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 January 12, 2021 | by Phil Masters

The Dos of Coffee Vending

More and more customers recognize and appreciate quality coffee. That’s good news for those who own drink vending machines. An educated and enthusiastic clientele means a profitable business.

To ensure the best sales, always offer your customers the best products that you can afford in your coffee vending machine. In a recent survey, daily drink customers said that they know who their coffee comes from. Give them an excellent experience with quality brews and well-maintained machinery, and they will repay you with their loyalty.

The most profitable machines are those that offer specialty drinks. Over half of all respondents said that they’d consume more coffee from their office’s vending machine if they had options that included espresso and lattes.

And, don’t neglect your coffee customers other desires. In the afternoons, many customers prefer cold drinks to hot. One of the most requested options is cold bottled water. If you have space for a cold drink machine, your customers will enjoy having that option available to them during times when they would prefer a cold drink to a hot coffee. By recognizing opportunities to upsell, you can increase your profits while keeping your customers happy.

Posted on January 12, 2021 | by Phil Masters

Calorie Counts on Vending Machines

Sometime this year, the FDA will announce changes that affect those who own snack vending machines. Part of the Affordable Care Act requires that the calorie count of snacks be easily viewable by customers. This can be difficult for vending machine owners, since nutrition information on packages aren’t visible until the customer has made his or her purchase. Paper signs on older machines are impractical. Many snack machine operators plan to stay within the requirements of the law using digital displays. Lawmakers are taking comments from industry experts into consideration while penning the final requirements. They should be announced sometime this year; business owners will have one year after the announcement to get all of their machines into compliance.

One thing that can help is, as you add new snack and candy vending machines to your route, investing in those with digital displays that make it easy to adhere to the new law. Vending.com has a number of models that can work for you.

How do you expect the new law on vending machine nutrition information to affect your vending business? Do you feel it will be difficult for you to implement on your vending machines?

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 January 12, 2021 | by Phil Masters

Vending Machines that Don’t Need to Be Restocked

As you expand your vending business, managing inventory gets more and more challenging. When looking at vending machines for sale, consider adding machines that provide services instead of goods and require no inventory.

A few examples of vending machines that require no inventory:

Massage chairs: Give customers the chance to pamper themselves for a few minutes during days shopping at the mall or walking through amusement parks.
Payphones: While mobile phones have largely made these anachronisms, there are still times that they come in handy. Do you have vending space in a place with poor cell phone service? Do you operate machines in an area where people are likely to leave their phones behind such a pool or water park? Your clients will be glad to have a payphone available.
Lockers: The Stuffit storage system is a great vending machine solution for venues that range from skate parks to gyms. Give your customers a safe place to stash their stuff while they enjoy their day out.

Vending.com has a vending machine for sale that fits your route and your business’s needs. Contact us today.

Posted on January 12, 2021 | by Phil Masters

How Much Could You Make in Vending?

Just how profitable are vending machines? How much money you can make with vending machines will depend on a number of factors. High traffic locations with a soda vending machine, a candy machine and a snack machine will make more than one or two bulk snack machines. Also, some items sell better in certain locales than others. When you see a vending machine for sale and wish to add it to your route, take time to learn about a location and how profitable it is.

Once you have a sense of how much traffic a spot has, use our online calculator to find out what that site will average over a period of a year.

And, don’t be afraid to sell premium products at high price points. Vending Consultants Co. did a study last year of vending machines with items that had profits of $1 or more each. They found that these items are attractive to customers and sell just as well as lower-margin items, meaning your vending machine drives more revenue over time. The next time you look at vending machines for sale, consider choosing those that can offer those premium items and see your income rise.

About Vending.com

Posted on January 12, 2021 | 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 January 12, 2021 | 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 January 12, 2021 | 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

Posted on January 12, 2021 | by Phil Masters

What Vending Machine is Right For You?

Pay 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 January 12, 2021 | by Phil Masters

More than Just Snack Vending Machines

While 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 January 12, 2021 | 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 January 12, 2021 | 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 January 12, 2021 | 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.

Posted on January 12, 2021 | 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 January 12, 2021 | 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 January 12, 2021 | by Phil Masters

Space-Saving Vending Solutions

To keep customers returning to your vending machines you need to have a variety of products that will satisfy their needs and keep them interested. Providing variety in your vending machine selection is key to a successful vending business but sometimes having sufficient space for large or multiple vending machines can be an issue.

A perfect solution to this is a compact combination vending machine that is able to vend multiple varieties of products all from one machine. Vending.com has a large selection of these space-saving vending machines for sale, such as the Trimline Refreshment Center. This compact vending machine is able to vend up to 12 selections of chips, candy and pastries with a maximum capacity of 152 units. The drink vending part of the machine can vend bottles or cans, holding up to 144 20 oz bottles or 312 12 oz cans.

This compact vending machine also features easy-loading tilt out trays, simple controls and quality construction. To save energy usage, and to save money for vending machine operators, our combination machines are Energy Star Rated. These machines are perfect for break rooms or offices that need to maximize space or cafeterias were patrons will expect more than one type of item.

Posted on January 12, 2021 | by Phil Masters

Vending Machine Financing

A concern for many people interested in starting up a vending machine business is the cost of equipment. Vending machines can seem expensive to a newcomer to the vending industry, but with financing plans and the right mindset there are tons of great options available to help you start vending today!

Vending.com offers flexibility for customers to custom-tailor their financing arrangements so that it works best for their type and size of organization. This comes in handy for anyone looking to buy vending machines because each vending machien start-up business is different, and finding the solution that works for you will help ensure your success!

Some of our financing options include flexible repayment arrangements to meet cash flow, specialized programs to increase sales, up to 48 month terms, and a quick credit approval process. Our website also offers tools such as the profit calculator that will help you visualize how easily vending machines pay for themselves between steady profits and financing options.

The easiest way to get started and find out which start-up vending machine business financing option is right for you is to give us a call and speak with one of our specialists. We are here to help you reach your business goals in the vending industry!

Posted on January 12, 2021 | 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 January 12, 2021 | 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.