Get to Know Product Packaging Sizes in Vending Machines
Running a business using a vending machine sure sounds interesting. You can have an offline store without having to worry about rental costs, and you dare to be different from other brands. Tracing from the early process of utilising a vending machine, of course the type and shape of the product to be sold becomes an important point.
The reason is, this will also determine how many products can be placed in the vending machine itself. So from the beginning of discussing what product you choose to sell, you have to imagine what the packaging will look like. Even for food and beverage products, the shape and packaging varies. Not to mention other products that have more diverse packaging with their own branding.
Spiral specifications
Then, how do you determine the appropriate spiral specifications? As a first step, take a look at the illustration below.
In general, as you can see, the Smartven vending machine has 9 types of spirals. The products that can be placed are also very diverse. Ranging from snacks to fast food, fruit and vegetables, canned and bottled drinks, small electronics, fashion products, to beauty and health products.
How to read the specifications of this spiral is actually quite easy. By understanding some important terms, you can quickly understand it in no time.
Spiral
The shape of the spiral is circular because the end point moves away from the starting point by rotating. Don't worry, we will not involve any maths (maybe a little). When you look at a vending machine, spirals will definitely be visible as well. Generally, the spiral length in a vending machine is about 30 to 45 cm, depending on the capacity and the interval.
The use of spirals is very useful for rotating the product so that it advances automatically. The rear end of the spiral is connected to a motor system that rotates the spiral forward when a product is selected, dropping it into the pick-up box at the bottom of the machine. So, when a product is purchased, the spiral will spiral forward until the product is no longer supported on the shelf. Then the product behind it will come forward, placing the front position on the shelf, but is held back by the spiral because the system only reads one selected product.
Interval
By definition, the interval itself means the distance of the frequency in a scope of certain length. Simply put, between empty spaces. In a vending machine, this means an empty space along a spiral that is placed in a row of shelves. For example, if it says a spiral has an interval of 28 mm, this means that the spiral has a distance of 28 millimetres or 2.8 centimetres to the boundary of the next spiral.
Capacity
For this one it is a useful term for calculating how many products a vending machine can accommodate. Capacity determines the number of products that can be placed along the spiral in a shelf. So, when it is written the capacity is sufficient for 5 products only, it cannot be forced for 6 products or even more. Especially if it turns out that the dimensions of the product are unusual, so the placement must be adjusted again so that the spiral can keep moving to avoid product stucks.
Diameter
In math-wise, diameter is usually used to measure the area of a circle or cylinder. Here, the diameter shows the size the spiral is in the rack. Previously it was mentioned that the spiral can hold the product, right? Well, the size of the diameter also contributes to the size of the spiral compared to the product. For example, if you want to sell a product the size of a peanut cup, it is impossible to use a spiral with a large diameter because it is too loose. On the other hand, when selling products that are wide enough like ramen cups, small diameter spirals will look odd.
Also read: Feeling and Filling your Vending Machine
Product types according to spiral size
From the spiral type illustration above, the numbers of the type name is quite confusing, isn't it? After you understand the spiral and its size, how do you determine the appropriate product? Of the nine types of spirals, they will be divided into 3 types based on their intervals, namely small interval spirals, medium interval spirals, and large interval spirals.
Also, there are terms called single and double. This term is used to define rows on a shelf depending on the width dimensions of the product. Single means one lane, and double means two lanes. Products that are quite thin but wide to the side can use doubles at small intervals. As for products that are quite long and must be placed on an angle, they may require double sizes with large interval sizes. All lanes can be changed easily according to the size of your product.
Small interval spiral
Small sizes here are 28 mm and 38 mm. Because the interval is quite small, the most suitable products to be placed here are packaged products such as candy, chocolate, cigarettes, or small notebooks. This size also fits for beauty products such as lipstick, powder, or travel size skincare. Small health products can be placed here, for example, PCR test kits. For thin but wide products such as chocolate bars or energy bars, you can use small intervals with a double size.
Medium interval spiral
Measuring between 60 mm, 70 mm and 86 mm, the medium size interval is popular for placing beverage bottles and cans. For single size, canned drinks such as soda, coffee and tea are very suitable to be placed here. If you use a double size, snacks such as medium-sized potato chips, packaged bread and instant noodles are some examples of products.
Large interval spiral
If the interval is above 100 mm such as 104 mm, 105 mm and 130 mm, it is certain that the product will be large. Of course, the number of products placed will be less in quantity because of the limited capacity. Examples of products are mostly ready-to-eat food and cup-shaped instant noodles. However, it is not only limited to these products, the large spiral can also be used to place quite large products such as small electronics, mask boxes, and packaged clothes.
Final note
It turns out that there are various sizes of products that can be placed in vending machines, right? Don't forget to adjust your product to the spiral size and also hold a free drop test before starting your business using Smartven. Schedule a consultation with our team immediately by clicking the link below this article. Also visit the Smartven website to see prices for purchasing or renting vending machines and also our Instagram page for interesting information about vending machines. Stay healthy and see you soon!
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