What is a vending app?
A vending app is a web or mobile application that enables users to sell items through vending machines. Vending apps usually include interfaces for viewing inventory, setting prices, and adding new products to the machine.
Vending apps are similar to retailing apps and couponing apps. Popular vending apps include Vend, Coinstar, and the Amazon Local Register.
Examples of vending apps built with Crowdbotics:
- An app for smart food lockers. App would allow users to buy hot foods from a locker. Users can pay using Stripe or through the app. App could be built for Android, iOS, or Windows.
What is the typical cost to build a vending app?
A vending app usually costs about $37,500 to build. However, the total cost can be as low as $25,000 or as high as $50,000. A vending app with a low number of features (also known as a minimum viable product, or MVP) will be more affordable than an app that includes all intended functionality.
For example, here are some previous vending app price quotes from Crowdbotics:
How long does it take to build a vending app?
A vending app usually takes 333 hours to build. However, a vending app can be built in as few as 267 hours, or in as many as 400 hours. The exact timeline mostly depends on how complicated your specific app is. As a general rule, it will take longer if you require highly custom designs, niche features, complex logic, or non-standard release platforms.
For example, some previous vending apps build with Crowdbotics received the following hourly estimates:
Not seeing what you’re looking for?
Crowdbotics has quoted and built hundreds of applications for teams of all sizes. Browse our historical estimates by industry and app type to understand possible costs and considerations.
How to successfully grow your vending application
Vending machines have traditionally been sold to businesses that already had a large customer base. A vending app can collect user data from its users and use it to find potential customers in other locations, in order to expand the company’s reach. If a vending app is able to demonstrate that it can increase sales for its existing customers, then it will have an easier time selling itself to new customers. It’s important for a vending app to accurately track the number of items sold, so that it can provide real-time reporting and provide business owners with useful insights into their daily operations.
Risks and challenges of building a vending application
A vending app faces legal and logistical challenges related to the sale of goods or services. Depending on your business model, you may need to secure the proper sales tax licenses. You should avoid storing credit card information due to PCI compliance, and it is recommended that you have a robust feedback system in place for tracking user experience.
