Changing the world, one vend at a time
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has come under fire for banning soda from vending machines on city property. I’m going to address the Top 7 Criticisms:
1. The government doesn’t have the right
2. There is no difference between soda and milk
3. People should be drinking water not milk
4. People are smart enough to decide for themselves
5. It’s dangerous for diabetics
6. It’s the wrong move
7. It won’t do anything
Do you know what kinds of products are offered in a traditional vending machine? Of course you do, unless you live under a rock. Now what about healthy vending machines? Do you know what kinds of products are in those? Probably not, right? Watch to get schooled!
Why We Succeed at Schools While Traditional Vending Companies Fail
Education, Marketing & Promotion at School
In the world of traditional vending, an operator will conduct next to no on-location marketing & promotions. They place the machine, fill it, and once in a while change out products that aren’t selling. That’s it. This is a flawed model regardless of the type of business one is running (what’s more important than marketing & education?), and it’s especially flawed when running a business whose goal is to implement healthier snacks & drinks at school.
Healthy snack brands are often times less recognizable than traditional vending machine fare — students need to be taught about the items. Most importantly, they need to taste the items and learn for themselves that healthy snacks & drinks can and should taste good! These are not your grandma’s healthy foods — they taste just as good as traditional vending fare, but are just a whole lot healthier. Via sampling events, coupon giveaways, digital & standard signage, and consistent promotional strategies (all optional but highly recommended), H.U.M.A.N. operators get to know students and integrate directly into the school’s healthy vending initiative. This has a huge impact!
Innovative Machines Made for Healthy Vending
Selling healthy snacks from a standard, ugly, and boring vending machine is like trying to sell a new car from a used auto parts lot. It’s not going to work. Healthy vending success is all about creating a paradigm shift in the students’ minds regarding what vending, or automated retail, is all about. If the delivery channel is the exact same as standard vending, the students’ minds will expect the same products & experience. The delivery channel needs to change.
By using only new, unique looking machines with customized graphics that tell students “these machines are cool, premium, and good-for-you,” students are much more likely to approach them. And when they do approach them, they’re going to expect something different than traditional vending, and this is what we give them. That’s the whole point! Additionally, by adding innovative technology such as LCD screens, cashless card readers, and automatic conveyor sensor systems, the machines’ “cool” factor is maximized in a big way.
Running out of time today! So check out the next blog post for Part II of this bloviation…
Having face-to-face interactions in business is becoming more and more obsolete. Of course, companies still have huge call centers and high rise buildings with employees that interact daily… but how often do these company employees speak in-person to their customers? In most cases, not often.
Some may argue the need for face-to-face interaction is becoming less of a necessity. With limitless Internet access and easy-to-use search engines, like Google, consumers are becoming educated on products in a short period of time. This has allowed online retail stores to see unprecedented profits. The one problem with ordering products online, is not being able to see the item. This is a turn off for some buyers as these people would likely feel more comfortable going into a store. Retailers, both online and in store fronts, are noticing a gap in the marketplace. What about 100% Automation?
The vending industry is being shaken up by different initiatives put forth by a few major brands.With the advancement in technology, companies like Best Buy, Apple, and Sony are breaking into the world of automated retailing. Vending machines are no longer your standard black box machines with unhealthy snacks and drinks. They are becoming mini automated retailers with interesting, eye-catching graphics that can sell anything and everything. These interactive “stores” require little servicing, no employee supervision, and can be open 24/7. What a business!
From the start, H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending has been pushing the limits in automated retailing. Not only do we have a great product catalog with over 1000 healthy snacks and drinks, but also, our machines are capable of vending just about anything that fits. Our custom, healthy vending machines are being used in locations across the country to serve customers what they want! In our gym locations, for example, we offer our nutritious snacks but also incorporate tanning goggles, lotions, head phones, workout towels, gym clothes, and much more into our location-friendly planograms!
Many people think the vending industry is simple. Simply stated, it’s not!
When looking at all facets of vending, the most valuable factor is finding the right location. Smoothly operating machines equipped with healthy snacks & drinks, in addition to great service, mean nothing without solid location placement.
Having constructive marketing materials and the perfect pitch are two important aspects of this placement process. Here at H.U.M.A.N., we have developed a location acquisition process that directs us to prime locations. We use a combination of direct mail, fax blasts, e-mail blasts, and telemarketing to narrow down a list of 1,000 locations to just 25 optimal healthy vending sites. Next, we have a H.U.M.A.N. team member, not a third party, travel to the placement site. This member explains to the location personnel the goals of our healthy vending program and why we have considerably more to offer when compared to a standard “junk food vending machine.”
So what comes next? After visiting a potential placement site, our team is sure to follow up. Our team is easy to contact and easy to talk to. Once a contract is signed, the new healthy vending machines are ready to be placed in their new home!
