Improving retail supply chains with Generative AI

Executive Summary

Retail supply chains are undergoing a transformative shift driven by the power of Generative AI (Gen AI). By automating tasks, generating insights, prescribing actions, and enhancing decision-making, Gen AI presents unprecedented opportunities to improve operational efficiency, reduce costs, and gain competitive advantage.

To realize these benefits, it’s essential to:

• Understand Gen AI fundamentals

• Align with strategic, innovation-led partners

• Leverage deep retail domain expertise

• Properly train large language models (LLMs) to develop high-performing, retail-specific copilots

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The Impact of Gen AI on Supply Chains

A well-functioning supply chain is the foundation of successful retail. While past innovations have improved demand forecasting and inventory visibility, Gen AI brings a new level of intelligence, efficiency, and usability:

Key Benefits:

• Simplified Insights Discovery: Access data using natural language—no technical expertise required.

• Enhanced Predictive Capabilities: Enable dynamic “what-if” scenario analysis for proactive planning.

• Retail-Specific Intelligence: Train Gen AI to respond like different supply chain personas for accurate, relevant outcomes.

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Transformational Applications Across the Supply Chain

Gen AI is being used across critical areas:

• Demand forecasting and planning

• Distribution center and store replenishment

• Store operations

• End-to-end supply chain analytics

These innovations support revenue growth and margin improvement, provided retailers build the necessary data pipelines and infrastructure—and understand the risks of data quality and model accuracy.

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SymphonyAI’s Approach to Generative AI

SymphonyAI Retail CPG leads with a differentiated Gen AI strategy by:

1. Building Retail-Specific LLMs

While foundational models (e.g., GPT, LLaMA, LaMDA) are powerful, SymphonyAI adds value through domain-trained skills and predictive models tailored to retail supply chains.

2. Engineering Copilots for Productivity

By blending Gen AI with predictive analytics, SymphonyAI copilots function as intelligent assistants—accelerating decisions, surfacing insights, and automating workflows across planning, forecasting, and more.

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Real-World Gen AI in Action

Examples of value-creation through copilots:

• Faster, more accurate demand forecasting

• Simulations to test impacts of supply chain disruptions

• Store-level task automation for sales and labor optimization

• Guided user experiences leveraging platform knowledgebases

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Key Takeaways for Retail Leaders

To succeed in the Gen AI era:

• Invest in core integrations to embed Gen AI in supply chain operations
• Focus on high-impact use cases like planning, forecasting, and analytics
• Mitigate risks around data quality and algorithmic bias
• Champion digital dexterity and a culture of AI literacy
• Partner with domain experts like SymphonyAI Retail CPG
• Educate executives and boards on the strategic value of Gen AI

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Our Commitment to Retail Innovation

SymphonyAI Retail CPG is committed to building best-in-class Gen AI solutions that empower retailers. With end-to-end solutions, ongoing R&D, and a growing portfolio of copilots, we help customers unlock measurable value—today and into the future.