Your Vending Trial Is Ending: Decide What Evidence Is Enough
At the end of a vending trial, a single sales total rarely explains the result. Review whether the machine was available, the intended users had access and the product range was actually tested before deciding to continue, change or end the arrangement.
Return to the agreed trial question
State what the trial was intended to establish: a useful staff service, demand for a particular range or suitability of a location. Use the criteria agreed with the supplier rather than inventing a new target after seeing the result. Keep commercial terms and operational observations separate. This review does not override the written agreement or create an automatic extension.
Check whether the trial was representative
List closures, building work, payment faults and long stockouts that limited the test. Record how many ordinary operating days were available. If most of the trial coincided with unusually low attendance, say so. Equally, do not treat a launch event’s unusually busy day as evidence that every week will perform the same way.
Use several kinds of evidence
Compare product availability, purchases, service effort and relevant customer feedback. Inventory systems can support the review where correctly configured, but their data should be checked against visit records. Distinguish people wanting a different range from people unable to find or use the machine. Those problems lead to different actions.
Make one documented next decision
Agree whether to continue unchanged, test a specific adjustment or follow the agreed process for ending the service. If more time is proposed, define the question, duration and review date in writing with the supplier. Assign owners for the changes and tell the site what happens next. Avoid an indefinite trial that continues without anyone knowing how success will be judged.
Source: supporting primary guidance. For site-specific help, explore our fully managed vending service or contact our team. Related reading: Vending Machine Launch Review: Your First 30 Days.