Why Your Business Needs Gumball Machines

Gumball machines are classic display fixtures for a wide assortment of merchandise. You can fill these machines with gumballs or other kinds of bulk unwrapped candy, or you can use them as display fixtures for small children’s toys like bouncy balls, play jewelry, and action figures.

If you’re still unsure about whether or not your business can benefit from gumball machine displays, think about how convenient they are for you and your customers, how attractively they display merchandise, and how well they provide opportunities for passive income.

Gumball Machines Are Convenient for You and Your Customers

One of your first priorities to your customers is to make sure you offer the merchandise they need in convenient ways, but wouldn’t it be great if you could also make sure things are convenient for you?

Yes! And that’s where gumball machine displays come into play.

Just consider all the ways these machines add convenience to your shoppers’ experiences and your store operating duties:

• You can fill the machines with gumballs; snacks like unwrapped pieces of candy, peanuts, or trail mix; and small children’s toys like bouncy balls.

• You can offer as much merchandise as you want using these machines. The heads of these machines come in a variety of sizes, so you can find heads that will hold as much or as little merchandise as you want. Plus, you can look for machines with as few as one head or as many as eight, so you can make your merchandise display as small or as large as you want.

• You can place the machines virtually anywhere in your store. There are gumball machines designed to sit on countertops and stand on floors, so you can place them near your countertops and registers for point of sale purchases, near your store’s entries and exits so customers can make a purchase on their way in or out, and throughout your store to complement other merchandise displays.

Gumball Machines Are Attractive Display Fixtures in Any Business

Because it’s easy to find gumball machines in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and styles these days, it’s also easy to find the perfect gumball machine for any business. When you think about businesses that use these machines, you probably think of convenience stores and gas stations, toy stores, and grocery stores.

However, gumball machines are also great additions to:

• Movie rental stores and movie theaters.
• Restaurants and specialty food shops like yogurt shops, bagel shops, and ice cream parlors.
• Beauty salons and barbershops.
• Hotel and motel lobbies.
• Travel information centers.
  

Gumball Machines Offer Options for Passive Income

Gumball machines provide one of the most passive income options around.

Think about it: You don’t have to worry about sales or promotions. You don’t have to think about encouraging your customers to purchase the gumballs or the handful of candy or the bouncy balls as add-on items. All you have to do is buy your machine, position it somewhere in your store, make sure it stays filled with whatever product you want, and collect the money!

3 Tips for Using Gumball Machines in Your Business

Gumball machines are extremely popular display tools for a number of businesses. Every establishment from convenience stores to hotels can use gumball machines to offer their customers extra sweet treats, snacks, or toys – all the while increasing sales.

1. Think about the Location of Your Gumball Machines

Gumball machines work well in the following locations:

• Just on the inside or outside of the store’s entryway. Because the merchandise – the gumballs, other treats, or small toys – are enclosed in the machine’s heads, there’s little chance a customer with sticky fingers can walk away without paying.

• At the ends of the store’s aisles. Placing the machines in high-traffic areas allows more customers to see them and maybe make a quick purchase while they’re already shopping.

• Near the store’s countertop and register. Situating your machines near the checkout puts the merchandise in front of customers – and gives them one last chance for a treat – before they leave.

2. Consider the Number of Heads for Your Gumball Machines

The “head” of a gumball machine is the clear round or square container at the top that holds the gumballs or other merchandise. Gumball displays are available with as few as one head and as many as eight heads.

As you’re considering the number of heads to include, consider the following factors:

• The different kinds of merchandise you want to display in your machines. If you only want to sell one kind of gumball – or, just gumballs, period – then a machine with one head will work for you. However, if you want to sell an assortment of gumballs or a variety of candies, treats, or small toys like bouncy balls, then you might want to select displays that offer several heads.

• The amount of traffic you expect your machines to see. If your store experiences a high volume of customers, chances are a display with several gumball heads will work best for you; but, if your store is small and doesn’t experience a high number of customers, you might want to use a display with just one, or a few, heads.

• The amount of space you have to work with. Obviously, you need to choose a gumball display that will fit in the space you’ve allotted for it. Storeowners with little space might want to choose machines with single heads situated on a skinny stand, while storeowners with lots of space might be more interested in larger gumball displays with multiple heads situated on a metal rack-style stand.

3. Have Fun with Your Gumball Machines!

Gone are the days of using only traditional gumball machines with round or square heads. These days, you can find gumball machines in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and styles!

Spice up your display with machines in fun shapes like rocket ships and with clear stands so customers can see their gumballs as they travel down to greet them! You can also fill your gumball machines with other kinds of merchandise – both edible and non-edible – such as pieces of candy, peanuts, trail mix, and bouncy balls.

Where Can You Use Lollipop Displays?

There is certainly no shortage of lollipop enthusiasts – customers young and old love these sweet treats! No matter what kind of business you operate, situating a lollipop display is a great way to put this favored candy in the limelight and increase your sales.

Can Your Business Use Lollipop Displays?

In a nutshell – yes! Whether you’re in the business of selling candy, clothing, toys, or hospitality services, your establishment can use lollipop displays. These displays are great for encouraging add-on items at checkout counters or simply putting a smile on a child’s face. Consider these options for using lollipop displays in your business:

• Candy Stores: It goes without saying that no candy store is complete without a lollipop display!

