In today's era where convenient consumption is increasingly prevalent, vending machines are becoming more and more common on campus. What are the prospects of placing vending machines on campus? Today, let's discuss this topic in detail with everyone.
1、 A large and stable consumer group
The most significant advantage on campus is the large number of student groups. Whether in primary and secondary schools or universities, the number of students ranges from a few hundred to tens of thousands or even tens of thousands.
High frequency daily consumption demand
Taking primary and secondary schools as an example, during break time, students always think about buying snacks to satisfy their cravings and a bottle of drink to quench their thirst. There are many such break time periods every day, and the frequency of purchases naturally increases. In college, in addition to snacks and drinks, students may purchase daily necessities such as toilet paper, toiletries, study supplies such as ballpoint pens, laptops, and even occasional emergency items such as band aids from vending machines, with a high frequency of use.
Matching consumer habits
Students nowadays have been exposed to various smart devices since childhood, and have a high acceptance of self-service and intelligent shopping methods such as vending machines, which are easy to operate. In addition, with a fast-paced campus life and short break times, vending machines are distributed in teaching buildings, dormitory floors, playground edges, and other places. They can quickly complete shopping without spending a lot of time running to supermarkets or convenience stores, which is very in line with students' convenient and efficient consumption habits.
2、 Lower operating cost advantage
Venue rental cost
Compared to commercial areas outside of campus, the rental cost for vending machines on campus is often much lower. Some schools, in order to improve campus service facilities and facilitate students' lives, even provide suitable venues for free or rent them to operators at a very low price, which undoubtedly takes the lead in cost and makes the subsequent profit space more secure.
Labor cost savings
One of the biggest benefits of vending machines is that there is basically no need for dedicated personnel to be on duty. Operators only need to arrange personnel to regularly replenish goods and perform simple machine maintenance. Compared to opening a campus convenience store, which requires hiring multiple positions such as cashiers and tally clerks, labor costs are significantly reduced. Moreover, vending machines can operate 24 hours a day without interruption, and there is no need to pay additional labor costs during low traffic periods such as nighttime. However, they can still meet the shopping needs of students, further improving operational efficiency.
Convenient inventory management
With the help of an intelligent management system, vending machines can provide real-time feedback on product sales data and inventory status. Operators can accurately arrange replenishment plans based on this data, effectively avoiding inventory backlog or shortages, thereby reducing costs and risks in inventory management.
3、 Rich and flexible product selection strategy
Targeted product selection
According to the characteristics and needs of students of different age groups, we can accurately select the products for sale. In primary and secondary schools, considering student health and school management regulations, it is recommended to provide more healthy snacks such as low sugar cookies, milk, and stationery. In universities, the range of choices is even wider. In addition to popular snacks and drinks, some popular products that meet the trend preferences of college students, cultural and creative peripherals with campus cultural characteristics, and even electronic product accessories can be listed to meet the diverse and personalized needs of students, thereby increasing the attractiveness and sales volume of products.
Seasonal and temporary adjustments
You can flexibly change the types of products according to seasonal changes. For example, in summer, increase the distribution of various types of ice drinks and ice cream to meet the needs of students for cooling off; In winter, add more warm and thoughtful products such as milk tea and hand warmers. During special periods such as school sports events, exam weeks, and cultural activities, it is possible to adjust products in a timely manner, such as preparing more functional drinks and sports towels during sports events, and adding more refreshing coffee, chocolate, etc. during exam weeks. Through such timely adjustments, vending machines can always meet the needs of current students and enhance the competitiveness of products.
4、 Significant additional benefits and potential value
Advertising revenue
The body and screen of vending machines can become excellent advertising display platforms. Many businesses are willing to advertise on campus vending machines, as they target a large group of students with precise audience and great potential for consumption. Operators can earn additional income by renting out advertising spaces, which is considerable as the number of cooperative merchants increases and advertising efforts increase, further enhancing the overall revenue level.
Cultivate students' practical abilities
From the perspective of schools, the operation of vending machines can be combined with students' entrepreneurial and social practices. For example, students can participate in the product selection and marketing promotion of vending machines, which can not only exercise their comprehensive qualities such as business thinking and communication skills in practice, but also create a good entrepreneurial atmosphere for the campus. This is a win-win situation for both the school and students, and also makes the existence of vending machines on campus more valuable.
5、 Challenges and coping strategies faced
Of course, putting vending machines on campus is not always smooth sailing, and there will also be some challenges.
Equipment maintenance and troubleshooting
Vending machines may occasionally experience issues such as stuck goods, payment failures, or malfunctioning cooling and heating equipment. If not dealt with in a timely manner, it can easily cause dissatisfaction among students. So operators need to establish an efficient maintenance response mechanism, arrange dedicated personnel to regularly inspect machines, and indicate maintenance contact information on the machines to facilitate student feedback and solve problems in a timely manner, ensuring the normal operation of vending machines.
Supervision of Product Quality and Food Safety
The products sold on campus, especially food products, must be strictly controlled for quality and safety. Operators should choose legitimate and reliable suppliers, strictly review product qualifications, and cooperate with schools and relevant departments to conduct regular product inspections to ensure that students purchase safe and reliable products, avoiding food safety issues that may affect the operational reputation of vending machines.
Coordination and cooperation with school management
To successfully deploy and operate vending machines on campus, it is necessary to communicate and coordinate with various departments of the school. For example, in terms of the placement of machines, operating hours, noise control, etc., they must comply with the overall management requirements of the school, actively respond to the school's management opinions, and jointly create a good campus environment to ensure the long-term and stable operation of vending machines.
Overall, although there are certain challenges in deploying vending machines on campus, their prospects are still very promising due to their large and stable consumer base, low operating costs, flexible product strategies, and considerable additional revenue. As long as operators can handle various challenges properly and operate with care, we believe that vending machines on campus will definitely create good economic and social benefits.
Do you have any opinions on the placement of vending machines on campus? Welcome to discuss together in the comment section~
