The different types of snack vending machines available for the commercial market are almost as varied as snacks themselves. Vending machines now take in about $40 billion a year in the United States alone, and even the most conservative of estimates suggest that number is going to do nothing but increase in the years and decades to come. Snack food sales make up the lion’s share of that figure, too, so if you’re looking to get involved in the lucrative snack vending machine market, you’ll need to know what to do to maximize the returns on your investment.

Places Where Snack Vending Machines Perform Well

The first thing you’ll need to think about is where to position your vending machine to reach people with the munchies. Generally speaking, the only outdoor locations where snack vending machines are viable are on commercial properties such as strip malls, outdoor shopping centers and areas where no food stores are available–think campground check-in centers and rest stops. Otherwise, operators usually seek out indoor locations with a high volume of pedestrian traffic.

Be creative in your approach. Conventional wisdom rightly suggests that cafeterias and lobbies of multi-purpose buildings make good choices. But what about spots like workplace lunch rooms and hospital waiting areas? Sit down and make a list of places–any and all places–that you can think of where people gather or pass through in large numbers. Check them out, and take notice of how many of them are already serviced by snack vending machines. If vending machines are already present, consider yourself on the right track; if not, you may have identified a need in the marketplace which you can then act to fill.

Know the Types of Snack Vending Machines Produced for the Commercial Market

Broadly speaking, snack vending machines are manufactured in two different styles: those designed solely to sell snacks, and snack food/soda combination machines.

Units designed simply for snacks usually have lower operating costs, since, unlike combination machines, they don’t have to increase power consumption to run a refrigeration system. The largest snack vending machines normally stock about 48 different products, with at least a couple of rows dedicated to different product types. Since chips, candy bars, nuts, licorice and candies all come in different-sized packaging, the best-designed vending machines offer dedicated chambers to use the machine’s interior space most efficiently. Thus, while one row of chambers may be designed to carry five different brands of potato chips, a row dedicated to candy may be able to offer a dozen or more different treats. Smart vendors know that machines that offer varied choices tend to outperform machines with narrower selections, even when the additional costs of supplying the machine with various products is taken into account.

For this reason, combination machines are often worth the extra investment because they generate greater sales volumes. After all, nothing washes down a bag of chips like an ice-cold soda, and if a consumer can get both from the same machine, it’s the operator who profits. However, the initial cost of a unit like this usually runs into the range of several thousand dollars; on the other hand, the simplest snack-only machines might only cost a few hundred dollars. Also, keep in mind that you can save some money by purchasing a used unit, though it won’t come with a warranty. It depends whether you’re looking to supplement your income by operating a snack vending machine or two, or whether you want to get into a whole new line of work. If you’re in the latter category, a good financing plan will work wonders to help you get your new business off the ground.

Perhaps no segment of the vending industry has benefited more from improvements in computerized technology than the ticket machine sector. Featuring everything from touch-activated screens to customized ticket printing in mere seconds, ticket vending machines are widely used for many applications, notably in the transportation and entertainment industries. Proprietors and operations managers of movie theaters, sporting venues, parking lots, subway stations, bus and train terminals and anywhere else ticket lines get long can improve efficiency and manage customer demand by using ticket vending machines.

Features of Today’s Ticket Vending Machines

Depending on its specific application, a typical ticket machine will come equipped with a variety of features designed for user convenience and easy management. As sophisticated technology powers most modern ticket vending machine designs, the vast majority of ticket vending machines being produced by manufacturers today accept a wide variety of payment forms, including credit and debit cards, bank notes, coins and specially created vending cards. Ticket vending machine manufacturers that service subway stations, for instance, can accommodate special pass cards issued by the municipality’s transit authority. These features can both enhance customer accessibility and improve the machine’s intake of revenue.

Data transfer within ticket machines is managed by a centralized computer system, and can usually be set according to the requirements of the machine’s application. Usually, vendors have the choice of two options for data transfer: the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) or a Local Area Network (LAN) configuration. Both permit users to customize their ticket purchases, and are very useful for vending tickets when a variety of options are available to the consumer through the machine.

