In the operation of vending machines, site selection can be regarded as a key factor determining the level of revenue. If you choose the right location, the machine can fully leverage its advantages and attract a steady stream of customers and considerable profits; If you choose the wrong place, you may only face an awkward situation where no one is interested. Today, let me share with you a location guide for vending machines, helping you find the most profitable "feng shui treasure land".

1、 Places with high foot traffic and relatively long stay times

Office Building

Office buildings are home to a large number of office workers who have stable and frequent consumption needs on weekdays. When going to work in the morning, many people will buy a bottle of water or bring a pack of coffee from the vending machine to start their day's work; During work breaks, I also buy snacks and drinks to satisfy my cravings and refresh my mind; In the afternoon, you may also buy some small Dim sum as afternoon tea. Moreover, people in office buildings generally have relatively long stays during waiting for elevators, lunch breaks, and other periods, making it more likely for them to stop in front of vending machines to make purchases. Placing vending machines in the lobby of office buildings, near the pantry on each floor, or next to elevator entrances are all great choices. They can reach the target customer group to the fullest extent and not worry about running out of business.

school

Campus is also an excellent location for vending machines, whether it is primary or secondary schools or universities, with a large number of students and strong consumer demand. In primary and secondary schools, vending machines are placed between floors of teaching buildings and by the playground to facilitate students' purchase of snacks and drinks during breaks; In addition to these locations, the dormitory building, library entrance, and cafeteria area are also prime locations in universities. Students are easily attracted to vending machines during their spare time, on their way back to the dormitory, and when entering and leaving the library. Moreover, they have a high frequency of purchasing snacks, beverages, and some daily necessities and study supplies. As long as they choose the right products, their profits will definitely be good.

Commercial streets and shopping centers

There is a huge flow of people here, and most of them are in a leisurely shopping state, staying for a long time and having a relatively high willingness to consume. Placing vending machines on both sides of commercial streets, in the rest areas of shopping centers, near entrances and exits, and other prominent locations can attract passersby and customers who are tired from shopping and need to replenish energy or drink water to come and purchase. You can sell some specialty snacks, trendy drinks, and even pair them with local cultural and creative products to meet the diverse needs of different customers and increase sales.

hospital

There are a large number of patients, family members, and medical staff in the hospital, all of whom have their own consumption needs. Vending machines are placed near the waiting hall and nurse stations on various floors of the hospital's inpatient department, making it convenient for patients' families to purchase daily necessities, food, and beverages to take care of patients. Medical staff can also quickly purchase the necessary items during busy work breaks. However, the products sold in hospitals should pay special attention to quality and health. Nutritional Congee, digestible biscuits, bottled water, etc. will be popular choices.

2、 Places with concentrated specific needs

gym

Fitness enthusiasts often have a strong need for energy and nutrition supplementation before and after exercise, and products such as sports drinks, protein bars, nuts, etc. are particularly popular. Placing vending machines near the entrance, rest area, or equipment training area of the gym makes it convenient for fitness enthusiasts to purchase at any time, catering to their fitness needs and resulting in a high purchase rate. Moreover, the customer base of such venues is relatively fixed and their consumption goals are clear. As long as the products provided meet their fitness needs, the revenue is considerable.

Factory workshop

During their work in the workshop, workers are usually not allowed to leave their posts at will and go to faraway places to buy things, and the workshop often needs to replenish water and eat some snacks to relieve fatigue. Placing the vending machine in a convenient location within the factory workshop for workers to access, such as the rest area or beside the aisle, can sell affordable beverages, hunger relief bread, small pastries, etc., which can well meet the needs of workers and naturally not worry about sales.

Transportation hub

Transportation hubs with large traffic volumes such as subway stations, bus stations, train stations, and bus stations have a large number of passengers coming and going every day. During the process of waiting or transferring, they often need to buy something to pass the time or solve temporary food and drink needs. Placing vending machines near the waiting halls and platforms of these places, providing convenient snacks, bottled water, hot drinks (in cold seasons) and other goods, can capture the large number of customers with high liquidity and generate considerable profits.

3、 Areas with relatively less competition in the surrounding areas

When choosing the location of a vending machine, it is also necessary to consider the existing retail channels in the surrounding area. If there are already many competitors such as convenience stores and small shops in a certain place, the advantages of vending machines may not be easily highlighted, after all, customers have too many choices. So try to choose areas with relatively less competition in the surrounding area, such as newly built office buildings, parks, or undeveloped campus corners, where vending machines can more easily attract customers' attention and become the first choice to meet their immediate shopping needs, thereby increasing revenue.

4、 Consider venue costs and cooperation conditions

Of course, site selection cannot be solely based on foot traffic and demand. Venue costs and cooperation conditions with venue providers are also crucial. Some high-quality locations that appear to have high foot traffic may have high rents or strict cooperation terms, which can greatly compress profit margins. It is necessary to comprehensively weigh factors such as venue costs, revenue sharing models (some based on sales revenue, some based on fixed rent, etc.), contract terms, etc., and find an ideal position that can ensure sufficient customer sources while keeping operating costs within a reasonable range, in order to achieve maximum revenue.

In short, the location selection of vending machines requires comprehensive consideration of multiple factors, including foot traffic, consumer demand, competition, and venue costs, all of which need to be carefully considered. I hope this site selection guide can help everyone find the most suitable place to place vending machines, making your vending machine business prosperous! If you have any other tips or lessons learned for site selection, please feel free to share and exchange them in the comment section！