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.