Evaluating AI’s Role in Retail and Consumer Goods: Advances and Uncertainties in 2026
Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an increasing role in the retail and consumer packaged goods (CPG) sectors. Companies are using AI tools to improve customer insights and supply chain management, though the effectiveness of these applications varies and requires ongoing evaluation. TL;DR AI supports deeper customer analysis and segmentation, but data quality and model accuracy remain concerns. Demand forecasting benefits from AI, though predictions depend heavily on input assumptions and data reliability. Digital assistants and catalog enrichment show promise, yet their outputs need careful monitoring to avoid errors. AI’s Role in Customer Analysis and Segmentation AI technologies enable more detailed analysis of customer data, allowing businesses to segment customers into finer groups for targeted marketing. However, it is important to assess whether AI models accurately reflect meaningful differences or if they rely on incomplete or biase...