• Convenience Stores/Gas Stations: These establishments cater to travelers and on-the-go shoppers who need quick snacks for themselves and their children.

• Toy Stores: Children love lollipops, so it only makes sense to include lollipop trees as part of your merchandise selection.

• Bookstores: Bookstores often sell small edible items near their registers, and lollipops are definitely easy snacks for your customers to maneuver while they’re reading the books they just purchased.

• Restaurants: Restaurants might want to situate a lollipop display near their checkout registers for families with children or adults who like low-calorie sweet treats after dinner.

• Hotels/Motels: The lobbies and dining areas of hotels and motels are convenient, visible places to display lollipops for sale.

• Gift Shops: Many gift shops include small sweet treats as add-on options for gift purchases.

Which Lollipop Display Is Best for Your Business?

Consider the kind of business you operate and the amount of space you have to work with as you’re thinking about which lollipop display is best for your business.

Establishments that have plenty of floor space to work with can use tall, lollipop trees. These convenient, space-saving trees can come with as many as a hundred or more lollipops and are great for businesses that wish to situate their displays in high-traffic areas like hotel lobbies, children’s toy aisles, and close to checkout registers.

Lollipop displays also come in compact countertop displays. You can find

• Colored or clear plastic container displays filled with an assortment of suckers.

• Decorated cardboard lollipop displays filled with specialized or novelty lollipops.

Keep in mind that you can easily refill these displays once they’re empty, or use the containers for another purpose altogether. You can also find additional pre-filled candy containers to complement your countertop lollipop displays. Not only is this an excellent way to offer your customers add-on merchandise to purchase, but it also offers additional options for customers who might not like candy with sticks like lollipops and suckers.

For example, if your lollipop display consists of Jawbreaker suckers, you might want to also add a wooden basket display filled with regular Jawbreakers. Similarly, if your lollipop display offers suckers with bubblegum in the center, you can situate it close to a round plastic container filled with gumballs.

Did You Know About Pre-Filled Candy Containers?

If you’ve ever worked or shopped in any kind of retail or restaurant establishment, you’re probably pretty familiar with plastic candy containers. Business owners use these containers to hold and display a variety of merchandise types – not just candy – because they’re durable, versatile, inexpensive, and lend themselves to attractive counter top displays. Other kinds of businesses, like carnivals and theme or amusement parks, can also use these containers for storing and showcasing merchandise as well as collecting admission tickets and tokens.

However, did you know you can find pre-filled candy containers? Ordering containers already filled with merchandise is a convenience for many businesses, and there are plenty of additional uses for the containers once they’re empty.

Pre-Filled Candy Containers Offer Convenience

Pre-filled candy containers are convenient tools for convenience stores, restaurants, and other businesses just opening up. Any business that plans to regularly sell large quantities of candy should order bulk candy wholesale, but start-up businesses might not have time to work out all the kinks before Opening Day. These businesses can get a head start when they order plastic or acrylic containers already filled with candy.

Too, not every business orders bulk candy wholesale. For example, not many restaurants focus on candy as a main course, obviously, but lots of restaurants do offer hard candy or gumballs to their customers at the check out register. These restaurants can order plastic containers filled with candy or gumballs as they need them and without having to worry about ordering and storing bulk items. Therefore, these businesses can benefit from clean, streamlined path from the candy distributing company to their own counter tops. The simply order the containers pre-filled with candy, receive them, and place them on the counter top. It’s that simple!

Pre-Filled Containers Include More Than Just Candy

You can find pre-filled containers that offer more than just candy, gumballs, or lollipops. Depending on your business, you might want to look for containers already filled with food items like pretzels, trail mix, cereal, or even coffee.

Don’t Trash Your Container Once the Candy’s Gone

Once you’ve sold all the candy or other food item, you don’t have to trash the container. These plastic containers are reusable and quite versatile. Consider these ideas:

• Refill your empty container with the same item. If you ordered a pre-filled container because your business was just starting out, chances are you’ve already started ordering bulk quantities of whatever items you plan to sell and can now begin filling the containers yourself.
• Use the empty container for another purpose. Perhaps you don’t want to sell the candy or another food item anymore, or maybe you’ve thought of another way you’d like to use the container. Many businesses use plastic containers to collect tips, take patrons’ business cards, and store and display other kinds of merchandise.
• Donate the empty container. Another establishment in your area, whether it’s a business similar to yours; a carnival, amusement or theme park; or a charity or fundraising event might have need for your old plastic containers.
  

Gumball Machines and Bulk Candy Vending Machines

Candy Concepts has launched a new line of gumball machines and bulk candy vending machines including:

• The CCI Rocket Sprio Gumball Machine
• The CCI 4 Foot Wiz Kid Gumball Machine
• The CCI 5 Foot Wizard Gumball Machine
• Classic Styled Single, Double, Triple, Quad Gumball Candy Machines on Stands
• Pro Styled Single, Double, Triple, Quad Gumball Candy Machines on Stands
• 6 and 8 unit Vendors
• Gumball Machines that also dispense superballs, bouncy balls, toy capsules and more!

Candy Concepts Inc. also offers bulk gumballs in 35 different flavors, bulk candy, and bouncy balls for filling these machines.

Please call 1.877.234.1222 or visit www.candyconceptsinc.com today!