How to Price Vending Machine Items
Most operators set a price when a machine goes in and change it only when a supplier raises cost. That leaves money on the table in both directions: prices too low at sites that would pay more, and too high at sites where volume falls off. Your machines already record what each selection sold at what price. Here is how to use that to price on evidence.
Start from cost and margin per selection
For every product, know three numbers: what one unit costs you landed in the machine (case price divided by units, plus any deposit or delivery fee), what it sells for, and the commission share at that location. Margin per vend is price, minus the commission on that price, minus unit cost. A product with a small margin per vend can still earn its coil if it sells fast; a product that sells slowly needs a wide margin to justify the space.
Pick price points that work for the machine
- Card readers make odd prices painless, and card buyers are less sensitive to a quarter.
- Coin-only machines push you to multiples of $0.25, and a price that needs exact change loses sales.
- Keep a ladder. Most machines sell better with a clear cheap, middle and premium row than with every item at one price.
Test a price change before rolling it out
A DEX file records each selection's price (PA1) and its vends (PA2). If the same product sells at different prices on different machines, you already have a rough experiment. Line up the machines that sell it, with units per week at each price:
| Machine (example) | Price | Units per week | Gross per week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plant floor | $1.50 | 96 | $144.00 |
| Gym | $1.75 | 71 | $124.25 |
| Clinic lobby | $2.00 | 58 | $116.00 |
| Laundromat | $2.25 | 39 | $87.75 |
Different sites have different traffic, so this is not a clean curve. It does tell you where to try. Then test properly: raise the price on one machine, leave a similar machine as it is, and compare four weeks before and after on both. If units fall by less than the price rose, and margin per vend times units went up, keep it.
What to watch after a change
- Units, not just gross. A higher price that pushes units down sharply can still raise gross for a while and then lose the location's goodwill.
- The rest of the machine. A higher price on one drink can move buyers to the next drink, which is fine if its margin is similar.
- Commission. A higher price raises the location's commission as well as your gross. Run margin after commission.
Where Vending Route fits. Vending Route already keeps each location's commission rate and each machine's sales from DEX files, Nayax and visit counts, labelled by source. Monthly commission statements, a paid ledger and a price lab that compares the same product across machines are being built next and are not in the app yet. Free for up to three machines in the web app, with the phone app on Google Play. More about Vending Route.
More guides: all Adelyons guides