Why the right drinks range is vital 24 04 2007 - 12:00:35 PM

Because you want to satisfy all the people, all of the time…!

At the risk of stating the obvious if you’re going to get the most out of a vending machine you have to stock it with the drinks that people actually want. 

Go back to why you are choosing vending in the first place – usually it’s about making sure people can stay refreshed, motivated, satisfied and generally a little bit happier…

There are two issues to consider here – first; the quality that will satisfy their expectations, secondly; the range that satisfies what they need at different times of the day

If you think that’s easy, think again. For a start, vending doesn’t exactly have the best press in the world – expectations are pretty low. Next issue is how good, exactly could something like a vended soup or cold drink be?

The problem is that perceptions aren’t helped by the fact a lot of drinks machines are just as terrible as they were in the 1970’s – unbranded cheap ingredients served by dodgy technology.  And it’s made worse by the fact that the unwary buyer tends to be mainly focussed on the tea and coffee and considers all the other drinks to be secondary.  Big mistake!

Take out a few minutes to surf the web for research articles on drinking trends…  certainly coffee consumption is on the rise – especially speciality coffees and super premium coffee shop treats at £2 per cup, but overall the balance is shifting to cold drinks and healthier options…  and it’s a trend that seems to be accelerating.

So what are you going to do about it?  My advice is to look for the following;

Rock solid brands – the stuff we buy and use at home

OK it’s not Starbucks but what’s your current kitchen area serving, a double mochaccino skinny latte?  Nah!  It’s probably good old Nescafe and a box of PG tea bags same as you have at home.

Give people brands they trust and they won’t feel cheated.

Top Tip

The vending acid test is tea – People won’t thank-you for powdered tea – make sure there’s a fresh tea bag involved in the vending system or take the consequences.

A great range – what do all your people drink, and what do they drink at different times of the year?

The male-female split, the age range, location of business and time of year all have an impact on what people will want to drink. First thing is that the range has to be broad enough to cover all the basics…

Top Tip
If people like making instant soups you better make sure that your vending solution can serve up a good one or you won’t lose that kitchen.  Same goes for decent soft drinks.

Trends – more soft drinks, more speciality coffees, more healthy options, more ethical brands