Two Sugro UK wholesalers are using AI agents to educate retailers about a new confectionery range in what is believed to be an industry-first trial for UK food and drink distributors.
North West Wholesale and Youings Wholesale are using ProConnect’s AI technology on their WhatsApp Business API channels, giving retailers the chance to explore the new product development (NPD) with questions specific to their stores.
The pilot is the result of a three-way project between Sugro, ProConnect and Mondelez that aspires to change the way suppliers promote their products in the trade.
The AI allows retailers to have an immediate two-way conversation that clarifies everything they want to know about the range, including merchandising, stocking, activation and sales tips relevant to their type and size of store.
Yulia Petitt, Sugro UK Head of Commercial and Marketing, said:
“Creating NPD agents that can talk instantly and accurately about an entire range could revolutionise the way the sector thinks about promoting and selling products.
Suppliers, buying groups and wholesalers are always looking to find new ways to sell more and this technology effectively gives every single retailer their own assistant to help them understand and get the most out of a product.”
The use of AI technology means that wholesalers aren’t limited by some of the usual restrictions, such as time and budget, that can halt more ambitious marketing campaigns.
In this instance, Mondelez provided relevant product information about its new Grab & Go Bar range to ProConnect, who created the agent and added it to the wholesalers’ WhatsApp channels.
With safety guardrails in place, the agents only have access to this information and can reliably have conversations with multiple retailers at once.
Rob Mannion, CEO of ProConnect (formerly b2b.store), said:
“In a sector that works on such limited resources, AI solutions like this provide a great opportunity for wholesalers and suppliers to innovate.
Combining AI with a WhatsApp Business API channel in this way delivers a more interactive customer experience that improves understanding of the product and is expected to have a positive influence on orders as a result.”
For more information on the pilot or to see the technology in action, contact Chris Evans, Head of Communications at ProConnect, via chris.evans@b2b.store.
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