AI Execution App for DSD Teams

FORM’s image recognition and photo reporting technology is the smartest way for Consumer Goods brands to improve merchandising execution across locations. Using the app, brands have reported performing merchandising audits 75% faster than manual methods or home-grown solutions. Customers use FORM to get instant visual confirmation of merchandising with AI-powered photo reporting software, which automatically tags and segments SKUs by location, category, and more. Retail teams can also use Image Recognition to quickly identify out-of-stocks and voids. 

SKU-level reporting automatically attributes products to their position on the shelf, giving leaders visibility into product placement, position, and price at each account. This data enables Consumer Goods brands, distributors, and retailers to understand what should be in place, what is currently in place, and how to optimize it in real-time–ensuring valuable agreements are being upheld and executed with precision for a Perfect Store.

Suppliers get full-market coverage with a single app that allows them to access areas their distributors may not be able to reach, while distributors can survey accounts in a fraction of the time and receive on-device data to take action while on-site. Both suppliers and distributors can drive efficiency and execution at on- and off-premise locations, with an app that identifies products on shelves, coolers, wine menus, cocktail menus, beer menus, tap handles, and back bars to see product, frequency, price, and placement in mere minutes—and to confirm partner compliance in real-time.

Image Recognition by FORM is a mobile app used by teams in Bev-Alc, Consumer Goods, and Retail to automate account surveys, get visual confirmation of merchandising, and better manage retail execution by eliminating manual data entry and reducing human error.

Some of the world’s leading Consumer Goods and Beverage brands and distributors are currently using Image Recognition to survey accounts 75% faster, increase shelf share by 2%, and grow sales by up to 5%, including DSD brands like PepsiCo, Keurig Dr Pepper, and Flowers Foods. 

Yes, Image Recognition by FORM can identify products displayed on in-set, in-line, on-shelf, and endcap displays, and can identify voids and out of stocks. SKU-level reporting automatically attributes products to their position on the shelf, providing insights into product placement, position, and price.

Image Recognition is fully-integrated with FORM’s task management and insights platform to provide a turnkey solution for sending, tracking, and reporting on data captured by reps in the field. Leaders use FORM’s task management solution to create, send, and schedule tasks using 12 different task types, including image recognition, unique to location and user. Users receive these tasks by opening the FORM app on their mobile device and viewing which tasks are available for the location they’re visiting.

Tasks that include image recognition will prompt the user to take photos of the displays or menus requested. Once photos are captured, our machine-learning models instantly identify products that appear in the image, and append SKU-level data to each item pictured. In minutes, users will receive reporting on their device after submitting photos, and leaders will receive granular SKU-level reporting to their insights dashboard on desktop for easy viewing, analyzing, and sharing.

When exploring options for AI vendors, we recommend using the following as a checklist to ensure the vendor is providing an accurate, transparent, and economical product: 

• How long do you have to wait for results from photos? 
  • Many systems can eventually provide high accuracy data from a photo – if given enough time.  But to maximize the impact from AI and ML technology, field reps should be able to review and take action on the results in the moment. Asking the vendor to show you a live demo—in market—is a great way to assess the speed and accuracy of data that come from photos.
• Is their model accuracy at or above 95%? 
  • A highly accurate AI means optimal results for your business. Ensure your AI vendor not only shares its model accuracy statistics, but also allows you to test the product for yourself. A free trial is a great way to ensure SKU accuracy before investing in the technology.
• Is their pricing model clearly-outlined? Is it sustainable?
  • This is a new venture for many organizations and aligning to internal budgets is critical.  FORM’s pricing model provides predictable spend and removes variability (number of photos captured, etc.) seen with other solutions.

• Do you own the AI-generated data, or does your vendor? Will they sell it to your competitors for market intelligence? 
  • Many AI vendors rely on syndicated data, or general market data, and will sell customer data to competitors. Determining data ownership early in your search process is a key step in establishing a transparent partnership with your AI vendor. At FORM, you own your data, and we will never use your data without your consent.

• Do they use machine learning or humans for product tagging?
  • Machine learning is the fastest and most efficient way to tag products submitted using AI, but many vendors rely on human labelers to manually tag images as they’re submitted. Not only is this method significantly slower and error-prone, but it’s also a departure from veritable artificial intelligence. Make sure your vendor has the same understanding of ML and AI as you do.

• Do they have a track record of meeting delivery dates and making improvements as scoped? 

• • Well-executed AI programs are constantly improving and adjusting to changes—whether those changes are market disruptors or specific customer requests. Some AI vendors may over-promise and under-deliver if they don’t have the bandwidth or resources needed to react quickly, which could put you behind the competition. Ensure your vendor has consistently met customer expectations and flexed to market changes; software review sites like G2 are a good place to start.