From a business aspect, sales may be worse, better, or equal to what was expected. Many vending operators and companies believe they can do very little to improve their machine sales. H.U.M.A.N. argues the opposite. Of course there are different marketing initiatives that can be done to improve sales at specific locations! A few of the H.U.M.A.N tactics are listed below:
1) Free Vending Dollars: We pass out vending coupons to customers at different locations, allowing them to purchase products for free. This gets consumers to use the machine, so the next time around they are more likely to make a purchase on their own.
2) On-Site Internal Marketing Campaigns: We conduct e-mail blasts, fax blasts, and hand out flyers on-site to make potential customers aware of there new healthy vending machine and what it has to offer.
3) Sampling Events: Typically, healthier brands are not as recognizable when compared to traditional junk food brands. Hosting on-site sampling events allows people to try these new-aged healthy products. Just 10 years ago, many healthy snacks tasted like cardboard, but now, with the advancements technology and product development, companies are sending products in the marketplace that are not only healthy for you, but also, taste amazing!
From the moment you see a H.U.M.A.N. vendor, it’s obvious this it’s not your average vending machine. H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending machines were engineered specifically to make YOU, our vending partner, more money in healthy vending…period.
We use an effective blend of new technology, attractive graphics, and optimized product offerings to maximize your revenue potential and reduce the time you need to spend on & in your business. This allows you to spend more time doing what you love to do. Isn’t that what life is really all about?
The 3 Primary Goals of the H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending Machines are:
1. First and foremost, maximize revenues and profits for our vending operator partners.
2. Make operating and maintaining our machines easier for our vending operators.
3. Create happy, healthy customers and fight obesity and malnutrition though charitable giving.
How the Super Human Machine doubles to triples your profits!!
Advertising: The LCD screens, internal PC computer, and advanced ad-serving system allow you to display a variety of digital video ads on your machine. An additional profit stream!
Education: Consumers are provided with the product info, nutritional advice, and health tips via your machines’ LCDs, leading to increased loyalty and purchasing frequency. Increased customer loyalty!
Interactivity: Touch-Screen controls and LCD videos allow customers to interact with a previously inanimate object, improving the customer experience. Improved purchasing experience!
Appearance: Digital LCD screens attract more eyes to your machine and enhance its image. leading to a higher perceived value and intrigue of machine and its contents. Higher margins and increased sales volume!
Technology: Limitless updates and software enhancements, cashless payment capabilities, advanced remote monitoring system, interactive SMS messaging and much more. A machines that is ALWAYS on the cutting-edge!
Throughout presidential history, each First Lady of our nation has chosen to align herself with an issue they are passionate about.
Nancy Regan focused on the “Just Say No To Drugs” campaign, Laura Bush spent her time helping with “child literacy,” and now, Michelle Obama is taking a stand against “childhood obesity.” Childhood obesity has skyrocketed in the last 10 years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 percent of children (over 9 million) 6-19 years old are overweight or obese–a number that has tripled since 1980.
Mrs. Obama is in a great position to influence millions of people. So far she has made many efforts helping the cause through promoting highly publicized events. Some of these include working with state and local governments to build playgrounds (encouraging kids to move and run around), going on talk shows to offer healthy eating tips while educating viewers about the potential dangers of bad nutrition. She has also been on nationally televised cooking shows, teaching people how to make healthy snacks and meals for their family.
I am a huge fan of these initiatives and they have already changed many Americans for the better. I know the next best step! Let’s help implement a government fund that aids in the placement of healthy vending machines! My proposal is to subsidize all healthy vending companies for machine shipping costs. This keeps initial start-up costs lower for the healthy vending machine distributors, which will allow more people to purchase them, ultimately enabling more machines to be placed. Healthy snack options need to be convenient and affordable. What better way than to help the spread of mini automated health stores across the country. H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending supports the movement, let’s do it!!
It is a common misconception that snacking throughout the day is a “bad move” for your diet. While watching an episode of NBC’s The Biggest Loser this past season, many of the contestants reflected upon their success stories…dropping the pounds while keeping snacks in the picture. As long as snack choices are low in calories and portion size, nibbling between meals actually helps to prevent hunger strikes that may potentially damper your diet. It becomes an issue of what you snack on.
H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending anyone? Some of our healthy vending machine snacks include brands like…Robert’s Gourmet, Clif Bar, Lara Bar, Stacy’s, and Kay’s Natural. That’s only to name a few!! We have over 1,000 taste-tested healthy snacks in our product catalog!
I say we put a H.U.M.A.N. Machine in every living room across the country! This would reduce the obesity epidemic by at least 50%, people would become happy, healthy snackers, and maybe… The Biggest Loser TV series wouldn’t even exist!
