On social media, it’s common to see users encouraging investors to enter the vending machine industry, promoting buzzwords like “passive income” and “low cost, high returns” to attract others to join through franchise-style machine purchases and placements.
That said, vending machines themselves are not the problem. As a tool, they can be effective—when used correctly, they provide brands with an additional sales and distribution channel. Therefore, this article does not discuss projects where vending machines are used to sell a brand’s own products. Instead, it focuses specifically on operators who use vending machines to sell third-party beverages, food, and daily necessities.
This article will take a deep dive into:
- Why the vending machine industry is able to function sustainably in Japan
- The marketing and sales pitch traps commonly used in vending machine franchise promotions
- Appropriate and rational use cases for vending machine placement
- The real investment costs involved in the vending machine business
- Who vending machine operations are actually suitable for
- Successful vending machine case studies in Malaysia
