In a market where there is as little differentiation as there is in vending, you want to take advantage of every opportunity that can give you an edge. Using labels to communicate crucial information customers care about is one such edge. In this post, I’ll explore how to use labels, where to get them, and the legal considerations you must pay attention to.
What Are Vending Machine Labels?
Vending machine labels are the stickers, tags, and labels that vendors affix inside or outside their vending machines to communicate crucial information to customers such as brand information, pricing, measurements, instructions for use, and ingredients. Since most vendors stock products produced by national brands such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola, the information they include in their vending machine labels is the default information provided by the manufacturers. In fact, some of these manufacturers are willing to ship vending machine labels to bulk vendors selling their products.
What Can I Use Vending Machine Labels For?
Some labels, such as price labels, are necessary if you want customers to buy from your vending machine. You can get generic price labels from sites such as Vending World. You want your customers to know with clarity how much each product costs.
Labels are mostly for the benefit of the customer, as they provide crucial information such as brand info, pricing, measurements, and ingredients. That said, a vendor also benefits from effective labeling as serving the customer well is to the benefit of the business owner as it leads to increased sales. You can achieve the following by using vending machine labels:
Sell More Products from Nationally Recognized Brands
Manufacturers such as Pepsico spend enormous amounts of money to popularize their brands. Most people recognize and are loyal to brands such as Lay’s, Doritos, Fritos, Cheetos, and Aquafina. With labels, you make these products easily recognizable by passersby thereby attracting people loyal to the said brands. This is especially true for candy bulk vendors whose brands are not easily identifiable from a distance. You might as well take advantage of the goodwill that has been built over the years by brands such as M&M and Skittles.
Helps With Inventory Control and Management
Product and shelf-labeling is an integral part of good vending machine inventory management. When you have several brands on offer in your vending machine, a good inventory management protocol must include visual cues of where each brand is supposed to go. It makes it easy to restock and reduces the chances of missing inventory.
Protects You From Legal Liability
In certain cases, the law requires vendors to have labels. Even where labels are not required by law, it is best to use labels when selling foods that contain ingredients such as nuts. You don’t want to be sued because someone with a peanut allergy bought an unlabeled product from your vending machine.
Makes It Easy to Trust Your Vending Machine
People are picky about where they buy their food and drinks. You want to come off as a serious trustworthy operation to your prospective customers. Having proper labeling, even when not required by law, makes your business a lot more trustworthy.
What Size Is a Vending Machine Label?
Labels come in varying sizes, with price labels generally being the smallest. A standard pricing label is around 0.75 inches long and 0.55 inches wide. For branding labels, below are the common sizes of labels of some popular brands:
- 7 UP 20 oz bottle: 1 3/4" x 3 19/32"
- Aquafina 20 oz bottle: 1 3/4" x 3 19/32"
- AMP Energy 16 oz can: 1 3/4" x 3 19/32"
- Bang Energy 16 oz can: 1 3/4" x 3 19/32"
- Gatorade Orange 12 oz bottle: 1 3/4" x 3 19/32"
The sizes are generally almost always the same for products of similar measurements.
Where Can I Get Vending Machine Labels?
You can find vending machine labels on popular sites like Amazon and Etsy, or specialty vending e-commerce sites, such as:
You may also want to check with your local Walmart if they carry vending machine labels. Some Walmarts carry a decent collection of labels for popular brands.
You can also get your vending machine labels for free. Some manufacturers, such as candy manufacturers, will gladly send you free labels if you ask. Just contact them and let them know you are a bulk vendor of their products and you’d appreciate it if they sent you some labels. Brands such as M&M, Skittles, and Jelly Belly will likely send you free labels.
Another free way to get free labels is to make them yourself. Graphic labels for popular products are freely available on the internet as images. Find the label you want and print a color copy in the size you desire. Use a pair of scissors to further cut and shape the printed label as desired. You will then need clear cellophane tape - tape over the label to give it a glossy look and make it water-resistant. A refrigerated vending machine usually has condensation; making the label water-resistant is important.
Are Labels Required for Vending Machines?
Small operators with less than 20 vending machines are not required by law to have vending machine labels. If you have more than 20 vending machines, the FDA requires that you disclose calorie information for all food products sold in your vending machine, with some exemptions.
Big operators should consider getting smart vending machines with digital screens to make complying with this regulation easy. With such a machine, you can easily display the calorie information of a product on the screen when a customer selects it.
Note, according to Vending Machine Final Rule, you can choose to use the front-of-pack labeling to disclose calorie information if you have a glass front vending machine and customers can clearly see the labeling, and provided the calorie declaration is at least 150% the minimum required size of the net weight declaration for the said packaging size. Most of the popular vending machine products from popular national brands already meet these standards.
