Use your imagination when you visit Fixturelite at the NAMA Show in Chicago

It will be hard to miss the 20x20 Fixturelite exhibit at the 2022 NAMA Show in Chicago. Booth No. 406 will be well illuminated with 10 ft. by 8 ft. displays on the front and back of the space. When you visit the booth, you’ll learn about Fixturelite’s products and services, but more importantly, you will learn about Fixturelite’s vision for the future of the micro market industry and their new direction as a company.

Prepare to use your imagination

“The reality is that traditional vending has changed for the convenience services industry,” said Troy Geis, co-founder of Fixturelite, the industry’s leading supplier of micro market retail displays, equipment, and design tools. “That might surprise some, but I believe that continuing to operate in a traditional vending manner will only hold operators back from where the convenience retailing industry is headed.”

“As an industry, we have to stop thinking like vending operators and think more like retailers,” Orlando said. “Fortunately, many of our clients are starting to share our vision. With the help of people like Steve Closser from Translucent and 365 Retail Markets, they are adopting a technology driven approach and a retail mindset.”

Vending has changed

“Talk to operators out there from coast to coast and they will tell you that even small locations are taking on micro markets and often, they are paying for or sharing in the cost for the privilege of having a micro market and the service that comes with it,” said Steve Orlando, Geis’s long-time business partner. “While there will always be a limited application for vending machines, where theft is a big issue or in a highly public location for example, in a private or semi-private setting, they are more frequently seen as an outdated solution.”

The classic workplace may never be the same

Geis said the future opportunity for both his company and the operator community is stretching beyond the traditional workplace, especially since 70% is the new 100%. “The classic workplace may never be the same and we have to use our imagination to look beyond it for revenue opportunities,” he added.

Shining bright in new channels

“In these new revenue channels, this is where unattended retail really shines bright,” Geis said, citing some specific examples.

“In a luxury high-rise building where the convenience of purchasing a household item or a late night snack at 2:00 a.m. in the lobby is significantly easier than walking two blocks to a convenience store.”
“For the exhausted healthcare professional, being able to pick up dinner to take home with them, or a gallon of milk, so that they don't have to make one more stop.”
“In the downtown office tower, a market in the lobby, makes for a convenient stop on the way out to the door saving a stop on the way home.”

Creating destinations

“In all of these new age locations, the customer experience must be exceptional in order for it to succeed,” added Geis. “Fresh, delicious, local products, with outstanding coffee selections in an environment that is designed and operated as a destination that end users will gravitate to. It can’t just be “vending lined up on a wall.”

Operators are still wanted

Fixturelite’s new direction will create significant opportunities for operators. “We are flipping the script on who calls whom for business. We’re designing and building markets with developers and decision-makers at locations and then searching for operators to service the new locations we are connecting with,” said Orlando. “We started the “Operators Wanted” campaign about three years ago, out of necessity. Because of our focus on designing the best break rooms in the business, the design community regularly reaches out to us. Because we were once in their shoes – operators ourselves, we pass these opportunities on at one of the most reasonable rates in the industry.

Over $10 million in referrals

As of April 1, Fixturelite’s referral program, connecting operators with new clients, has generated over $10 million in sales. “For operators who “get it,” who can use their imagination to see the retail solutions that we provide, the opportunity is unlimited,” said Orlando. “Those are operators we look forward to spending time with at the NAMA Show and working with going forward.”