How can FMCG brands use AI

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has been nothing short of a game-changer for many industries, and one of the most groundbreaking advancements in this sector is generative AI. This revolutionary technology can potentially transform how businesses create, innovate, and strategize. This blog post will discuss the use cases of generative AI for Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) brands: content creation, productivity boost, legal compliance, and knowledge transfer.

But first, let’s define terms.

Generative AI is a subset of artificial intelligence that focuses on creating (hence “generative”) new outputs, such as images, text, music, or even code, based on the data and patterns the model was trained on. In our article “How AI is Changing the Content Creation Landscape,” you can find more info about how it works.

Fast-Moving Consumer Goods brands refer to companies that manufacture and sell products consumed daily by most people, such as food, beverages, cosmetics, and household items. 

Many FMCG brands face unique challenges in a highly competitive and rapidly evolving market. 

Today, people are bombarded with an overwhelming amount of content, making it increasingly difficult for FMCG brands to stand out. Creating engaging and relevant content is essential to capture consumers' attention, build awareness, and drive sales. Such content can include product descriptions, ad copy, images, and videos that showcase the brands’ unique selling points and demonstrate the value of their products.

Content Creation

For FMCG brands aiming to generate a diverse range of content, generative artificial intelligence can streamline the process, making it quicker, more efficient, and highly targeted. Below are some examples of content types that can be produced using AI::

• Product descriptions that are informative, keyword-rich, and can help your products stand out in the crowded e-commerce space.
• Ad copy that resonates with your audience, leading to better conversion rates and increased brand awareness.
• Blog posts that are high-quality and long-form, improving your website's SEO ranking, driving organic traffic, and keeping your audience engaged.
• Social media content that helps your followers stay interested in your brand.
• Emails tailored to each customer's interests, resulting in higher open and click-through rates.
• Landing pages that help you rank higher on search engines and attract more visitors.
• Event recaps that are accurate and comprehensive, saving you time and effort while gaining additional exposure.
• White papers promoting products or services.
• E-books that give your customers valuable resources to learn from.

Expanding our perspective, let's explore the extensive variety of purposes for which AI can generate texts.

• E-commerce content that caters to direct-to-consumer (DTC), marketplaces, and retailers.
• Marketing texts that drive brand awareness.
• Personalization for individuals or specific audience segments.
• Clear communication and consistency within the organization via employee handbooks, policy manuals, and standard operating procedures.
• Increased sales effectiveness thanks to sales scripts providing effective and persuasive talking points.
• Employee training via tutorials, guides, and how-to documents, ensuring effective onboarding and continued professional development.
• Enhanced customer support via texts for knowledge bases, help centers, and chatbot scripts.
• User instructions via technical documentation: manuals, product specifications, and more.

Productivity Boost

The Fast-Moving Consumer Goods industry is constantly evolving, with companies always looking for innovative ways to streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve decision-making. AI can help with that in ways that go beyond content production: 

• Quick content generation: AI can quickly generate content ideas and variations, enabling businesses to produce quality content at a faster pace and in larger volumes. Examples would include a workable content plan in under a minute, a LinkedIn post ready in five minutes, a blog post ready in several hours, and so much more, including examples in the previous section. 
• Content optimization: AI can analyze user engagement data and make recommendations for improving content performance, such as identifying the best headlines, images, or call-to-actions.
• Sentiment analysis: AI can analyze customer feedback and comments, identifying common sentiments and issues, allowing businesses to address concerns and improve their products or services.
• Supply chain management: AI-powered tools can optimize inventory levels and distribution networks, ensuring efficient management of resources and reduced operational costs. 

Embracing generative artificial intelligence offers numerous benefits to FMCG brands, including:

• Faster time-to-market: By automating multiple aspects of marketing, AI enables FMCG companies to bring their products to market more quickly.
• Enhanced human creativity: Generative artificial intelligence can augment human creativity by providing innovative ideas and concepts or complementing existing ones, helping companies stay ahead of the competition, and catering to ever-changing consumer needs.
• Increased efficiency: Automating repetitive tasks with AI allows employees to focus on strategic tasks, leading to a more productive workforce.
• Reduced operational costs due to minimizing manual labor, optimizing resource utilization and streamlining processes. Companies can then invest the savings in other areas, such as research and development, to drive further growth.
• Increased employee focus on strategic tasks due to automating repetitive tasks. This boosts overall productivity and enhances job satisfaction and employee retention, which are crucial for the long-term success of any organization.

Legal Compliance

Fast-Moving Consumer Goods companies operate in a highly regulated environment, with numerous legal and regulatory requirements to adhere to. Compliance is crucial for safeguarding a company’s reputation and brand safety guidelines, ensuring the well-being of consumers, and protecting the environment. 

AI can be used to check new content against a set of rules or guidelines. A human review is still required, but AI will significantly minimize the time it takes to do so by automating the review of contracts, agreements, and policies. It can quickly identify non-compliant clauses, and help businesses maintain a consistent compliance approach across legal and other documents.

In short, artificial intelligence offers the following benefits for FMCG companies:

• Minimized risk of non-compliance: AI-driven data analysis and automated document review help businesses identify potential issues and address them proactively, reducing the risk of non-compliance and its consequences.
• Faster response to changes: AI can quickly adapt to new legal requirements and enable businesses to implement compliant practices more rapidly, ensuring a timely response to regulatory changes.
• Reduced costs: Artificial intelligence can help companies reduce legal expenses and allocate resources more efficiently by automating time-consuming tasks and streamlining compliance management.

Achieving Success for FMCG Brands: Putting Generative AI into Action with Intentful

Generative AI can greatly impact how FMCG brands function in today's fast market.

• Improved efficiency: AI-powered tools can generate content faster and more accurately than human writers, saving time and resources.
• Enhanced creativity: Artificial intelligence algorithms can analyze large amounts of data to identify trends, patterns, and insights, which can inspire new and innovative content ideas.
• Personalization and targeting: AI can help FMCG brands create highly personalized and targeted copy, ensuring that the right message reaches the right audience at the right time. This not only enhances engagement but also drives better results.

We encourage all forward-thinking FMCG brands to enter the generative AI world with Intentful as their partner. Our team of experts is here to support and guide you through the AI adoption process, ensuring you harness its full potential to drive your brand's growth and success. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about how Intentful can help your company thrive in the age of AI, contact us. Let's start this exciting journey together and unlock the potential of generative AI for your future.