you make money while enjoying an exciting, new vending machine business. Want to be completely sure that our products will help you profit big? Our handy profit calculator will allow you to figure out exactly how much you’re going to make based on your plan.

Even when the economy is in flux, vending machines are a reliable source of revenue. Ready to join the business?

Posted on | by Phil Masters

What Vending Machine is Right For You?

What Vending Machine is Right For YouPay vending.com a quick visit, and you’ll be treated to some of the best variety in the entire business. In fact, you may be overwhelmed at our wide selection, which spans everything from snack machines to custom vending machines for car parts and bowling accessories. Just like our vending units themselves, no two businessplaces are exactly the same. Here’s a list of some common establishments filled with vending machines, and what type of unit would suit them best:

Schools: Very few school buildings are without vending machines, and for good reason. Students are always seeking both snacks and drinks, as going from class to class with very short breaks can be rather hectic. A combo vending machine is ideal for a school, as students will enjoy maximum variety even when they don’t have time for lunch.

Offices: You can practically spell “coffee” out of the word office, and the two have been intertwined for decades. Coffee is practically the fuel that office workers run on, and having a coffee vending machine in the office will help everyone stay awake and productive for hours on end.

Specialty Areas: Looking to vend products outside of the realm of snacks and sodas? A custom vending machine is certainly for you. From maintenance products to retail goods, a custom machine will put just about any object at your customers’ fingertips.

Posted on | by Phil Masters

More than Just Snack Vending Machines

Vending.comWhile Vending.com is known for providing some of the best snack machines in the industry, we’re more than a means to serve chips and candies to your consumer base. Whether you serve a small medical facility or are providing nourishment for a full cafeteria of students, we’ve got plenty of food service machines that provide satisfying meals for everyone in your area!

Ready to do more than serve basic snacks and drinks? We’ve got a full network of food service professionals around the nation ready to bring full meals to your establishment. Vending machines are an essential part of any office environment, and today’s vending units have evolved to provide much more than just a quick set of munchies to hold staff members over. Even if your place of business has a basic cafeteria selection, using a full-service food vending machine will allow you to keep both you and your associates fed, even during a late-night work session.

Not only will we proudly supply you with a food vending machine for your workplace, but we’ll make sure it keeps running for years to come! Every office needs a source of quality food, and the vast variety of options available at Vending.com will put more dining options at your fingertips than ever!

Posted on | by Phil Masters

Energy Drink Vending Machine Selections

Energy drinks are a very popular item in convenience stores, vending machines and grocery stores. Vending.com has seen the demand for energy drink vending selections explode over the last few years as more and more brands entered the market.

Currently, the major players in the energy drink game are Red Bull, Monster and Rockstar. While Red Bull claims the largest portion of the market with a 42% share, Monster has experience a lot of growth of the last few years and is now a close second with 37% of the market share. Rockstar rounds out the top three with 11% of the market share. While a distant third from the two industry leaders, Rockstar has more than double the share of remaining brands such as Amp, NOS and Full Throttle, all with 4% or less market share, according to a seven year study by Bevnet.com.

For drink vending machines, these energy-filled beverages have become popular alternatives to traditional caffeinated options such as soda or coffee. While it has caused health and dietary concerns, the largest growth of sales has been due to increased consumption by teens and young adults who are ditching coffee drinks favored by older consumers for energy drinks.

About Vending.com

Vending.com brings together a multitude of vending expertise through our circle of services. Everything you need to start, grow, or manage your vending business is provided through our easy online access. We provide vending services, financing, vending industry news, technical repair, parts and much more. Vending.com is one of the companies under the Wittern Group umbrella. Whether you are an entrepreneur starting your own vending machine business or expanding your current business, Vending.com offers you a full-range of new and used vending machines, financing, location assistance and other services to meet all of your vending needs. As a full-line vending sales company we provide customers nationwide with the right equipment for their client’s location. Our large selection of snack, soda machines, hot beverage, cold and frozen food and other quality vending machines can be configured and customized to fit any size location from small businesses to large factories. Let our network of vending machine companies go to work for you.

Posted on | by Phil Masters

Patent for Crispy Bread Snack from Frito-Lay

Frito-Lay, manufacturers of a variety of vending machine staples such as potato chips, crackers, pretzels and much more, has recently filed a patent for crisp bread snacks that use traditional dough recipes. Frito-Lay, whose sales of its products in 2009 comprised 40% of all “savory snacks” sold in the United States, has developed a new method that would make traditional bread recipes such as Swedish oat bread, Middle Eastern Challah bread, and Torta bread from Spain into crispy bread chip snacks.

The main processes proposed in this patent are aimed to reduce the traditional problems that make bread difficult to turn into a snack. Reducing the baking time and preparation time, reducing moisture and standardizing baking processes. In addition, additions to the traditional recipes have been made to improve the nutritional qualities of these new snacks.

The final products will have a crispy texture due to the baking process that vaporizes water in the dough. The reduced moisture content will help improve the shelf-life of these crispy bread chip snacks. Vending.com can see these snacks hitting vending machines as a new alternative to potato chips, especially for customers looking for a baked alternative.

There has not yet been a review of the taste of these new snacks, but with the variety of bread recipes being used by Frito-Lay, there will undoubtedly be a flavor for everyone.

Posted on | by Phil Masters

Colbert Report Vending Machine

For comedic news anchor, Stephen Colbert, conducting interviews is nothing new. During a recent show, things took an unfortunate twist when Stephen suddenly needed a snack and took a trip to the studio’s vending machine. While deciding on what to purchase, Stephen became angry and frustrated with the machine and started shaking it and rocking the machine back and forth. He was promptly trapped beneath the fallen vending machine and had to call for help; but only help from a celebrity.

Luckily for Colbert, Hollywood star Matt Damon was taking a stroll through the studio and attempted to help Colbert get out from under the vending machine. While he had Matt Damon around though, Colbert decided to take the opportunity to ask Matt about what he had been up to and his new upcoming movie.

The video is very entertaining and an excellent promotion for Matt Damon’s upcoming film. It is also a good reminder not to rock or climb on vending machines! There will not always be a famous celebrity around to help you out (or sit on the machine you are trapped under while you interview them.) Vending.com wants you to stay safe, enjoy a delicious snack or beverage from a vending machine and meet a celebrity under circumstances that don’t involve being trapped under anything heavy.