So do you guys make a point of offering "new"product on a regular basis?

[ABCVending]

So every time I stick something "new" to the account in the snack machine, they wipe it out in less than a week - example:

Tims Hawaiian chips had a re-call so I yanked them from the machine (they were selling for sh@t anyway) and stuck Funyons in there - boom, 8 bags gone in a week, ditto the next week - took about a month and a half to slow down.

Seems like every time I do this, people jump all over the "new" item and clean it out until the novelty wears off - usually a couple of weeks to one month.

Now I just make sure I there is something "new" in the machine all the time....I leave it there until they lose interest and then move on to something else - got to where I have a couple of slots dedicated to this...kind o a hassle, but figure it is netting me $10-$15 a week per machine.

This is mostly machines in breakrooms or on production floors that see the same people week after week - think they get tired of the same ol' same ol'

ABC

[mxer518]

I do the same thing all the time, this is also a great way to work new pricing into the accounts is through bringing new products to the mix. If you have the time and motivation you can keep a consistent 10-15% revenue spike in the account.

[sbishop]

I do the same thing all the time, this is also a great way to work new pricing into the accounts is through bringing new products to the mix. If you have the time and motivation you can keep a consistent 10-15% revenue spike in the account.

I have used this when raising prices, also. I stick in a new item and give it a higher price. Then is sells faster than the lower price oprions.

[mission vending]

I experiment with new stuff all the time. I think its great when people come up to me with, "when are you going to put _____ back in the machine?"

[Poplady1]

I think you are on top of this one ABC.  Good product mix results in better sales, more interest by the employees to actually look at the products in the machine, price point increases and much more...its hard to kick out a vendor that is active in the account. 

Poplady

[antoniocinisi]

I kinda did this with my ice cream machine.I didnt have enough product display cards and had to leave 2 selections empty.as soon as I put in the 2 new selections they have been selling like crazy.I might do this regularly with slow movers,it probably would work with ice cream too wouldnt you guys think?maybe not do it as as often  but it may work if I do it on occasion,everyone likes to see something new offered  in the machines me thinks.

[andyinchville]

HI.

I have seen the same happen here too....new products tend to sell well until they become tired of the same ol same ol then it's time to switch again!

For me Hot Fries seems to have hit a wall in sales......I wonder if pulling them for awhile (then again what is awhile?)  then reintroducing them will have the same effect (increased sales)?

Andrew

[coinvestor]

With very few exceptions everything will slow or stop selling eventually (I even skip ordering Doritos a couple times a year for this reason). Some stuff will sell case after case for a few weeks then it will stop and I will be moving stuff around for a couple of weeks just to get rid of the last case. The trick is finding that saturation point and stop ordering. I order from a spreadsheet so if I have a hard time selling something then I make a "do not order" note in it. If it sells through fine then I order it again in 6-8 weeks. Unless it is a "staple" product (classic lays, snickers bars, cheez-it, Big Tex, etc) I try not to order the other product consecutively until it stops, or I will get stuck with extra inventory.

The longer I do this the more I come to realize that what people really want and what they think or say they want are not the same thing. I hate to sound cocky as if I know them better than they know themselves, but that is not what I am trying to say. People want to have some anticipation as to what will be in the machine. This anticipation is what sells the stuff. It may be the "New" item that they want to try or that old favorite that you finally put back in the machine this week.

If you let each employee at a 40 employee location pick one selection each to go in your snack machine you would have a machine with everyone’s absolute favorites in it, but your long term sales would be terrible. This stuff would be the things that they already pack in their lunch each day and the stuff they keep big bags of on top of the refrigerator not the stuff they are willing to drop a $ in the machine for.

I have one lady at one of my locations that just can't understand that just because she buys (or wants to buy) one cheese Danish every morning doesn't mean that I will always keep them in the machine. If I always keep them in the machine I will sell 7 a week, or I can stock them one week a month in all my machines and sell 72 of them.

Even with junk food, absence makes the heart grow fonder.............

[coinvestor]

Sorry, all that and I forgot to answer the question. Yes, I try to make sure that I order 3-4 items each order that are either new or off my list of stuff that sold good but I haven't ordered in awhile.

JD

[mission vending]

The longer I do this the more I come to realize that what people really want and what they think or say they want are not the same thing. I hate to sound cocky as if I know them better than they know themselves, but that is not what I am trying to say. People want to have some anticipation as to what will be in the machine. This anticipation is what sells the stuff. It may be the "New" item that they want to try or that old favorite that you finally put back in the machine this week.

I don't know if anticipation is the right word but I do agree with your comment. I love hearing "What's new in the machine this week" or "when are you going to put ____ back in?" I take it as a sign that they are at least looking at the machine and thinking about it, and that can only mean more sales for me.

[Agapevending]

Never thought about it maybe I'll give it a  try.

I usally run just peanut m&m's and gumballs

[vendnoob]

This is so true. I started putting in boxes of Hot Tamales, Good & Plenties, Whoppers, Jujubees and Mike and Ikes in one location to see what would happen. For about a month I couldn't keep enough of them in the machine. Now they have slowed to almost a complete stop.