How ProWatch Solutions is using AI to stop theft in micro markets | Live from 2025 NAMA Show

At the 2025 NAMA Show in Las Vegas, Bob Tullio joined with Mark Kronenberg, founder of ProWatch Solutions, to talk about the future of loss prevention and retail management for vending and micro market operators.

With decades of industry experience and deep operator insight, Mark introduced ARMS (Automated Retail Management Solution) — an AI-driven system designed to help operators detect theft, reduce shrinkage and improve client accountability.

In this interview, you’ll learn:

• How ARMS gives operators a “fly on the wall” view of their markets
• Why ProWatch Solutions focuses on both loss prevention and revenue growth
• How AI and smart surveillance tools turn theft data into actionable outcomes
• Why real-time identification and transparent communication with clients is a game-changer

ProWatch has theft deterrent solutions for operators of all sizes, from $800/month to more than $10,000/month markets. Watch now to discover how ProWatch Solutions is protecting profits and empowering smarter market operations.

To learn more about ProWatch Solutions:

• Visit ProWatch Solutions
• Call 224-836-3464
• Email [email protected]

No time to listen? Prefer to read? Here is a video transcript:

Hi, it’s Bob Tullio, Automatic Merchandiser and Vending Market Watch. I’m at the 2025 NAMA Show in Las Vegas with Mark Kronenberg of ProWatch Solutions. Mark, let’s face it, this industry is in your DNA, isn’t it?

Mark Kronenberg: Yeah, it certainly is.

Bob Tullio: Tell me about it.

Mark Kronenberg: Well, my grandparents started in the industry back in the 30s. And basically, I grew up in the business. In the early 80s, we developed software for our own business, and people we knew around the country heard about it and were interested in purchasing it. Truth be told, at the time I was in college, and I’m thinking that’s at least beer money.

Bob Tullio: Sure.

Mark Kronenberg: Actually, my father and I started CompuVend Systems, which ended up being very successful. It was actually the first PC-based application for vending. And in our application and in our business, we were in vending, we were in food service, had a commissary, OCS, catering — all of those type of things. The software grew from there.

In 2014, I sold the company to Cantaloupe and went to work for them until 2019. And in 2019, I left and started working with vending operators or market operators — anybody in the industry and whatever project they needed help with. A lot of that was technology-based — “What is the right solution for me?” — whether it’s vending management, it’s payments, etc.

But there was one thing I kept hearing about. People kept talking about how they had problems with their markets, identifying theft, identifying other issues going on. And kind of the light bulb came on that there’s something that I could help do with this. I mean, AI was starting to really come into the picture, as well as other technologies. So, we started developing ARMS, the Automated Retail Management Solution, and started the company called ProWatch Solutions. We did about three and a half years of development and launched at the show last year.

Bob Tullio: And when you launched at the show last year, it was a big success. There’s no question about that. What can you possibly do to top that type of response this year?

Mark Kronenberg: Well, we’re always innovating, and that’s the most important thing. When we originally started the development, we started by identifying, talking with lots of large operators, lots of small operators to identify the problems, learn their processes and procedures, because we didn’t want to change what they were doing, just provide a better tool for them to use. So, that was kind of the start of things, and we have a long roadmap. We ultimately want to be the fly on the wall in the market, so that we can, you know, if you could be there to identify something going on, that’s ultimately what we want to do. It’ll allow AI to do those types of things. But that’s a long process to do that, to train the AI. So, we have a long way to go on what we want to do already. And I’m continually having conversations with operators about “What would you like to see? If you were that fly on the wall, what would you like to be able to identify?”

So, nothing else ever stops. We always continually have to innovate and keep coming up with new things because the industry always changes as well.

Bob Tullio: Absolutely. So, what’s the significance of — you had a little bucket of eyeballs here — what’s the significance of that?

Mark Kronenberg: Well, we’re ProWatch.

Bob Tullio: You’re ProWatch.

Mark Kronenberg: So, we’re watching out for your markets. We’re looking out for the theft. We’re looking out for lost sales opportunities. We want to cover both the loss prevention as well as help grow the sales. We’re also that fly on the wall, we’re that watchful eye looking out over your market.

Bob Tullio: When an operator comes to you and says, “I’m having problems with theft, I definitely need a mitigation product,” what should they really be thinking about accomplishing?

Mark Kronenberg: So, you know, obviously reducing theft is the main goal, and with that is the cost savings that comes with that.

But, identification is just a part of it because you have to be able to take action on it. With our ARMS, which is the Automated Retail Management System, part of it is also what to do with that information. We want to make it easy for the operator to have that communication with their customer, their partner, and be able to show them proof of the problem that’s going on. You know, a lot of contracts these days are anything over a certain percent, the client has to reimburse for. The client still wants some proof. You know, they’re just not going to take your word when they get an invoice that, you oh, you owe me $300 or $3,000.

Bob Tullio: Right.

Mark Kronenberg: So that’s part of where our solution comes in.

Bob Tullio: Well, it makes that conversation — and it can be a difficult conversation with a client — it makes it a lot easier when you have some real backup, doesn’t it?

Mark Kronenberg: Oh, no question about it. That’s one of the things that people have always had a hard time about in the industry is having that conversation and making it easy. A relationship with your customer, being the operator with their customer, is a partnership. You have to have that communication. I mean, if the customer is not willing to do anything, then maybe that’s not the right solution or the right partner for you.

But you have to be able to engage, and we provide the tools to help with that engagement.

Bob Tullio: I mean, I hate to say the number of how many years you’ve been in the industry.

Mark Kronenberg: I’m 115, by the way.

Bob Tullio: But the bottom line is, you’ve told me in the past that you really believe your company’s competitive advantage is the experience that you have that you bring to the table. You’ve worked inside operators’ operations. You’ve been an operator. You know what it’s all about. Is that accurate?

Mark Kronenberg: Absolutely. Because not only, you know, when we started this, did we go out and learn things, but you know, it’s also understanding the industry, understanding the mindset of the operators and the challenges that they have. Because whether you’re talking to a customer that has micro markets or it’s a vending operator, you still have the same type of challenges. You still have the same challenges of the office for, you know, product, for over shorts, for inventory control, all those type of things. And the bottom line is, it has to be profitable. So, in part of how we’ve structured and built the system, we’re always cognizant of that fact and have different solutions because you have some markets that do $800 a month. You have some that do $8,000 or $10,000 a month. And the needs are different between each of them.

So, that’s why we have the flexibility to have different solutions for different markets because the needs differ.