Are you looking to start or expand your vending business? If so, you may want to consider getting an Automatic Products vending machine. Automatic Products (AP) is one of the largest sellers of snack machines in the United States, and for good reason. Their machines come with a variety of features that make them an excellent investment for any vending business.
Why They are the Best
For those of you who don’t understand the vending machine business yet, be sure to check out our how to start a vending machine business article here. If you want to know why an AP is a better vending machine to get as compared to the others, here are the top 10 reasons to get an AP.
Allow Credit Card Usage
One of the best things about Automatic Products vending machines is that they come with credit card readers, bill validators, and other payment options.
This means that customers can pay using their credit cards, which is more convenient than carrying around cash.
Better Lock System
Additionally, AP vending machines come with new lock and control board technologies to ensure that they are secure and tamper-proof.
They don’t come cheap, ranging from $395 all the way to $495. These control boards is worth the investment as they don’t spoil easily and can be replaced with other vending machines if needed.
Uses a Display Board
Another advantage of AP vending machines is that they come with a digital display board, which makes it easy to update price labels and display promotions. This feature is especially helpful for new users who may not be familiar with the prices of the products in the machine.
Plus, AP vending machines offer a selection membrane, which allows customers to see the products before they purchase them. This makes for an easier, smoother transaction of payment for what the customer is looking to get.
Reliable and Easy to Repair
AP vending machines are also in excellent working condition, which means that they are reliable and can handle high traffic. They come with a parts warranty and replacement parts, ensuring that you have peace of mind when it comes to maintaining the machine. You can either fix the machine yourself or call in a handyman. Either way, you can definitely do it yourself since the manual to fix is pretty straightforward.
Maintenance
That said, an AP is a lot easier to maintain as compared to other vending machines. The restocking process takes way lesser effort since they use a conveyer belt system to add the product. For most machines that are placed on busy streets, typically require an inspection every 1-2 weeks, and the maintenance process would take about an hour or two depending on how much of the product is sold.
Can sell both food & drinks
If you are looking to expand your vending business, AP vending machines are a great way to do so. They offer a variety of candy and snack vending machine options as well as cold drink options. That way you never have to be tied down by just one product genre instead you can make money from a wide variety of products.
Easy to Start
Additionally, AP offers local delivery in contiguous states, making it easy to get your machines to your new location. Their delivery bins and semi-truck make the delivery of your machines a wonderful experience.
Once the vending machine is dropped off in the desired location, all you need to do is connect the machine to an electrical socket and add the product to sell. That’s all!
From there, all you need to do is to keep regular inspections and maintenance in order to make sure the machine works and people are buying from you.
If you would like to get a vending machine
A vending machine business is probably one of the easiest side hustles to get started. All they require is some knowledge of how the machine works, in-depth research of potential locations, and learning to automate the workflow. That is why many people in the vending machine business believe that having a vending machine business is probably one of the best passive income side hustles.
So if you would like to get a vending machine, here is the cost involved.
How much do they Cost?
While the price of a vending machine may scare you at first. They aren’t actually that expensive in the long term. For most vending machine businesses, it would take about 12-14 months in order to break even with all the entire costs. But if you actually do the proper research and find places with high traffic that is in need of a vending machine, your break-even rate could be even sooner.
It took me 8 months to break even with the cost since I placed my vending machine in a sports complex that is in dire need of a drink vending machine. You can even speed up the cost to break even by getting a well-conditioned second-hand vending machine.
Additional Costs to Consider
Before you go ahead and buy a vending machine, consider getting a credit card reader. With online payment getting more and more popular, having a credit card reader is definitely a norm among vending machine businesses.
Time to get one?
Ultimately, the question comes whether the vending machine business is something worth doing. The answer is an easy yes!
If you have a high-traffic area that you know of that is in need of a quick stop, adding a vending machine is a great idea. However, it’s important as well to do high-level research on your target demographic before selling any product in your AP. Focus on selling products with a high conversion rate and you can add some to experiment with as well.
Investing in an Automatic Products vending machine is a great way to increase your total sales and attract more customers to your vending business. With features like credit card readers, bill acceptors, and other payment options, customers will have an easier time purchasing from your machines. The selection membrane, price tags, and digital display board will also help you attract new customers and promote your products.
Overall, AP vending machines are a wise investment as compared to old-school vending machines. AP can help take your vending business to the next level.
