Help Centre
Everything you need to get the most out of Vendcount — getting started, common questions, and what to expect.
Getting started
Using Vendcount takes three steps. There is no account, no setup, and nothing to install.
Take a photo
Stand square to the vending machine or shelf. Avoid angles — the straighter the shot, the better the column detection. Try to minimise glare and reflections on the glass.
Upload it
Go to the App page and select your photo. JPEG and PNG are supported, up to 20 MB. The photo is sent over an encrypted connection for analysis and is not stored afterward.
Read the results
Each column or shelf section appears with a status — Full, Low, Empty, or Could not determine — along with an estimated fill percentage and a note stating the basis for the estimate.
Frequently asked questions
A well-lit, straight-on shot taken from about arm's length, with the full machine face or shelf row in frame. Avoid:
— Extreme angles — columns at the edges may be assigned incorrectly.
— Heavy glare or reflections — these areas will likely return "could not determine".
— Overhead shop lighting casting shadows directly on the shelf — try angling the phone slightly upward to reduce shadows.
If the photo is too dark, overexposed, or blurry, the analysis will say so rather than guess.
Results are estimates, not certified counts. The analysis uses a lightweight object detection model (YOLOv8n) that counts visible product items and estimates how full each column is relative to its expected capacity.
Accuracy depends on photo quality, glass condition, packaging uniformity, and how well columns are separated. When the model cannot confidently assess a column, it reports Could not determine rather than guessing. Every result includes a stated basis so you know what it is based on.
No. Uploaded photos are received by the analysis server, held in memory during processing, and discarded immediately after the results are returned. No copy is written to disk, saved to a database, or retained in any form. Results are delivered to your browser and are not stored server-side — they disappear when you close or refresh the page.
See the Privacy policy for full details.
No. Vendcount has no accounts, no login, and no registration. Every session is completely independent. There is no saved history, so you cannot return to previous results — make a note of what you need before closing the page.
The analysis could not confidently decide whether that column is full, low, or empty. This can happen for several reasons:
— Glare or reflections on the glass make the products hard to see.
— The column is deeply recessed and poorly lit.
— Unusual packaging (irregular shapes, reflective wrappers) confuses the detection model.
— The column is outside the detection area due to an angled photo.
When this happens, the best fix is to take a second photo from a slightly different angle, ideally avoiding the glare source. If "could not determine" persists, that column may need a manual check on your next visit.
Paid plans are planned but are not yet available. The Free tier is expected to work and is being actively deployed. Pro and Enterprise tiers will add batch upload, route checklist export, team views, and higher rate limits — but these features depend on infrastructure (accounts, payments, data storage) that does not exist in this fleet today.
There is no launch date to share. If you have a specific feature need, see the Contact section below.
Known limitations
Vendcount is a field tool, not a certified inventory audit. The following limitations apply and are not bugs — they are honest statements about what this product does and does not do today.
- Backend deployment is in progress. The Free tier is expected to work but the analysis server is being finalised. Some features shown in the app may not respond until deployment is complete.
- No accounts or saved history. There is no login, no way to save results, and no way to retrieve an earlier analysis. Each session is a clean start.
- No email, alerts, or notifications. The system cannot send you reports, reminders, or notifications. There is no email sender on this infrastructure.
- No integration with vending systems. Vendcount does not connect to DEX, VMS (vending management systems), micro-market POS systems, telemetry, or any external inventory platform.
- Results are estimates. Fill percentages are approximate and are based on object detection, not physical measurement. Always verify critical stock levels manually.
- Equal-width column division. The system divides the photo into equal-width sections for column assignment. Non-uniform shelf layouts, offset columns, or mixed-width configurations may produce incorrect assignments.
- Lightweight detection model. YOLOv8n is optimised for speed and runs on limited resources. It trades some accuracy for responsiveness. Very small items, densely packed shelves, and reflective packaging reduce precision.
- No batch upload or export. You analyse one photo at a time. There is no way to upload multiple photos, export a route checklist, or generate a report. These features are planned for paid tiers.
- No legal entity registered. The service is operated by an individual. There is no registered company, registered address, or jurisdiction until the operator provides one.
Contact us
Support contact is being set up. There is no email address or phone number available yet — the infrastructure to receive and respond to messages does not exist on this fleet.
Until a contact method is established, please refer to the documentation and Help Centre for answers to common questions. The operator is aware that a support channel is needed and will provide one when a legal entity is registered.
If you have a bug report or feature suggestion that cannot wait, record it for the owner. The owner will see pending items listed in the project's needs file.
No email, no phone, no live chat yet. Support infrastructure is a known gap. Publishing an unreachable address would be worse than stating no address — we are honest about what is not ready.