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…

The problem with these “quick fix” food/drink options is that they are usually unhealthy. An even bigger problem is that a large percentage of these fast and convenient options are being purchased from vending machines in schools. This sets the precedent at an early age for children to develop unhealthy eating habits. The federal and state governments are taking action to stop this trend.

Massachusetts is the most state to pass a school nutrition bill that requires public schools to serve healthier meals to students, and to overhaul vending options. A Massachusetts news articles reads, “The measure would ban candy and sodas from vending machines on school property and encourage the sale of non-fried fruits or vegetables, whole grains, nonfat and low-fat dairy products.”

What a coincidence! H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending will customize a machines planogram, or product mix, to meet any nutritional requirements put in place by state and local governments. With a product list of over 1,000 healthy snacks and drinks, H.U.M.A.N. has the necessary products to meet your specific dietary requirements. We can create a plan that is 100% Organic, SB-19 compliant, Gluten-Free, Allergen-Free, Low-Fat, Low-Carb, or No Sugar-Added!

According to the Chicago Tribune, President Obama has asked for an additional $1 billion in funding for school lunches. This is a valuable addition to the battle against childhood obesity. I suggest President Obama allocates a portion of this billion dollars to a healthy vending initiative! Most kids who bypass the cafeteria altogether and head straight to a vending machine end up with a bag of chips and a can of soda for their lunch meal. H.U.M.A.N. can and wants to help. Making school lunches healthier, will not help these rebellious students who spend their lunch money on honey-buns and a soft drinks from the vending machines. If we can’t change the kids, let’s change the food options! Surrounding these kids with healthy vending machines is a beneficial step in changing purchasing options at a young age. Why not buy a bag of  Stacy’s Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips and Hansen’s Natural Soda instead of a Snickers bar and Cherry Coke?

Checkout a couple articles about school nutrition in:

The New York Times

Patriot Ledger

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!

After traveling the United States, placing our new-age lineup of healthy vending machines…the verdict is in. It is a gross combination. Although some traditional operators are slowly implementing healthier products into their product mix, most consumers are stuck with the same unhealthy snacks that make them feel unsatisfied. In fact, these unhealthy products were said to make them feel gross. Huh, maybe thats why they described their machine operators as gross? Any thoughts? Of course, not all traditional vending operators are gross, but it’s hard for them to be viewed differently when the only products they sell make their customers feel that same way. Or maybe it’s because when they are filling the machines they look like this…

Hahaha! A little far-fetched, but don’t lie to yourself — this is very real and is happening at vending machines across the country!

H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending can’t promise that its operators won’t show a little crack from time to time but we CAN promise our products are 100% healthy and will make you feel great after eating them, not gross! Our healthy vending machine snacks are taste-tested and approved by our team of health professionals. We ARE NOT gross! Actually, we are the exact opposite and that is why we are making the vending industry sexy!

Last time I checked, crack awareness week wasn’t for a few months!