In the old days, if you wanted to scale a clothing brand, you had to open fashion boutiques in strategic brick-and-mortar locations. Such locations commanded huge rents, making it almost impossible for small brands to enter the fashion space. Today, you can launch a successful fashion business online using platforms such as Shopify and BigCommerce. If you want to compete with the local fashion boutiques, technology now allows you to use unmanned stores (clothing vending machines) to sell simple clothing items such as t-shirts, shoes, socks, and undergarments. In this article, I will explore how you can start and run clothing vending machines.

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What Is a Clothing Vending Machine?

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A clothing vending machine is a vending machine designed to dispense articles of clothing. Many vending machine manufacturers build machines that can be customized to dispense non-traditional vending products, including clothes. Unlike food and beverage machines, clothes vending machines are non-refrigerated and offer vendors more customization options, given the many types and sizes of clothes that a vendor may want to offer for sale.

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When buying a clothing vending machine, buying one from a manufacturer offering customizations is best. Consider the following variables when making a decision:

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• The vending setup. Depending on how the machine is set up, a normal-sized clothing vending machine can carry 50 to 300 articles of clothing. To get the most out of the machine's capacity, you want to buy a machine set up to dispense products rolled up into small boxes/tubes/packaging.

• A digital media player. A media player allows you to advertise the contents of a clothing vending machine to passersby. Using a thumb drive or an SD card, you can upload pictures and videos. 

• Full interior customization. If you have clarity on the exact kind of clothing you intend to vend, you can get the manufacturer to customize the interior of the vending machine to fit your exact needs. The manufacturer will probably ask you to send product samples.

• Custom graphics. Eye-catching wraps and branded graphics allow you to make a bold statement about your clothing brand/business. You can get a manufacturer to ship the machine with the custom graphics already done.

• Payment methods. At a minimum, a modern clothing vending machine should accept cash and credit cards. Further, you should be able to add mobile wallets such as Google Pay, Apple Pay, and Cash App.

• Inventory tracking. Stockouts inconvenience customers. With remote inventory tracking capability, you can monitor your stock levels remotely to ensure you never have a stockout.

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What Type of Clothing Can You Dispense from a Clothing Vending Machine?

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T-shirts are the most popular products in clothing vending machines. That said, you can dispense any item of clothing with a predictable size and fit. The following types of clothing will do well in a clothing vending machine:

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• T-shirts

• Socks

• Boxers and briefs

• Lingerie

• Bras

• Shoes

• Bucket hats

• Beanies

• Stocking caps

• Vests

• Swimming wear

• Gym apparel

• Gloves

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What Locations Do You Place a Clothing Vending Machine in?

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The success of a vending machine business is determined mainly by its vending location. The best locations for your clothing vending machine will have the following characteristics:

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• Safe, secure place where the risk of vandalism and theft is low

• Where the machine is in the field of view of a security camera

• High foot traffic - preferably more than 50 people seeing the vending machine daily

• Shopping districts are best, as people are already in the mood to buy stuff

• Manageable commission to the location owner of no more than 20 percent of gross sales

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Generally, a clothing vending machine will do well in the following locations:

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• Shopping malls

• Sidewalk malls

• Popular campsites

• Hotels

• Grocery stores

• Airports

• Resorts

• Gas stations

• Train and bus stations

• Car wash

• College or university

• Rest area/wayside park

• In front of shops on walkable main streets

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Before you can put a clothing vending machine at a specific location, you will need the property manager's or location owner's permission. You can find suitable locations yourself or hire an independent vending locator to scout for locations for you. Also, you can use our service to get a list of potential clothing vending machine locations near you, plus their contact information. With such a list, all you have to do is call the property managers or owners to ask them if they’d be open to having your vending machine on their property.

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Are T-Shirt Vending Machines Profitable?

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T-shirt vending machines help you eliminate two biggest operating expenses when running a physical fashion business: rent and payroll. The cost savings allow a vendor to have a better-than-average profit margin per article of clothing sold.

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That said, the overall profitability of the T-shirt vending machine business depends on how many clothing articles you can sell. Below are some things you can do to increase the likelihood of your clothing vending machine business's success.

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• Invest time in finding a good location. Location is the most significant factor determining the success of a vending business. Take time to find a location that attracts more than 50 people per day and has a demographic likely to buy the kinds of T-shirts you intend to sell.

• Stock in-demand clothing items. Do market research to determine the clothing items people in your area will likely buy from a vending machine. Should you sell plain, solid-color t-shirts or printed ones? How about polo shirts?

• Find an attractive vending machine. Make buying t-shirts from your vending machine a novel experience - people will return to purchase from you again and even tell their friends and family about your machines. Choose a modern machine with an integrated touchscreen and payment solutions like ApplePay and Google Pay.

• Find a reliable T-shirt supplier. The quality of garments matters. You want to ensure the quality of your offerings remains consistent to attract repeat purchases. You need to have a reliable supplier for this to be possible.

• Buy t-shirts in bulk to take advantage of bulk discounts. Manufacturers and suppliers are more willing to offer discounts when you order in bulk. You can transfer these savings to your customers or maintain your prices for bigger profit margins.

• Offer a size guide for perfect fits. People may be wary of buying T-shirts from a vending machine, fearing they won’t fit. Ensure your vending machine has a size guide to ensure your customers always get a fitting T-shirt.

• Market your vending machine business. You can promote your clothing vending business through social media. Showcase your designs on social media and engage with relevant online groups in your area. Further, you can run promotions on your vending machine’s display, encouraging people to post about your vending machine on social media to land a promo code.

• Take advantage of trends. In addition to your timeless stock, consider stocking trendy contemporary streetwear. There are online subcultures with members devoted to acquiring trendy tees, including limited edition reissues. Following such communities (e.g., streetwear subreddits) can help you find in-demand trendy tees.

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Ultimately, how profitable your T-shirt vending machine becomes depends mainly on your business skills and vending location. 

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 Can You Sell Custom T-shirts from Vending Machines?

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Yes, you can sell custom T-shirts from vending machines. It is an efficient way to get your designs into the hands of consumers without incurring the heavy capital costs associated with starting a brick-and-mortar boutique. 

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When setting up your custom T-shirt vending machine, consider getting custom graphics on the machine that emphasize that the T-shirts are locally designed and printed. People looking to support the local economy will buy from you if they know the money supports local entrepreneurs. 

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Further, you can partner with local organizations to make custom-branded T-shirts and sell them on their premises or at strategic vending locations. Organizations such as state parks and charitable causes often want to sell custom promotional merchandise, and they may need a third party's help to sell the merchandise. 

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When selling custom T-shirts using a vending machine, it helps to have a touchscreen display where users can browse the designs and sizes available. Upload good descriptions of your custom designs, complete with pictures.

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Final Thoughts

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Vending machines have revolutionized retail. You can now compete with big fashion stores and sell in-demand articles of clothing to members of your community using unmanned stores. Running clothing vending machines is viable if you can find a good vending machine and location and provide great designs, quality garments, and an extensive size guide.