AI Use Cases in CPG: Lessons From Forecasts, Promotions, and Plants
My first encounters with AI Use Cases in CPG were less glamorous than the conference presentations suggested. The work involved reconciling stubborn SKU forecasts, explaining promotion lift that disappeared after an event, and helping supply planners respond when packaging constraints invalidated an otherwise sound production schedule. Those experiences taught me that artificial intelligence creates value only when it is embedded in the decisions that category teams, demand planners, RGM leaders, brand managers, and customer supply teams make every week. A model can be statistically impressive and still fail if it arrives after the consensus forecast is locked or recommends an action that cannot be executed at the shelf. A useful way to evaluate AI Use Cases in CPG is to start with the operating rhythm rather than the algorithm. In a large branded manufacturer, decisions flow through stage-gate reviews, demand-plan reconciliation, S&OP, executive IBP, trade promotion planning, pro...