NAMA Show 2026: Smart markets take center stage (Part 1)
Walking the floor of NAMA Show 2026, one thing became immediately clear: smart cooler technology has arrived in a big way.
What was just a niche innovation a few years ago has now become the dominant force in unattended retail. Multiple manufacturers filled the convention center with AI-powered coolers, each promising greater accuracy, stronger security and higher sales potential.
For operators, the opportunity is undeniable, but so is the challenge. With so many options, choosing the right partner and committing to a long-term ecosystem has never been more critical.
In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation podcast, host Bob Tullio captures the voice of an industry in transition. Operators describe a thoughtful, measured shift toward smart technology — starting with trusted locations, learning the systems and scaling over time. It’s not a flip-the-switch moment. It’s a strategic evolution.
This episode focuses on the supplier convention experience. The smart market industry leaders Tullio spoke to were well aware of the momentum. From advancements in AI accuracy to integrated software platforms that streamline operations, the innovation on display goes far beyond the cooler itself. Route optimization, seamless multi-door transactions, dynamic pricing and real-time inventory tracking are all part of a rapidly expanding ecosystem designed to make operators more efficient and more profitable.
Another shift is gaining traction: hot food. As consumers continue to spend heavily on delivered meals, operators are looking for ways to compete by bringing fresh, hot options directly into the workplace through unattended solutions on display at the NAMA Show.
Takeaway from this episode: The future of unattended retail is here, and it’s smarter than ever.
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No time to listen? Prefer to read? Here is an edited podcast transcript:
Bob Tullio: On this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation podcast, we are talking about the 2026 NAMA Show in Los Angeles. It was a great show. Hopefully, you are over the jet lag by now and settling back into business as usual.
I have so many interviews. I’ll be doing three episodes of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending &OCS Nation podcast on the 2026 NAMA Show, featuring multiple convention floor interviews, with a special emphasis on the exhibitor experience, and of course, some operator comments as well.
Here’s one of my takes from the 2026 NAMA Show: It was smart cooler mania. More smart coolers and AI markets than ever before. Clearly, there is no stopping this attractive technology.
Here’s Pete Virnig from Taher Inc., a veteran operator from Plymouth, Minn., with his NAMA Show observations.
Peter Virnig: A couple of years ago, maybe there were three or four companies doing smart coolers. Today, there are, I think, 25 to 30 different smart coolers here. And that does make it challenging because you have to make a decision. Who are you going to partner with? Because you really don’t want to have 15 different brands or versions out there. You really want to commit to one ecosystem and really grow from there.
Bob Tullio: Well, and it’s a big transition for a company. I mean, if you’re talking about converting a lot of existing locations to smart coolers, you’re putting a lot of good equipment on the shelf. Is your company ready to take on that kind of a challenge?
Peter Virnig: I think it’ll be a slow transition. So, start with your current customers, bring them the new technology. Start with them, and then kind of just work your way through it. It’s something you can’t just do overnight. We also have to learn the technology ourselves so that we feel comfortable with it before presenting it to definitely new customers. So, you really want to have those current customers be your soundboard and really help you launch that program and make sure it’s successful, to keep growing.
Bob Tullio: Patrick McGinty of VendVue said he’s not at all surprised that smart coolers were the big attraction at the 2026 NAMA Show.
Patrick McGinty: I have a nationwide presence of people who are searching for break room services. And on our websites, the smart cooler page is visited for a total of 7 minutes. And Bob, that’s a lifetime when searching on the web.
So, smart coolers are hot, not necessarily just for the operators, but the end locations that VendVue’s connecting operators with are very interested in smart coolers. So long story short, smart coolers is the theme.
Bob Tullio: I spoke to a number of innovative suppliers in the smart cooler channel. These are interviews directly from the convention floor. Here’s Adrian Austin from Cantaloupe.
Adrian Austin: Cantaloupe is all about helping operators with the full cycle of their operation. Whether you’re looking to have the best equipment to have out in the field or the software to run it in the background, we’re here to help and provide solutions wherever you need.
Bob Tullio: How’s the show been for you overall?
Adrian Austin: The show has been great. There’s a ton of new offerings that we’re seeing around, lots in our booth. When we’re going and showing people, I think the smart store and the new integrations therem are really exciting. Campus cards, hot food, are some people are asking questions about.
Additionally, also, like on our software side, our new Seed navigator, like route optimizer tools — people aren’t really looking at. They’ve already got their scheduling all put down and now they want the sequencing and their drivers to be on point and really well controlled. It’s been great.
Bob Tullio: What’s really resonating with operators that come into your booth?
