Site Intelligence
Before we sell you a box, we count the footsteps.
Site Intelligence is 8Kava's vending location analysis. We measure who passes a spot, when they pass, how long they stay and what else feeds them, then recommend a format, a placement and an opening assortment, or tell you plainly that the site isn't ready.
Six inputs that decide whether a spot will sell
Traffic at the spot
How many people pass this exact spot, by hour and by day. Aggregate door, badge or occupancy counts where the host can share them; on-site observation where they can't.
Shifts and hours
When people arrive, take breaks and leave. A three-shift plant and a hybrid office with a Tuesday peak need different formats and different restock days.
Dwell
How long people stand still nearby. A break room with half-hour lunches sells meals; a corridor people cross in seconds sells drinks.
Competition
The cafeteria's hours, the café across the street, the old machine in the basement. We map what already feeds people, and when it closes.
Format fit
Power, network, door widths and the path from the dock, plus whether the crowd suits open shelves or needs a locking door.
Payment habits
Cards, phones, badges, payroll deduct, subsidies. How the site pays shapes the hardware and the payment programs we propose.
Headcount is a guess. Footsteps are a measurement.
The old vending rule of thumb says a site needs a certain number of employees before it's worth serving. It gets two things wrong. It counts people who might be in the building instead of people who pass the spot, and it ignores when they're there. A large office campus that empties at 5 p.m. can sell less than a small plant running three shifts.
Site Intelligence replaces the rule of thumb with the inputs that actually move sales: traffic at the spot, hours of need, dwell, nearby alternatives and the fit between crowd and format. Our guide to site scoring walks through the model, including the cases where a small site beats a big one.
- Scores the spot, not the building.
- Weights hours of need, not just hours of occupancy.
- Accounts for what already feeds people nearby.
Four steps from floor plan to recommendation
Send us the basics
Floor plans, operating hours, shift schedules and any aggregate counts you can share. A contact who knows the building helps more than any spreadsheet.
Walk it at the hours that matter
An 8Kava specialist or a trained field partner walks the site, including the early, late and weekend hours when a store matters most.
Score each candidate spot
Traffic, shifts, dwell, competition and format fit are combined into a score for every candidate location, not one score for the whole building.
Get a plan, or a no
Format, placement, opening assortment, and both purchase and VaaS numbers. Or a written no-go, with what would have to change.
Rule of thumb vs. Site Intelligence
| Question | Rule-of-thumb siting | Site Intelligence |
|---|---|---|
| What gets counted | Headcount in the building | Traffic at the spot, by hour |
| Hours | Assumed 9 to 5 | Measured, including nights and weekends |
| Format | Whatever the catalog leads with | Chosen by dwell, crowd and power |
| Placement | Wherever there's an outlet | Where people already walk |
| Opening assortment | A generic planogram | Built for the site's shifts and habits |
| When the answer is no | Rarely said out loud | Said in writing, with reasons |
What lands on your desk
Every assessment ends with a short written report, not a slide deck. It names the format and the spot, explains why, and puts both financial options side by side so the decision can be made in one meeting. If you are an operator qualifying a new location, the same report tells you whether it deserves a machine and a route stop.
- A score for each candidate spot, with the inputs behind it.
- The recommended format, from a Kava Link retrofit to a Kava Box.
- An opening assortment shaped by shifts and payment habits.
- Purchase and VaaS pricing for the recommended configuration.
- Install requirements: outlet, network, door widths, pad.
Your carpet already knows where the store should go.
Look for the worn patch: by the elevator bank, outside the locker room, at the shortcut between the parking deck and the clinic. People vote with their feet long before anyone asks them. The best spot is rarely the empty corner someone offered because it had an outlet. If you could only use the wear pattern on your floors, where would you put the store?
Where an assessment leads
Site assessment questions
What data do you need from us?
Floor plans, operating hours, shift schedules and someone who can walk us through the site. Aggregate counts from badges, doors or occupancy sensors help if you can share them. We never need personal data about individuals.
How long does an assessment take?
For a smart-cooler program of up to 10 units, scoring fits inside the typical 10 business days from signed agreement to live. Larger or multi-site programs take longer, and you'll get the schedule up front.
Will you tell us if a site won't work?
Yes, in writing. A unit in the wrong spot loses you money every month and costs us credibility. If the numbers don't work, we'll say so and suggest what would change them: a different format, a different spot, or a different time to try.
We're an operator. Can we use Site Intelligence on our own prospects?
Yes. Operators can use it to qualify new locations before committing a machine and a route stop. It pairs well with Kava OS route data, which shows how a new stop fits the existing day.
Where to go next
Send us a floor plan and your hours.
We'll tell you where people already stop, which format fits, and whether the numbers work, before you spend a dollar on hardware.