Automatic Merchandiser - 6

EDITOR'S NOTE

Changing Seasons,
Changing Trends

Abby White
Editor
awhite@
vendingmarketwatch.com

Follow us at
Facebook/VendingMarket
@VendingMagazine
linkedin.com/
groups/3927197

"

You may notice
more people
drinking those
pumpkin spice
lattes on ice
this year...

6

Editorial
Advisory
Board
Joe Hessling
365 Retail
Markets

As we get closer to the end of 2019, we review impactful micro
market trends to prepare for a successful year ahead

Josh
Rosenberg

IT'S 99 DEGREES OUTSIDE AS I WRITE THIS - A RECORD-BREAKING

John Reilly

October temperature for Nashville - which feels really unfair since it's
technically supposed to be autumn, the season of cool breezes, scarves, falling leaves and pumpkin spice everything.
We know consumers love seasonal flavors - and new flavors - and
nearly every operator I've spoken with over the past few months feels the
need to offer a wider variety of products in vending, office coffee service
(OCS) and, especially, micro markets. This includes new products, new
flavors of familiar products and better-for-you items along with traditional
snack favorites. It's a lot, but it's just one of many things operators need to
manage in order to run a successful business.
In this issue, we talked to industry experts and members of our Editorial Advisory Board to identify the trends that affected micro markets the
most in 2019. Multiple respondents said that the consumer demand for
greater product variety was one of the year's most impactful trends. Of
course, this presents an opportunity for operators to gain larger revenues
from customers who repeatedly visit micro markets to purchase different products throughout the workday, but it can also create challenges in
managing a larger inventory.
One notable area of growth for the industry is the increased popularity
of breakfast in the workplace. This trend is driven by employers who want
to provide perks to their workforce while also encouraging them to come
to the office earlier so they can enjoy a morning meal or snack.
We also chatted with Todd Carmichael, CEO and co-founder of La
Colombe Coffee Roasters, who shared how he and his best friend JP Iberti
started La Colombe 25 years ago. Carmichael explained why farm-to-table
is as important in coffee as it is in food and why the migration from hot to
cold coffee is the biggest "tectonic shift" to hit the coffee industry, including
OCS. Carmichael will share more of his insight in his keynote address at
the NAMA Coffee, Tea & Water (CTW) event in Anaheim on Nov. 18. (We
hope to see you there!)
Speaking of cold, I hope that by the time this magazine reaches you,
the weather has cooled and we can enjoy those pumpkin spice lattes and
all the other seasonal treats that are available this time of year. Although, if
the word on the street is true, you may notice more people drinking those
lattes on ice this year, no matter what the outside temperature is.

Automatic Merchandiser * October/November 2019

Accent Food
Services

Avanti Markets

Anant Agrawal
Cantaloupe
Systems
USA Technologies

Elyssa Steiner
Cantaloupe
Systems
USA Technologies

Carl Moser
Canteen
Corporate

Chuck Reed
Crane Payment
Innovations (CPI)

Jeff Whitacre
Food Express

Michael Miller
Mondelēz
International

Paresh Patel
PayRange

Jeff Deitchler
Prairie Fire
Coffee

Jim Carbone
Tradecraft

Sandy
Thornton
VendEdge
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Automatic Merchandiser

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automatic Merchandiser
