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Three Ways to Thrive in the CPG Retail Apocalypse

retail

The CPG retail apocalypse is here. If you haven’t already experiences the fallout, experts are issuing dire warnings that it will hit its peak this year. Ultimately, the retail landscape was already changing but COVID-19 has exasperated the effects. The consumer goods organizations that thrive, regardless of the environment, do so because they embrace digital transformations. With advanced capabilities such as machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), they build intelligent solutions and optimized workflows to achieve perfect retail execution in any environment.

With these three innovative strategies, firms can tune out the noise and focus on what's important- maximizing revenue potential.

1. See everything and truly understand your customers

During disruptive periods in the retail industry, factors that affect consumer goods (CG) companies across all channels change quickly and dramatically. Companies that thrive in the current environment not only use data to see more, but also to predict opportunities and challenges. Machine learning helps companies recognize trends and patterns across physical and digital channels, empowering CG companies to adapt strategies before changes occur.

Two-thirds of retailers see predicting demand as one of the greatest challenges facing retail supply chains – an area of opportunity in which CG companies can greatly assist with the necessary visibility.

2. Sell smart and maximize retail execution efficiency

Companies that flourish eliminate unnecessary, time-consuming tasks and streamline their workflows. They sell smarter than their competition and improve retail execution efficiency wherever possible.

Planning is an essential component of CPG Retail Activity Optimization, but optimal sales routes, locations to visit, and topics to cover require significant labor to create. This is another area where AI technology shines- automatically determining the most efficient routes and suggesting activity steps related to visit execution based on current data.

3. Build the perfect store and optimize your point of sale

Perceptual Intelligence software helps retail execution sales, merchandising, and delivery managers quickly determine the level of compliance within the store. By simply taking pictures of shelves, displays, or other points of purchase, digital image recognition instantly discerns what products are present and compares that to the optimal display, which greatly reduces the time auditors spend in store and increases their coverage opportunities and focus on higher value activities.

Additionally, the latest developments in augmented reality enables CG companies to virtually design and experience the perfect store before it’s built- an application that significantly streamlines the optimization process.

Turn the CPG retail apocalypse into a retail execution opportunity. Embracing new digital technologies such as machine learning and AI isn’t only about survival during a disruptive period. It’s about maximizing potential and making smarter decisions in any retail environment.

% OF BUSINESSES REPORT THAT AI SOLUTIONS IMPROVED PROCESS PERFORMANCE

% OF BUSINESS SAW A BOOST IN SALES LEVERAGING SALES DRIVERS, KPIS, AND DATA MEASUREMENTS

% OF BUSINESSES SAW A DECREASE IN STOCK OUTS AFTER IMPLEMENTING EXCEEDRA RETAIL EXECUTION SOLUTION

The tools to achieve perfect retail execution are within reach. Exceedra Retail Execution, built on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, is a robust, flexible mobile solution designed to empower consumer goods companies to use data to drive efficiency in end-to-end operations.

You can keep up to date with what Exceedra & AFS Technologies are working on by following us on LinkedIn.

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