BUSINESS
BASICS
BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SMALL- AND MEDIUM-SIZE OPERATIONS
A Website creates the first impression
of a business to a new customer.
iStockphoto
How To Build A Better
Vending Website
By Alfonso Flores
Background
By using basic Web design concepts, vending
operators can market their businesses to new,
eager customers online.
O
ne of the most important aspects of any
business is marketing. Vending operators
market by wrapping their vehicles
with logos, mailing brochures or taking out print or radio ads, but what
about the digital marketplace?
Search engines are the new phone
books and people use social media
as an alternative news source, yet,
according to Neil Swindale owner of
VendCentral, a digital marketing frm
dedicated to helping vending com34
Automatic Merchandiser
pany owners grow their businesses,
most operators aren't utilizing the
Web to its full potential.
"If somebody lands on your
Website, chances are they don't know
who you are," Swindale said. "They're
going to base their perception of your
company on your Website."
That is why it's so important for
vending operators to budget for, and
plan the creation of, a Website before
committing to creating it. Swindale
believes having a cheap Website is
almost as bad as not having one at all.
VendingMarketWatch.com
April 2013
Swindale operated his own vending
company for a number of years before
launching VendCentral 15 years ago,
so he has been on both sides of using
the Web for digital marketing. He
believes there are two main concepts
to focus on when developing a Website
— conversion and search engine optimization (SEO).
Conversion
Swindale defnes conversion as the
Website's design and navigability.
First impressions are everything in
sales, and when consumers come
to a vending Website, their frst
impression of the entire operation
lies in what the Website looks like,
and how much it can tell them. Swindale focuses on three key factors to
conversion that can make or break
a vending operation Website. They
are design, information and images.