How AI is transforming supermarket buying teams: Takeaways from Kwayga’s Online Executive Briefing
In our recent event, "Dragging Supermarket Buying Teams into the Digital World," we explored how AI and digital tools are reshaping the landscape for supermarket buyers. With pressures from inflation, sustainability, and fast-changing trends, supermarket buying teams are under more pressure than ever to make smarter, faster decisions. Here’s a summary of the insights shared on how digital solutions are revolutionising buying processes.
The challenges supermarket buyers face
Today’s supermarket buying teams have to keep multiple priorities in check. Sustainability is now a top priority. Whether it’s reducing carbon footprints, managing waste, or ensuring supplier certifications, buyers are under pressure to green the supply chain. Collecting all this data from suppliers can be overwhelming, but AI makes it easier by gathering and organising essential information, enabling buyers to make more responsible choices.
Then there’s the challenge of managing tight budgets. With rising food inflation and supply chain disruptions, buyers need to find ways to protect margins and identify savings without compromising quality. AI steps in by helping buyers make data-driven decisions that optimise costs and efficiency, exponentially expanding market reach to thoroughly improve procurement performance.
Keeping up with trends is also essential. From TikTok-driven food fads to new air fryer-friendly products, buyers need to move quickly to get trending items on the shelves. With the right suppliers and data, they can respond to these changes rapidly. At Kwayga, we help buyers source products swiftly to meet these evolving demands, taking products from "TikTok to trolley" as fast as possible.
Sourcing new suppliers today: Not efficient and not effective
Let’s face it—sourcing new suppliers through emails, spreadsheets, trade shows, and agents just isn’t fast enough anymore. In some cases, it can take over a year to get new products on shelf, which often means missing out on the trend entirely.
Working with unsuitable suppliers wastes time and money. Without clear information on their capacity, certifications, or distribution networks, you risk missed opportunities and lost margins—other suppliers could provide the same products at better rates, impacting your bottom line.
How AI benefits supermarket buyers
So, how exactly does AI help buyers? In short, AI enables quicker and smarter decisions. It collects and analyses vast amounts of global food and supplier data, offering insights that help buyers make better choices. By automating routine tasks and generating more accurate insights, AI frees buyers to focus on strategic priorities like relationship-building and planning.
AI also allows buyers to stay ahead of potential supply chain issues. It improves forecasting, predicts shortages, and highlights potential surges in demand. With these insights, buyers can be more proactive and resilient to changes in the market.
Powering quality and trusted connections
During our Q&A, we discussed Kwayga’s strength in finding and verifying quality suppliers, using advanced AI and our own language models to gather the right information. With my co-founder Martin’s banking background, we’re strong on due diligence, gathering 12 key data points—such as company size, location, turnover, products, and key personnel—through both public AI-crawled data and private, trusted sources like DNB. This mix ensures we thoroughly verify suppliers, so buyers get reliable, high-quality connections they can trust.
Fast results, when you need them
One standout feature of the Kwayga platform is its speed. We’ve seen buyers post requests in the morning and receive high-quality supplier options by the afternoon. Our best case study? Getting a product on shelves in just six weeks. When a UK supermarket needed products for Pancake Tuesday, Kwayga delivered a shortlist of suppliers within 24 hours. This rapid response allows buyers to meet market demands without sacrificing quality.
Enhancing, not replacing, the human touch
A common concern is whether AI will replace the human aspect of buying. The answer is no. Our goal at Kwayga is to empower, not replace, buyers. Think of it as upgrading from a manual plough to a high-powered tractor—you’re still in control but can get the job done faster and more efficiently.
Kwayga’s platform is designed to make buyers’ lives easier, from streamlining supplier sourcing to simplifying onboarding. By handling repetitive tasks, AI allows buyers to focus on the strategic, relationship-building aspects of their roles. In the end, technology enhances the process, enabling buyers to make smarter decisions without losing the human touch.
Building stronger buyer-supplier collaboration
Kwayga is designed to facilitate communication in any language, especially useful during the onboarding process. Buyers can customise the information they require, such as certifications and product samples, enabling them to make informed decisions tailored to their needs. Kwayga has a range of buyer tools with clear workflows, reminders and automations to improve this supplier due dilligence process. This collaborative approach encourages long-term partnerships, which is particularly valuable for private-label projects.
Embracing the future of supermarket buying
The Kwayga webinar highlighted the huge benefits of embracing AI and digital tools in the buying process. From managing budgets and sustainability to keeping up with trends, today’s buyers need tools that allow them to be faster and more responsive. At Kwayga, we’re here to help buyers make the digital shift, delivering high-quality results with minimal hassle.
