In recent years, vending machines have experienced a period of great expansion worldwide and there are many shop owners and entrepreneurs who have decided to invest in these devices. It is in fact a minimal labour-intensive activity that manages to generate revenue 24 hours a day in an almost passive manner. Vending machines can be exploited in a wide variety of areas: in recent times, there has been a particular interest from entrepreneurs with franchise shops or entrepreneurs wishing to set up franchise automatic shops. The decision to create a brand and develop a franchise network with vending machines is an absolutely winning choice that simultaneously exploits the positive aspects of franchising and the positive aspects of vending machines. This combination will guarantee a decisive increase in revenues and a very low outlay of labour.

FRANCHISE: WHAT IS IT?

First of all, what is a franchise? A franchise is a contract between two independent parties under which one party grants the other a set of rights (trade marks, patents, assistance). The franchisee is included in a network system articulated over the territory for the purpose of marketing goods or services. In the eyes of purchasers, it operates as an entity that uses the distinctive signs of another: in reality, this entity is independent and legally autonomous. The one who provides the services is called the ‘franchisor’ while the one who does the actual selling is called the ‘franchisee’. The franchisee upon payment of a fee will have the right to market your products using your name and trade mark. He will then directly manage the sale through the products placed in the vending machine and take care of the day-to-day management of the machine.

VENDING MACHINES AND FRANCHISING

But why establish a vending machine franchise? First of all, creating a vending machine franchise or placing a vending machine in your franchise shops will allow you to have passive income, both for you and for your franchisor. He/she will simply have to take care of the refilling of finished products and any routine maintenance. One person will therefore be able to manage several vending machines at the same time. This will offer an additional service to your customers: the vending machines are available 24 hours a day. They can therefore meet the needs of your customers at any time of the day or night. This, of course, will guarantee you additional revenue at times when you would not normally have turnover. Vending machines are also particularly practical as they allow your customers to buy what they need without going into a shop. The purchasing process is thus speeded up and consequently your customers will be able to satisfy their needs more quickly. One aspect that should not be overlooked is privacy during the product purchase phase: vending machines selling age-restricted products or products with a strong psychological impact require special attention that purchasing through vending machines can certainly provide. Therefore, if you decide to set up your own automatic shops, which we have shown you in a previous article, and start with your own franchise network, this will allow you to have a very wide network of locations where you can offer many different types of products sold through Harvin vending machines.

CONTROLLING VENDING MACHINES REMOTELY: OUR SMART DASHBOARD

But how can vending machines be controlled if they are managed by other people on a daily basis? Harvin has the solution for this too. When you purchase one of our vending machines, Harvin provides you with an online platform, called Smart Dashboard, on which you can completely manage your machine. You will be able to decide which products to sell in your vending machine and you will be able to modify the shop window by changing or editing the images of each product; you will also be able to set a stand-by screen or images for each product category. In addition, you can check the accounts of your vending machines: you can see how many products have been sold, how much cash is in the machine and what cashless payments have been made. You will also be able to modify any parameter related to the vending machine. You will therefore have constant control over your machine, from the comfort of your office.  On the platform you will have both a general overview of all your machines and a precise view of each of your machines. By selecting one of them, you will then be able to see all data and information about it. In addition, you can also decide to give your franchisees access to this platform, so that they too can keep a constant eye on the vending machine. At any time, you can decide to add new users or delete others. You will therefore always have full control over the work of your affiliates and can immediately recognise any anomalies. You do not need to carry out checks yourself, you can check every single detail from the comfort of your office or home. By means of this powerful medium, the management of your vending machines or your franchised automatic shops will be greatly facilitated. We have also coined a phrase for this system that we often repeat to our customers: ‘total control of your vending machines remotely is the key to your future success’.

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