01
Site Assessment
We visit and understand your location, footfall and customer requirements — who passes, when they pass and what they'd actually buy. If a spot won't work, we say so at this stage rather than after installing a machine into it.
How it works
From Installation to Refill, We Handle It.
Six steps from the first conversation to a machine that quietly does its job every day. You supply the space and the power point. We supply everything else.
02
Machine Installation
A smart vending machine is delivered, positioned and commissioned at the selected location. Scheduling is worked around your operating hours, whether that's a class timetable, a shift roster or a gym's peak slots.
03
Product Curation
Products are selected based on the audience and the location. A hostel corridor, a gym floor and an office lobby each get a different planogram, at price points that make sense for the people standing in front of them.
04
Cashless Purchase
Customers buy in seconds by paying with UPI at the machine. There is no cash box on your premises, and if a product fails to dispense the payment platform issues an automatic refund.
05
Smart Inventory Management
Every transaction is logged. We watch what sells, what stalls and which slots run dry between visits, and use that to decide what each machine should be carrying next week rather than guessing.
06
Regular Refill & Service
Our own route team keeps the machine stocked, clean and operational, working from our warehouse in Mulanthuruthy, Ernakulam. Your team is never asked to open it, fill it or fix it.
Behind the machine
Plan → Pack → Refill → Repeat
A vending machine is the visible end of an operation. The part that decides whether it's any good happens in a warehouse and a route vehicle.
NearU runs its own central warehouse, prepares a refill bag per machine per cycle, and covers locations on a planned route. That is why a machine is full on a Friday evening rather than on whichever day somebody happened to drive past.
The refill cycle
- Plan — sales data sets what each machine needs
- Pack — a refill bag is prepared per machine
- Refill — the route vehicle covers the locations
- Service — machine checked, cleaned and tested
- Repeat — the next cycle starts from fresh data
Partnership model
A Simple Partnership for Institutions
NearU works with institutions and fitness centers to create convenient automated retail points — without asking them to operate the vending business themselves.
Institution
Provides the location, access and a power point. Nothing more.
NearU
Owns and runs the machine end to end — stock, service, payments and support.
Customers
Students, members and employees buy what they need, whenever they need it.
What NearU takes care of
- Site evaluation
- Machine installation
- Product sourcing
- Inventory management
- Regular refilling
- Maintenance
- Customer support
- Payment reconciliation
What you need to provide
- A visible spot with reliable footfall
- A standard power point
- Access for our refill team
- A simple written agreement
Practicalities
The Questions That Decide It
What does it cost the institution?
There is no machine purchase and no stock investment. Commercial terms — including any location rent — are agreed per site during the discussion, and written into a simple agreement before anything is installed.
How long from agreement to a working machine?
Once the location is agreed and the paperwork is signed, installation is scheduled around your operating calendar. A machine typically starts trading within days of being positioned, not weeks.
Who pays for electricity?
The machine runs off a standard power point at the location. Electricity is usually the simplest thing on the list and is settled as part of the site agreement.
What if the machine doesn't perform at that spot?
We watch it in the data rather than waiting for a complaint. If a location genuinely isn't working after the assortment has been adjusted, relocating the machine is a normal conversation, not a dispute.
Is the food handling licensed?
Yes. NearU operates under an FSSAI licence and is a registered business in Kerala. The licence number is displayed on the machines themselves.
Ready to Start With a Site Assessment?
It begins with a visit and an honest answer about whether your location will work.