Afresh, the pioneering AI engine designed to address the unique challenges present in fresh grocery retail, is making significant strides with Fresh Thyme Market adopting its Store Ordering solution for Food Service. This marks an expansion of Afresh’s technological capabilities within Fresh Thyme’s network, to encompass ordering and inventory management for their deli and prepared foods sections. This rollout signifies a broad implementation across Fresh Thyme's 70-store chain, with full deployment expected by the year's end.
Scott Caro, Fresh Thyme's Group Vice President of Merchandising and Marketing, expressed enthusiasm about this technological integration. He noted that Afresh has been instrumental in modernising their store ordering processes across multiple fresh product categories, including produce, meat, and seafood. This integration has streamlined operations, improved employee efficiency, and enhanced customer satisfaction by aligning their offerings more closely with consumer demands.
Afresh Store Ordering for Deli and Food Service involves the use of tablets and intuitive, user-friendly workflows by department managers to accurately review inventory and place orders. This AI-driven system addresses several complex variables inherent in fresh food management, such as product shelf life, seasonality, holiday demand fluctuations, and potential inconsistencies in scanning at checkouts. The advanced AI engine processes these factors to generate intelligent order recommendations and automate ordering functions. Furthermore, it aids in managing prepared foods by tracking ingredient usage across various recipes and recommending alternatives when necessary. This ensures higher availability of desired items for shoppers and minimises food wastage due to more precise data-driven decision-making.
Dain Charette, Chief Revenue Officer of Afresh, highlighted the importance of the longstanding partnership with Fresh Thyme. He emphasised Afresh’s role in optimising food service operations, which are seen as critical and intricate areas within grocery stores due to their direct impact on customer satisfaction and inventory management. Afresh's AI technology enables grocers to improve inventory accuracy and minimise waste, ultimately promoting the delivery of fresher products to consumers.
The significance of fresh departments in grocery stores has increased as consumer preferences shift towards freshness. A recent Deloitte study revealed that a notable majority of consumers, 68%, are willing to pay extra for fresh food, and 64% of grocery retail executives consider fresh foods vital for sales growth.
Afresh's contribution to grocery operations extends beyond fresh food management, impacting the overall financial performance of stores. Those using Afresh have reported a 10-40% improvement in inventory accuracy over traditional perpetual inventory methods, alongside a 7% increase in inventory turnover speed, a 20% boost in labour efficiency, and a 25% reduction in shrinkage.
As the grocery industry continues to evolve, the adoption of AI technologies like Afresh underscores the move towards more efficient, responsive, and customer-centric retail environments.
Source: Noah Wire Services