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The vending machine industry has extended its reach into every location imaginable. One of the most lucrative locations for vending machines is gyms and other fitness clubs. Gym vending machines can come in many forms, including snack vending machines, drink vending machines, and specialty retail vending machines. Below, we’ll explore the benefits of vending machines in fitness centers, discuss the best-selling products, investigate the best machines to buy, and explain how to save money with DIY gym vending machines.
Benefits of Vending Machines in Gyms
The advantages of vending machines in gyms are undeniable. No matter what a person’s role is in a gym (owner, employee, or member), they will be able to benefit in at least one significant way, if not multiple.
They Provide Healthy Snacks, Beverages, and Supplements
Gym goers rely on healthy snacks and drinks to fuel their workouts and help with recovery after training. Vending machines are a convenient source of nutrition and performance boosters that will help gym members make progress towards their goals and get the most out of their workouts.
Improves the Gym’s Profits
When a gym owner also owns the vending machines on the property, they will benefit financially. May gym memberships cost only $10 a month, and these members will be highly likely to spend money on vending machine items to support an establishment that is charging them so little for use of the facilities. The increase in revenue will help keep the doors open and improve the gym offerings for the members down the road.
Easy to Manage
Vending machines don’t require too much maintenance on a regular basis, especially when they are purchased new. As a result, employees will have more time to give the gym members for fitness training rather than serving food and drinks.
Some vending suppliers will even take care of restocking and maintenance needs themselves, completely removing this responsibility from gym owners/employees.
Improved Morale
One of the most commonly reported benefits of vending machines is a boost in morale, and this is true in every location. Not only will gym employees have access to excellent options for their breaks, but gym members will be able to give their all to their workouts even if they’ve forgotten some of their essentials that day.
They Increase the Gym’s Reputation
Gyms that have at least one vending machine are more popular than gyms without them. Vending machines can meet multiple needs at once: healthy snacks for recovery, pre-workout supplements to boost training performance, multiple healthy options for hydration, and all of the gear they could need.
With vending machines taking care of gym members in these ways, they will look more favorably on the business and will keep coming back. Word-of-mouth advertising is a huge component here, too.
Gym employees will also view the gym as a more favorable place to work, so staffing issues won’t be as much of a concern either.
What Products Are Selling the Best in Gyms?
Gyms are a fairly unique site in the vending world, as they can offer more than just snack and drinks to the people that make purchases from them. The most popular vending products in gyms include healthier options for snacks and sports drinks, various supplements, and a broad range of specialty retail items.
Healthy Snacks and Beverages
Healthy snacks and drinks are more important at the gym than anywhere else. Before and after an intense workout, gym members can fuel up and recover with protein shakes, sports drinks, energy drinks, fresh fruits and vegetables, smoothies, energy bars, and more. Gym goers who care about their health would appreciate seeing healthy vending machine snacks and drinks as they enter or exit a workout.
Supplements
Adding supplements to your vending machine can provide much-needed nutrition to those working out, allowing your machine to serve as both a pre and post-workout supplement source within a gym. Supplements like creatine, protein bars, protein powder, energy drinks, and pre-workout mixes make excellent additions to any gym vending machine.
Specialty Retail Items & Club Merchandise
Filling a vending machine with specialty retail items like protein bars and protein shakes is a great way to improve retail sales in a gym. Popular items include towels, duffel bags, headphones, reusable water bottles and shaker cups, various wraps and straps, etc.
One thing that really sets gym vending machines apart from machines at different sites is the ability to build brand loyalty. Club merchandise such as t-shirts and ball caps can easily be sold in specialty retail machines, and there aren’t many other sectors of business that will make use of this unique ability to tailor the contents to their specific customers.
Best Gym Vending Machines to Buy
Gyms are fantastic locations for vending machines due to their high foot traffic and available spaces near entrances, which are perfect for various types of vending machines. While any standard drink or snack vending machine might work, it’s important to consider what you plan to stock before selecting a specific machine.
Gyms aren’t places where customers typically want the standard assortment of vending machine items like candy bars or soft drinks. Instead, they prefer a variety of healthy snacks and drinks, as well as items related to athletics, such as protein bars, sports drinks, and supplements. These items may not fit the dimensions of a standard machine, so choosing the right vending machine is crucial.
For compact gym locations where space is limited, a combination vending machine like the SM2300 is ideal.
It allows you to accommodate multiple high-demand food and drink items that perform well in gym environments. If space isn’t an issue, any standard full-size snack or drink machine would be a great choice, offering the flexibility to stock a wide variety of products that cater to gym-goers' preferences.
Turn a Combo Machine into a Gym Vending Machine
If a new, ready-to-function gym vending machine is just not within your means, you’re in luck. There is still a one thing to do to add a vending machine to your fitness club without breaking the bank.
A combo vending machine is the perfect way to begin a gym vending machine business. You can purchase one for a small amount of money from an independent seller on various websites (Facebook Marketplace, eBay, etc.) or find a cheaper machine for sale from a vending machine refurbishing company. If these options still cost more than you’re able to spend, you could also look into grants, leasing options, and additional financing solutions from third parties or friends and families.
Once you’ve purchased a combo vending machine that is suited to your intended stock type, you just need to pay for some custom graphics to make the machine stand out in the gym. The custom graphics should let people know what items are sold in the machine.
If the machine is an older model, you may also want to update the payment systems to make the machine more accessible. This can include compatibility with mobile devices for payment systems like apple pay and/or traditional card readers for debit/credit cards. These options, in addition to a functional bill acceptor for cash payments, will encourage more people to use the machine and won’t discriminate against those that don’t carry cash or coins to the gym.
With the right configuration of products being sold, payment systems, and an eye-catching exterior, your cheap (or even free) combo vending machine will become a highly profitable gym vending machine in no time.
P.S In case you want to go full-on professional, you can order a custom vending machine for your gym with all the specifics taken care of in advance.
Wrapping Up
Gym vending machines are a wonderful addition to health clubs for a variety of reasons. There are many advantages for employees and gym members who can become customers, and gym owners also benefit greatly. With the relative ease with which they can be acquired, there’s really no reason not to include vending machines in gyms. The chances are retail sales will flourish. They are the leading solution for providing healthy snacks, beverages, and workout gear to clients in a convenient and accessible manner.