The touch-screen interfaces of modern ticket vending machines can also be customized by the operator for virtually limitless uses. Programmed into the computer technology that drives the machine are endless settings options that allow proprietors precision control over the types of ticket products offered and their costs.

Types of Ticket Vending Machines

Three common sub-types of advanced ticket vending machines are manufactured for commercial markets: mobile, stationary and cashless. The difference between a mobile unit and a stationary unit is simple–mobile units are stand-mounted for easy transport between different end locations, while stationary units are wall-mounted. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Stationary units are smaller but less versatile, while mobile units have more uses but are costlier. Cashless units typically fall at the high end of the pricing spectrum and feature sophisticated electronic technology to process sales rapidly while simultaneously logging comprehensive details of every purchase.

Simpler ticket vending machines provide a cost-effective alternative when the machine is needed only for a single application. These machines often employ similar user features, such as varied payment options, but use much simpler technology. They’re ideal for providing an alternative to long lines at ticket kiosks in businesses, such as amusement parks or concert venues, which sell general admission tickets at a single price. No matter what you intend to use it for, when shopping around for ticket vending machines, it’s recommended that you make direct inquiries with the manufacturer to determine a particular machine’s suitability for your intended application.

Even though the number of smokers worldwide is in decline, cigarette vending machines continue to rake in significant profits for their owners, and not only because the tobacco habit is so overpoweringly addictive. Vending machines are a way to score impulse purchases; smokers usually don’t wait until they’ve run out before buying their next pack.

However, legal concerns are particularly applicable to owners of cigarette vending machines. Eight recent, independently conducted studies showed that, within the United States, minors were successfully able to purchase tobacco products from cigarette vending machines 82 percent of the time or more–in several studies, they were able to get away with their illegal purchase 100 percent of the time. The law may hold the proprietor of the cigarette vending machine responsible, not the owner or lessee of the property where the machine is located. Hefty fines can result. If you’d prefer to be safe rather than sorry, consider locating your cigarette vending machines in environments where external age controls are already enforced, with bars and nightclubs being the most obvious examples.

Stock Cigarette Vending Machines With Specialized Products

One technique that vendors use to draw more business to their cigarette vending machines is to offer tobacco products that are difficult to find in conventional corner stores. Imported cigarettes, for example, can lend an exotic, refined air to your cigarette vending machine, and coax curious customers into spending some extra dollars for the specialty product. If you’re going to go that route, always ensure you’re stocking products that are legal in your jurisdiction, and that all applicable duty fees have been paid. Also be sure to offer specialty tobacco products in tandem with recognized domestic brands to ensure you cover the spread.

Depending on where you live, cigarette manufacturers may also make specially packaged cigarettes available to vending machine operators. Some tobacco companies box special packs specifically for sale in vending machines, which contain an odd number of cigarettes (usually 17 cigarettes in a box manufactured to hold 20). This is done to increase both the tobacco company and the vending machine operator’s profit margins, though you should be wary that this ploy is unlikely to attract repeat business. It’s best used in locations where smokers are willing to pay more to get their fix–again, bars and nightclubs are the best examples.

What to Look For In a Cigarette Vending Machine

You’ll want to purchase a cigarette vending machine that allows you customized control over the pricing and dispensing of the individual product chambers, and shop knowing that even the most basic units have a capacity of at least 100 packs. Most units produced nowadays come standard with bill validators, electronic money changers and the ability to accept bank notes of most any denomination. More and more cigarette vending machine operators are finding it worth their while to invest in a unit that permits payment by card, since it also allows them to charge additional premiums on top of the already inflated vending machine cost of a pack of cigarettes. It’s also worth spending the extra money on a machine that offers more security: cigarette vending machines tend to suffer from theft and vandalism more than other vending machines, simply because they offer a product that has an inherent street value.

While cigarette vending machines come in many shapes and sizes, they usually weigh 200 to 300 pounds and stand three feet high or less. If you’re looking to invest in one, you should consider buying a new unit directly from the manufacturer, since financing plans are often available and comprehensive warranties are usually offered so that you can protect your investment.