The coming grocery battlefield of 2024 will not be a place for the faint of heart. While the threats from big chains still loom large, there is change in the air. Independents now have access to a small armory of secret, AI-based weapons that are beginning to change their ability to stay in the fight. As we near the dawn of 2024, these tools will help independent grocers everywhere end a decade-long era of playing defense and finally get back to taking the battle to the big boys.
As we wrap up 2023, here are five ways that AI is going to transform the independent grocery business next year and the tools that everyone should be looking at:
Boost employee retention with transformed engagement: With Culture Amp, you can get the employee engagement, performance, and development tools and insights you need to build a category-defining culture.
Improve your supply chain and merchandising planning: With Relex Solutions’ suite of AI-based tools, grocers and brands can unify supply chain and retail planning to align and optimize demand to drive maximum customer satisfaction at the lowest operating cost.
Maximize profitability with AI-managed gross margin management: Puzl’s AI gives you hyper-accurate insight into your fully-blended gross margins up to 12 weeks in advance. It gives you a toolkit to craft dynamic pricing strategies that lure shoppers without draining your profits. It predicts demand with laser focus, ensures shelves burst with freshness, and automates inventory to banish waste.
Generate hyper-efficient in-store customer journeys: Planorama’s AI architects optimize customer flow and maximize customer delight, designing your store like a treasure map, where every corner holds a hidden gem, and every aisle flows intuitively. Imagine shoppers sailing through your haven of discovery, where each visit is a joyride of unexpected finds and delightful surprises.
Learn to speak to your customers individually: Forget one-size-fits-all flyers. Personify helps you create data-driven personas to better understand and engage with your guests.
We predict that 2024 will be a watershed year for independent grocers. Finally, there are tools emerging that can help you go on the offensive versus the big guys. Whether or not you thrive will largely depend on how quickly you can begin to leverage AI-based tools like these to gain a competitive advantage.
So, if you:
are an independent grocer and uncertain about how to move forward,
feel like you are struggling to figure out how to do more than just scrape by,
are wondering if your business is worth handing down to the next generation,
even more so if you are the next generation and seriously concerned that your family’s business isn’t worth inheriting,
don’t give up! You owe it to yourself to arm up with these tools, rejoin the battle, and start competing in ways you’ve never done before.
What’s your next step? The AI revolution starts now.
If you would like to know more about how Puzl’s AI can help you drive profitability, please get in touch with us at info@puzl.ai.
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