Adrian Austin: I think the thing that’s resonating with operators the most right now is the new hardware technology, particularly on the cooler front. So, people are seeing this new generation of vending machines that’s making them more money, they can sell more products, and giving them more flexibility and security versus other things they wouldn’t be able to do before.
Bob Tullio: I sat down with Navreet Gill in the 365 Retail Markets exhibit.
Navreet Gill: 365 is really all about providing operators the tools they need to succeed, in however that looks for their business. So, from kiosks to vending to smart stores, software, payments: We want to support operators with the tools that they choose to use to run the most efficient and effective businesses possible.
Bob Tullio: How’s the show been for 365?
Navreet Gill: It’s been really good, especially on day one. We saw a lot of energy at the booth. People are excited. I think they’re always excited to come to NAMA. There’s just a special energy here with our attendees and this industry when we all get together.
Bob Tullio: What is it that you see that’s really resonating for operators when they come into the 365 Retail Markets exhibit here?
Navreet Gill: I think VisionLink is one. We’ve been talking about it online through our marketing for a little bit, but for folks to see it hands-on, I think really brings it all home, right? That sort of one-transaction, seamless experience, one receipt across multiple doors is something that we believe operators are going to really grab onto to create the best experience possible for their consumers.
And, there’s also a lot of interest in the LED screens on top of our coolers. Folks have been asking for that for a little bit, and so we’re happy to start the process of bringing that to the market.
Bob Tullio: Keith Krail from AVS was excited to discuss his company’s smart cooler solutions.
Keith Krail: AVS Companies is a national distributor of unattended retail equipment. We provide full solutions for our operator customers. That includes coolers, AI smart coolers, traditional vending machines, parts and our dedicated service and support.
Bob Tullio: Tell me how the show’s been for you so far.
Keith Krail: Show’s been wonderful. We had a decent start yesterday. We saw a good amount of new customers and existing customers that we normally do business with. Really, what’s resonating right now is the AI smart coolers. That is the talk of the show.
Bob Tullio: I noticed one of the things that you’ve really emphasized is the fact that you offer multiple solutions. How important is that?
Keith Krail: It’s very important right now, Bob. We’re seeing some of our competitors are offering maybe just one type of solution. We feel here at AVS Companies that every operator is different. They have specific needs, and we’re ready to provide that to them, whether it be with AI smart coolers, with different types of AI smart coolers, or maybe market setups. or even traditional vending. We provide it all, and office coffee service and consumable goods like coffee beans and soluble powders.
Bob Tullio: I had a great conversation with Yang Yu from Micromart.
Yang Yu: Micromart is a smart store, and we focus on helping people win the best locations. We see a good opportunity to put these into a lot of different places that don’t have any before. This is my third NAMA Show now, and every year has gotten better and better. So, it’s exciting to see the industry changing. It’s exciting to see new operators. This year, we actually have a lot of customers. So, it’s great to see customers come through.
Bob Tullio: What is it about Micromart when they come into your booth that’s really resonating with operators?
Yang Yu: We try to be a little different. So, I was an operator myself. We were trying to sell fresh food in a vending machine for $15. You can imagine that’s not very easy. And we made it work. And so, we took all the lessons that we learned running that business, and we put it into the Micromart technology. Having a beautiful digital display, having price tags to show how much the product is going to cost. And if something’s about to expire, we can reduce the prices dynamically. And now offer deals where you buy one, get another one for a discount, to really incentivize a bigger basket.
But I think it starts with how we think about helping operators, because a lot of people that buy a Micromart, they’re not experienced vending operators. They’re new entrepreneurs that want to get into the business for the first time. They want to earn a passive income. They have a nine-to-five job, and they don’t know what to do. And so, our job is not only to sell them a machine. We have to sell them a business solution that’s going to make them money. And so, it’s the whole playbook of making this smart store business work. That’s what we’re trying to do.
Bob Tullio: Fred Kahn from Kooick talked about his company’s smart cooler technology.
Frederick Kahn: We are a smart market business. We produce technology. It’s a sensor-fusion-based system that combines computer vision, weight sensors, and eyes-on-shelf to achieve superior accuracy.
Bob Tullio: How has the NAMA Show been for you?
Frederick Kahn: NAMA Show’s been great. Traffic’s been very good. I think, you know, people are looking at our technology and understanding how we’re differentiated. We have obviously different sensors in our system that, as I mentioned, produce a lot more accuracy and security. And we track all the inventory items on each shelf. So, you also get a high degree of granularity as to what’s on the shelf. So, for compliance, inventory tracking, slotting fees, there are all kinds of benefits that come with it, particularly for brands that need data. We’re truly unique.
