Five ways CPGs can innovate with UNFI Insights and AI Agents powered by Crisp

UNFI Insights is evolving – moving from reporting to intelligence with AI Agents, Scheduled Reports, Projected Orders, and more. Here are key supplier takeaways to date. 

For the past few years, UNFI Insights powered by Crisp has provided suppliers with access to daily distribution and sales data across UNFI DCs and its retailer network in the U.S. and Canada. Now, the platform continues to evolve.

The new AI Agents feature in UNFI Insights has been in the hands of a small group of beta users and will be available to all suppliers by September 1. Built on the foundation of Crisp’s retail-grade data platform, UNFI AI Agents allow suppliers to ask questions in plain English and get instant, data-driven answers – with every number tracing back to the source data. Users can also create and share custom graphs and presentations built around the KPIs that matter most to them.

AI Agents arrive alongside two more capabilities in the new UNFI Insights release: 

• Scheduled Reports automate and deliver the custom reports you use most, such as on Monday mornings before the week begins.

• Projected Orders give suppliers a forward-looking view of what UNFI expects to order and when – weeks ahead of the PO – so teams can build that demand into their own production and inventory planning.

Ahead of the launch, we sat down with five category-leading suppliers who are already putting the UNFI Insights powered by Crisp platform to work, including a couple of our AI Agents beta users. Here are their takeaways from the field.

UNFI Insights powered by Crisp customer spotlights

1. Clorox leads the category with localized assortment planning

• Favorite feature: AI Agents
• The team behind Clorox uses UNFI AI Agents to get more granular with sales data, and turn localized insights into sharper category decisions. Heading into the busiest season of the year, they can propose strategic assortments based on what’s selling where, then track performance in real time as demand builds. 

“AI Agents will be a real asset for holiday planning and execution. For seasonal performers like Burt’s Bees, we can propose strategic assortments based on localized insights, then see what’s working in real time as demand spikes.”

_{Steve Bruton, Business Account Manager, The Clorox Company, Crossmark}

2. B&G Foods saves money with smarter promotions and sales

• Favorite feature: AI Agents
• At B&G Foods, AI Agents have become one of the most valuable tools in the sales workflow. The team uses them to diagnose why brands underperform in specific regions, build customer-ready presentations in minutes, and surface smarter promotional opportunities that maximize the impact of promotional spend across UNFI’s Natural and Conventional divisions.

“Crisp AI Agents has saved hours out of my workday! It can provide answers to questions and identify solutions in minutes that otherwise can take hours to pull together on my own.”

_{Allie Schmidt, Customer Sales Manager, Specialty Distributors, B&G Foods}

3. Kimberly-Clark tackles a SKU conversion and plans for Cough, Cold, and Flu season

• Favorite feature: Sales and Distribution
• UNFI Insights has become a go-to tool for the Kimberly-Clark team. They’ve used it to execute UPC conversions for brands like Kotex® – mapping existing distribution before the switch, then closing gaps after. For Kleenex®, sales and distribution reporting also helps the team stay ahead through seasonal peaks like Cough, Cold, and Flu.

“We use UNFI Insights to monitor our business through busy seasons like Back-To-School and Cough, Cold, and Flu, to see how promotions are performing and ensure we’re executing in stores.”

_{Tom Fletcher, Customer Business Partner, Kimberly-Clark}

4. Samyang America meets the hot demand for viral Buldak noodles

• Favorite feature: Distribution Expansion
• Samyang America uses UNFI Insights to keep up with demand for its viral Buldak noodles and other innovations. When the team recently launched 15 new SKUs through UNFI, it measured market performance and identified greater sales opportunities within the UNFI store sales reports. 

“Typically it’s tough to analyze a lot of sales trends, but UNFI Insights makes it super easy to do – in a nice, visual format.”

_{Johnny Yu, Sales Manager, Samyang America}

5. Nestlé Purina spots supply chain gaps sooner

• Favorite feature: DC Inventory
• As a Nestlé-Purina supply chain manager, Taylor Johnson uses UNFI Insights to dig deep into DC inventory – down to the SKU and store – and connect it to shipments moving through the UNFI network. Going from little visibility to this depth of data has helped with spotting supply chain gaps sooner and keeping products on shelf, right when pet parents are reaching for them.

“When a pet’s favorite food isn’t on the shelf, it really makes a difference. Using these insights builds trust that our products are there on time, for the shoppers and pets who count on them.”

_{Taylor Johnson, Supply Chain Manager, Nestlé Purina}

The value is real and it’s growing

“We’ve seen strong adoption of UNFI Insights across our distribution network,” shared Meagan Kessel, SVP, Supplier Partnership & Services at UNFI. “Suppliers are using it every day to make more informed decisions and identify opportunities to grow their business. As UNFI Insights continues to evolve with AI Agents and other advanced capabilities, it helps suppliers strengthen collaboration with retailers across the U.S. and Canada and use data-driven insights to support their business goals.”

As UNFI Insights continues to evolve with AI Agents and other advanced capabilities, it helps suppliers strengthen collaboration with retailers across the U.S. and Canada and use data-driven insights to support their business goals.

_{Meagan Kessel, SVP, Supplier Partnership & Services, UNFI}

If you’re a UNFI supplier interested in learning tips and tricks for getting more value from the UNFI Insights platform, check out our Learning Academy here.

If you’re interested in broadening your data and AI-driven capabilities across additional retail channels, speak with a Crisp expert here.