Snack foods are distributed to maximize market absorption.
Snack foods are a quick, cheap and convenient way to calm hunger pangs, whether you're a cubicle dweller looking for a 3 p.m. pick-me-up or a grade school student in need of some extracurricular nourishment. There are a number of established distribution channels for snack foods, Using these distribution channels, consumers can see the product displayed in a simple and appetizing way.
Retail Stores
Perhaps the most basic snack food distribution method is keeping the product stocked at grocery stores, convenience stores and gas stations. Shoppers at grocery stores are already looking to buy food, so snack foods are often positioned in eye-catching locations. People also frequently go into convenience and gas station stores to get a snack.
Vending Machines
Spend 10 minutes in any school or office space and you're bound to locate a couple vending machines: one for beverages, and one for snack foods. Despite a grassroots movement to eliminate snack food vending machines from schools and office buildings as a way to improve eating habits, snack food vending machines remain an American standard. Vending machines offer an simple and inexpensive way to stock snack foods, and their clear glass display also functions as an advertisement for the products inside.
Mobile Food Carts
Most mobile food carts stock pre-packaged snack foods such as potato chips and candy bars in addition to hot food items like hot dogs or pretzels. Many entrepreneurs buy or rent mobile snack carts to make a living on city streets. Snack foods can quickly gain exposure just from their display on the snack cart.
Entertainment Venues
Where there's fun, there are snack foods. Entertainment centers such as Disney World, Disneyland, Discovery Zone and Busch Gardens have snack foods available at their many snack bars and dining locations. Entertainment centers offer a great location to expose consumers from all over the world to new and different snack foods. This in turn can generate interest in and demand for a new product.
Hotels, Caf s, and Restaurants
Many snack foods are distributed via the hospitality industry, which includes hotels, motels, caf s and restaurants. Hotels and motels can stock snack foods in their minibars for their guests' convenience. Caf s and restaurants offer snack foods such as potato chips or pre-packaged cookies to accompany freshly-made sandwiches. The hospitality industry is an effective vehicle to raise brand recognition of snack foods.
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