Method of Data Transmission Based on Location

All your Antares vending machines may be equipped with a data capture device, however the decision about the method of transmission, (wireless or less expensive handheld) is based upon the characteristics and needs of the location.

Transient locations, with fluctuating sales levels and locations that involve long travel times, can obviously profit from online delivery of data. Business and industry (B & I) locations, with stable, predictable work forces, can generally function with less expensive handheld data delivery. However, if the B & I locations works occasional second shifts, or weekends, with a fluctuating work force, wireless transmission may be indicated.

Regardless of the method of transmission, the primary benefit of the system is the ability to capture and report the quantity of sales, by individual brands, in each Antares machine, without the route person having to manually count product placements by hand. It is much more expensive for the driver to manually count product placements by brand, because typically the cost of running a route is at 40 to 50 cents a minute. This can make the cost much greater than the benefit.

If you are armed with this brand preference information for your Antares operations, you can perform the same function that a merchandiser manager performs at a supermarket; i.e, stock the shelves in a manner that maximizes the profitability of the store. What they usually do is eliminate products that the location has demonstrated that they do not want to purchase and have them replaced with test products they think the location might want. Product mix is determined using space to sales analysis techniques.

Consideration should be given to enabling products to sell at uniform rates. This would require you to allocate double (or triple) columns in your Antares vending machines, for the top selling brands. This will get you increased sales and longer intervals between servicing of the accounts. This puts more money in the cash box for the cost of each service.

Since the system knows the brands and the level of sales in each Antares machine, it can predict what the route person should pull from his truck. Unnecessary double trips to each machine would then be eliminated.

On those machines equipped with wireless transmission of data, the driver doesn’t have to enter anything into his handheld if the predicted order proves accurate.