NAMA InTouch - Spring 2017 - A Closer Look with Carla Balakgie

Oct 12, 2026

Spring 2017 issue of NAMA InTouch introduces a year of progress since the new NAMA brand launch, framed around “bring convenience to life” for the convenience services industry. It outlines strategic exploration of “what’s next,” using macro forces such as competitive shifts, big data and IoT growth, emerging economies, population and resource pressures, and health impacts of obesity. It then analyzes food, consumers, retail, and ecosystems, concluding with calls to enhance technology and nutrition skills, deepen consumer empathy, and pursue new partnerships.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time6 min

AccessFree to download

Spring 2017

Features

A Closer Look

The Changing Landscape of Convenience Services

Food

Consumers

Retail

Ecosystem

InTouch Meet With More ConvenienCe OneShow 2017 COLUMNS 6 A Closer Look with Carla Balakgie 8 From the Desk of Dan Mathews 10 News & Views with Pat Hagerty 42 Up Close with ELN 44 Up Close with WIN Spring 2017 FEATURES Spring 2017 • NAMA InTouch 3 A Closer Look I t’s hard to believe it’s been a year since we launched the new NAMA brand on the OneShow stage in Chicago! I hope you feel as positive as I do about the progress we’ve made as a more cohesive and emboldened industry under the convenience services banner. You, NAMA’s members, truly“bring convenience to life” every day in countless ways. Indeed, innovation is happening on all fronts. And we can’t stop here, because the industry of tomorrow will not look like it does today. At NAMA’s recent Board of Directors meeting, we worked with Idea Couture, a global strategic innovation and experience design firm, to fully explore the idea of “what’s next.” Over the course of two days we became futurists, delving into breakthrough questions and challenges: How do we fully define what Convenience Services embodies? What future scenarios could play out for the industry? How do we bridge the gap between the industry’s current capabilities and its unimagined possibilities? We began by looking at strategic drivers…aka ‘macro forces that will The Changing Landscape of Convenience Services Carla Balakgie, President & Chief Executive Officer of NAMA shape emerging trends and influence shifts in consumer, industry and market behavior,’ according to Idea Couture. Here’s a snapshot: • The changing competitive landscape, notably the increase of non-traditional new entrants including Silicon Valley funded foodtech startups, are entering the marketplace. In fact, Venture investment in foodtech startups climbed to more than $1 billion in 2014, a 272% increase from 2013. • Big data is circulating at unprecedented volumes. According to the IDC, Worldwide and Regional IoT 2014-2020 Forecast, the Internet of Things (IoT) market will grow to 28.1 billion installed units in 2020. This relates specifically to the tech innovation, with digital technologies, biotechnologies, nanotechnologies and neuroscience technologies that could drive disruptive social and economic change over the next 10-15 years. In fact, some say 47% of America’s occupations will be automated within the next 20 years, along with their buying habits and processes. • Emerging economies will be an engine of growth, with the size of the “global middle class” increasing to 3.2 billion in 2020, with much of this growth coming from Asia. At the same time, income inequality and wealth disparities are impacting social stability and threatening security on a global scale, including the US market. • Population growth results in increased pressure on already stressed natural resources including water, land and biodiversity. To meet the needs of this growing population, as well as shifting diets, the world will need to produce 69% more food calories in 2015 than it did in 2016. • Cardiovascular disease, diabetes and many cancers are some of the public health downstream effects of obesity, putting stress on national healthcare. Today, nearly 30% of the world’s population are either obese or overweight. Pressure is increasing on businesses and individuals to be a part of the healthcare solution through changing behaviors and financial incentives or deterrents to support desired behaviors. We then analyzed strategic drivers (food, people, retail and ecosystems) as they’re emerging within the Convenience Services context. Food The shift toward natural products and transparency in ingredients, changing snacking behaviors—the desire for craft and time to savor—and focus on localization and responsible sourcing are critical components to the sea change taking place related to food and to consumer service, including within the business and industry space. Consumers Today, consumers, a

FAQs

What is the central theme of this Spring 2017 NAMA InTouch issue?

It focuses on the industry’s evolution and the idea of “what’s next,” examining how emerging macro forces will reshape convenience services and what members must do in response.

Which strategic drivers are highlighted in the issue?

It highlights changing competitive entrants, rapid growth of big data and IoT, expansion of emerging economies, population-driven pressure on natural resources and food needs, and health pressures linked to obesity and related diseases.

What actions does the issue recommend for industry members?

Members should strengthen skill sets around technology, nutrition, product diversity, and merchandising, and be prepared to meet more diverse stakeholder needs through becoming more data-driven, more empathetic to localized consumers, and pursuing strategic partnerships.

Oct 12, 2026

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