NAMA: Reimagining convenience where we live, work, learn & play

A loud, “We’re BACK!” could be felt amongst the vending, micro-market, pico-market, coffee, and pantry service leaders who are reimagining “convenience” where we live, work, learn and play. Chicago was home to this year’s NAMA show which allowed us to fully step into the world of self-service and autonomous retail.?

It’s one thing to see pictures or videos of the products and solutions this industry is building, but it’s completely different when you get to touch, feel, sip, and munch as part of the experience.?

On display were the results of changing consumer behaviors, the technology that’s enabling transformation, and the folks who make it a reality. Let me share the bits that really stood out because we're in the midst of the ultimate come-back story.?

Changing consumer behaviors?

At times you feel like you’ve heard it before, but numbers always give things more context. Consumer adoption of new technology is being put to the test with this season’s pent-up demand for travel and hospitality combined with the return to work and campuses.??

Travel is back:

• Travel and tourism in the United States will reach pre-pandemic levels in 2022, contributing nearly $2 trillion to the U.S. economy?
• Gen-Z leads the comeback of travel planning and spending in 2022?
• Spotted: me at the Atlanta airport casually walking past Kylie Cosmetics ?? ?and Apple iStore kiosks. FYI Atlanta is once again the busiest airport in the world with 75 million passengers in 2021

Here's a breakdown of the expectations and opportunities to surprise & delight!

Vending and micro-markets are everywhere, every day, every hour:?

• 56.96 billion by 2025, nearly 20% higher than 2019 with pantry and micro-markets expected to lead the way
• 1.5 million locations in the United States alone - an everywhere any time opportunity to make a sale?
• From 2013 to 2020, active micro-markets increased from 5,000 to over 23,000?

How consumers buy and shop has changed:?

• 68.4% of consumers would purchase more if Unattended was offered in more channels (see PepsiCo slide below)?
• The contactless payment market is set to grow to over $100 billion by 2026

Session: Capitalizing on Consumer Trends in the Evolving Unattended Retailing Space?

Bill Moxey, Mike Coffey, Jacob Plassman, Mark Walker?

Snack attacks:?

Michael Coffey shared that the pandemic changed the way we snack. We went from 2.5 snacks per day to 6 because we needed to reward ourselves for surviving yet another Zoom Call. To accommodate for this change in “Snacking Behavior” companies like Canteen are diving deeper into the data to ensure they’re ready to accommodate how this new behavior will play out in a hybrid office environment when the masses return to their hot desks.?

The technology that’s enabling the change in consumer behavior

So, what are the solutions and technologies that are ready to help deliver experiences designed for this new change in consumer behavior??

Micro-markets: Micro-markets own the breakroom because they’ve transformed this traditional office space with versatile high-end food and beverage options and a perfect blend of technology for ease and functionality. Micro-markets are typically a medium to large active customer base with a high-product diversity because you can configure it however you’d like to meet your customers' demands. But what’s next? Parlevel’s Alan Munson spoke to a standing-room-only session to discuss what comes after micro-markets.?

Pico-markets: Pico-markets bring self-service innovation to smaller locations. Organizations like 365 Retail make micro-market technology available to organizations that don’t have sufficient people – or space – to warrant a fully-fledged micro-market. Their Pico Cooler is a perfect example of a modern vending experience that’s taking over the space.?

Smart stores: A combination of locked intelligent coolers like the 365 Retail Pico Cooler with pantries, shelves, and IoT technology only opens with payment. These work well with existing vending infrastructure and give folks the product diversity of a micro-market.?

Advanced Vending Management Systems: These high-end convenience experiences are powered by VMS platforms like Parlevel which are designed to help folks make precise and informed decisions about their operation to increase sales. For example, they make it easy to incorporate made-to-order meals and plan your product SKUs for scale.?

Café stations, not coffee stations: America runs on coffee and things are getting even more interesting and engaging with the help of KioSoft’s cutting-edge Robo Cafe Kiosk which makes your coffee with the utmost precision and speed. Customers can seamlessly order ahead via a mobile app or an easy-to-use touchscreen interface. The best part of the whole experience (besides the coffee) is that you get to witness the entire process in real-time which is a new type of "robotic" latte art.?

The folks who make it a reality

In his opening remarks, the chair of NAMA and Founder and CEO of 365 Retail Markets, Joe Hessling, shared his awe in seeing an industry so dependent on traffic in public spaces not just survive, but thrive in the face of a global pandemic.?

Carla Balakgie, President of NAMA, echoed his sentiment and proudly leads in the industry’s call to action in adopting efficiency, automation, and technology in ways that have allowed for the reinvention and reimagination of convenience services.?

"At every crossroad and every challenge this industry has a remarkable ability to just pull together and knock it out of the park."

Rhonda Dunn, Machine Cuisine Vending

Of course, technology has elevated the industry but the people who make it a reality are part of the leapfrogging that’s transforming the customer experience. There were thousands of industry players walking the hall and enthusiastic about the products, solutions, and convenient experiences we’re playing an active role in building.??

A special thanks to the show organizers, sponsors, and fellow attendees who helped make my first NAMA show a selfishly delicious experience.???