Which of the following is useful in selling several products such as hot beverages, platform tickets, milk, soft drinks, chocolates, newspaper, etc?

Vending Machine

The correct answer is option 2- Vending Machine.

Vending machines are the newest revolution in marketing methods. Coin operated vending machines are proving useful in selling several products such as hot beverages, platform tickets, milk, soft drinks, chocolates, newspaper, etc., in many countries. Apart from some of the products mentioned here, the latest area in which this concept is getting popular in many parts of our country (particularly in the urban areas) is the case of Automated Teller Machines (ATM) in the banking service. As the name suggests, these machines have altogether changed the concept of banking and made it possible to withdraw money at any time without visiting any branch of a bank. Vending machines can be useful for selling pre-packed brands of low priced products which have high turnover and which are uniform in size and weight. However, the initial cost of installing a vending machine and the expenditure on regular maintenance and repair are quite high. Also consumers cannot feel or see the product before buying and do not have the opportunity of returning unwanted goods. Apart from that, special packs have to be developed for the machines. The machines have to be made reliable in their operations. In spite of these limitations, with the growth in the economy, vending machines have a promising future in retail sales of high turnover and low priced consumer products.

OTHER OPTIONS-

• Mail Order Houses- Mail order houses are the retail outlets that sell their merchandise through mail. There is generally no direct personal contact between the buyers and the sellers in this type of trading. For obtaining orders, potential customers are approached through advertisements in newspapers or magazines, circulars, catalogues, samples and bills, and price lists sent to them by post. All the relevant information about the products such as the price, features, delivery terms, terms of payment, etc., are described in the advertisement. On receiving the orders, the items are carefully scrutinised with respect to the specifications asked for by the buyers and are complied with through the post office.

• Departmental stores- A departmental store is a large establishment offering a wide variety of products, classified into well-defined departments, aimed at satisfying practically every customer’s need under one roof. It has a number of departments, each one confining its activities to one kind of product.

• Super Markets- A super market is a large retailing business unit selling wide variety of consumer goods on the basis of low price appeal, wide variety and assortment, self-service and heavy emphasis on merchandising appeal.