Automatic Merchandiser

APR 2013

Automatic Merchandiser serves the business management, marketing, technology and product information needs of its readers including vending operators, coffee service operators, product brokers, and product and equipment distributors in print.

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EDITOR'S NOTE BY EMILY REFERMAT Bridging the Gap In these pages, vending thought leaders tell about the latest hot topics – everything from daily business to future technology. O ne of the goals of a trade publication is to bridge the gap between the latest innovations in an industry and the day-to-day operations of running a business. There are usually announcements of the latest available products and upcoming trends in technology. Those have to be tempered with the practices and procedures vending operators are using today, not just what they might use tomorrow. To get a good balance, we asked some of the industry experts, including some long time vending owners, to share real solutions that will successfully get operators from point A to point B via a steady, successful bridge of proftability. One leader is industry consultant Ben White, who is back in this issue to help operators understand their telemetry data and dig out the information that will increase profts. His article, How to fnd profts in telemetry data, appears on page 22. If your operation hasn't added telemetry yet, there's still important information here including vending veteran Dominic Finelli's article on merchandising at the point of sale. He covers some important basics for the beginning vendor on page 14. Having a good Website is paramount in this age of computers, tablets and smartphones. That's why we asked long-time vending Website OPERATORS don't have to remake the wheel in order to succeed Facebook/VendingMarket 6 Automatic Merchandiser @VendingMagazine VendingMarketWatch.com AUTOMATIC MERCHANDISER EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Scott Guardino Paramount Automated Food Service Pompano Beach, Fla. Randy Parks Looking ahead Let your voice be heard The 2013 State of the Vending Industry Report is going to be our focus in the next few months. As always, information from the readers of Automatic Merchandiser is paramount to providing an accurate report. Please check your email inboxes for the invitation to take the survey and help contribute to the best and most comprehensive industry-specifc report of the year. ProStar Services West Carrollton, Texas Paul Shlossberg DFW Consulting Goshen, N.Y. Mike Nugent Compass Group USA Middletown, Pa. Brad Ellis Crane Merchandising Systems St. Louis, Mo. Tom Siciliano designer Neil Swindale to give readers some Website basics. Read about building a better Website on page 34. EXPANDING AND BETTERING SERVICE Better service starts with understanding customers. That's why we reached out to Vicky Hudson, founder of a survey and market research company in St. Louis, Mo. about the importance of surveying customers. Her article is on page 18. Last, but not least, is an extraordinary operation profle about a third generation company that's been successful for three decades. J&J; Vending, a Canteen franchise in the California San Francisco Bay area, expanded its business in 2009, and has thrived because of it. The success story is on page 38. Being informed leads to better, smarter solutions. Operators don't have to reinvent the wheel, but can learn from others and use that knowledge in their own organizations. It will build a stronger industry, and one with a positive future. http://linkd.in/VendingMarketWatch April 2013 Integrity Recruiting & Consulting Inc. Huntley, Ill. Tom Britten Britten Management Services Zephyrhills, Fla. Brad Bachtelle Bachtelle & Associates Inc. Tustin, Calif. Glenn Butler CTO Services LLC Boston, Mass. Gene Ostendorf InOne Technology Hunt Valley, Md. Paul Schindelar Kraft Vending & OCS Hanover, N.J. Chuck Reed MEI West Chester, Pa. Anant Agrawal Cantaloupe Systems San Francisco, Calif.

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