The most valuable thing about a payment isn’t the payment

Insights from Vendon Cloud Live Session III with Janis Kugenieks, Key Account Manager at Vendon

Most operators look at payment systems as a way to complete a transaction.

Customer pays. Product vends. Sale recorded.

End of story.

Except it isn’t.

Increasingly, the most valuable part of a transaction is not the payment itself. It’s the information that payment creates.

Transaction data can reveal why sales are falling, which locations are truly profitable, where customers abandon purchases, and whether a machine problem is actually a payment problem.

During Vendon Cloud Live Session III, Key Account Manager Janis Kugenieks explored how payment visibility helps operators make better business decisions across vending and unattended retail operations.

As Janis pointed out during the session, operators historically had to wait until they physically visited a machine to understand what had happened. Sales data, cash levels, transaction information, and machine performance all remained hidden until the next collection or service visit.

Today, payment data provides operators with a much clearer view of what’s happening across the fleet.

And in many cases, it reveals opportunities that would otherwise remain invisible.

When the machine wasn’t the problem

One operator was dealing with a vending machine that had been underperforming for months.

Sales were lower than expected compared to similar locations, and the operator began questioning whether the machine itself was the issue.

Maybe the machine was too small.

Maybe the product mix was wrong.

Maybe it needed to be replaced.

But when transaction data was analyzed in Vendon Cloud, a different pattern emerged.

More than 90% of purchases at that location were cashless. Whenever the card reader experienced interruptions, sales dropped.

Customers weren’t rejecting the machine.

They were abandoning purchases because they couldn’t complete the payment.

The difference matters.

Replacing the machine would have been an expensive solution to the wrong problem.

Instead, the operator replaced the payment device and sales returned to expected levels.

The insight didn’t come from sales data alone.

It came from understanding how customers were actually interacting with the machine.

Revenue doesn’t always equal profit

Another example discussed during the session involved a location that appeared to be one of the strongest performers in the fleet.

A university site generated the highest monthly sales of any location operated by the company.

On the surface, everything looked excellent.

But payment data revealed a more nuanced picture.

The location generated a very high volume of low-value purchases. While revenue was strong, payment processing costs were also significantly higher than at many other locations.

Meanwhile, another site with lower overall sales generated larger average transaction values and better margins.

The operator realized that revenue rankings were hiding profitability differences.

That insight led to changes in pricing and product strategy.

The lesson is straightforward.

Sales tell operators what happened.

Transaction data often explains why.

Faster refunds, stronger customer relationships

Janis also highlighted a challenge familiar to almost every vending operator.

A customer pays for a product that never dispenses.

The refund itself may only be a few euros or dollars, but the administrative effort required to process it can be surprisingly expensive.

Operators often need to locate transaction records, communicate with payment providers, verify information, and respond to the customer.

Vendon Payments simplifies this process by allowing operators to locate and refund transactions directly through Vendon Cloud.

For customers, that means quicker resolutions.

For operators, it means less administrative work.

For location owners, it means fewer complaints.

The individual refund may be small.

The impact on customer experience is not.

Understanding the business behind the transaction

Throughout the session, Janis emphasized that payment visibility is about much more than collecting money.

It helps operators understand customer behavior, machine performance, profitability, and operational efficiency.

Transaction data can reveal where customers walk away, where payment systems create friction, how cash and cashless sales differ across locations, and where opportunities exist to improve performance.

When combined with machine monitoring and operational data, payment information becomes a management tool rather than simply an accounting record.

The operators who use that information effectively gain a clearer understanding of their business.

And in a market where margins continue to face pressure, that understanding can be just as valuable as the transaction itself.

About Vendon

Vendon is Europe’s leading connectivity platform for mixed vending and coffee machine fleets of any size, working globally with a presence in over 110 countries. Our platform is focused on usability, achieving your business goals, and growing your profit.