Bob Tullio: What is it that’s really resonating, do you think, with operators that come into your booth?
Frederick Kahn: I think operators are looking for a system that’s reliable — reliable not just in terms of the hardware, but in terms of the whole solution, the software. When you have a low degree of accuracy, especially with AI, it creates work for the operator. Systems that just use computer vision tend to have lower accuracy because the cameras have difficulty tracking the items that are coming in and out of the coolers, particularly, you know, packaging, fresh food, things that are more difficult to identify or problematic, bad lighting. There are all kinds of edge cases that generate these reviews. And a lot of that’s being pushed to the operator, so they’re getting 5 or 10% of their transactions coming back to them for review.
Frederick Kahn: And that’s something that we’ve been able to with our system.
Bob Tullio: One company that is always attracting attention at the NAMA Show with equipment that is made in China is HaHa Vending. I spoke to Max Li.
Max Li: Basically, we manufacture all these smart coolers. We have our own factory, and we scale at the U.S. for almost four years. So, we sell our machine the whole states.
Bob Tullio: And where do you manufacture your equipment?
Max Li: AI smart coolers.
Bob Tullio: Where? do you manufacture?
Max Li: In China.
Bob Tullio: Okay. Yeah. And what’s the advantage of the HaHa product compared to all the other smart coolers that are out there?
Max Li: I think it’s kind of new products compared with the traditional vending machine in the U.S. We are totally new products, kind of new generation vending machines. So, it’s totally a new thing for this market. And we did a great job.
Bob Tullio: OK, and how has the NAMA Show been for you?
Max Li: For now, it’s everything’s excited, all good.
Bob Tullio: A lot of traffic, a lot of interest.
Max Li: Yes, a lot of people come over and see our machine, our old customers, and new customers a lot.
Bob Tullio: What is really resonating? What’s exciting to operators when they come into your booth?
Max Li: I think probably they want to say what hardware and software, VMS, and also we have new products right here in NAMA Show. It’s a totally new product. We didn’t sell yet, but it’s a new product just for NAMA Show. I think that’s what our customer want to see right here.
Bob Tullio: So, they like the new products.
Max Li: Yes.
Bob Tullio: Bernie Youngblood at HotLogic was busy during the NAMA Show as his award-winning hot meal solution at HotLogic’s booth was getting plenty of attention. What’s HotLogic all about?
Bernie Youngblood: Hot meals, zero cook time, working with operators to take market share back from DoorDash and Uber Eats.
Bob Tullio: Fantastic. I think that sounds very good to every operator. So, how’s the NAMA Show been for you?
Bernie Youngblood: It’s been wonderful. We booked our booth late. Shame on me. We’re at the back of the convention hall next to the bathroom. The good news is we’re next to the bathrooms. But we’ve had a steady flow since moment one. I have — my boss keeps pestering me. He texts me because he expects me to check in with him. I have been ignoring my boss because I literally don’t have time to look at my text messages. We’ve had a steady flow of interaction with people since the moment the show began. It’s been a lot. It’s been a lot, but we’re here for it.
Bob Tullio: Fantastic. Well, I’ve had a hard time just getting this microphone in front of you, so I appreciate it. And your booth is certainly very busy. What is it that’s resonating with operators when they come into your booth?
Bernie Youngblood: It’s hot meals. Hot meals are where the action is. It’s anything and everything we can get our hands on to offer hot meals to our customers because DoorDash proved that customers are willing to pay. Customers are paying $25, $35 to have hot meals delivered to them.
Anything — any technology that vending operators can leverage to beat DoorDash to the punch — they’re going to test. They’re willing to test it because the market, the model is proven.
Bob Tullio: So the opportunity is there.
Bernie Youngblood: Yeah, oh yeah. Hot meals have arrived. Time to jump in. The water’s warm, no pun intended.
Bob Tullio: That’s it for now. On the next episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation podcast, more from the NAMA Show, including operator interviews and more suppliers, with an emphasis on technology and solutions that support the industry.
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About the Author
Bob Tullio
Bob Tullio is a content specialist, speaker, sales trainer, consultant and contributing editor of Automatic Merchandiser and VendingMarketWatch.com. He advises entrepreneurs on how to build a successful business from the ground up. He specializes in helping suppliers connect with operators in the convenience services industry — coffee service, vending, micro markets and pantry service specifically. He can be reached at 818-261-1758 and [email protected]. Tullio welcomes your feedback.
Subscribe to Automatic Merchandiser’s new podcast, Vending & OCS Nation, which Tullio hosts. Each episode is designed to make your business more profitable.