Artificial intelligence is becoming a bigger part of consumer goods operations, but getting the technology to deliver measurable results where products are actually sold remains a challenge.
According to the Promotion Optimization Institute’s (POI) 2026 State of the Industry research, 61% of manufacturers struggle to execute promotions as planned, while 75% remain constrained by their retail execution capabilities. Meanwhile, 62% have yet to adopt generative AI, highlighting the gap between the industry’s growing interest in AI and its implementation across commercial operations.
These challenges will take center stage at the POI 2026 Fall Hybrid Summit, taking place November 11–13 at the Westin Galleria Dallas in Dallas, Texas.
Organized by the Promotion Optimization Institute, the event will bring together more than 500 consumer goods leaders, including manufacturers, retailers, and technology providers, to examine how companies can improve commercial performance and prepare their organizations for 2027.
The three-day summit will explore several areas shaping the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry, including Revenue Growth Management (RGM), Trade Promotion Management (TPM), advanced analytics, omnichannel strategy, retail media, and AI-driven transformation.
From AI adoption to operational execution
One of the emerging themes is the transition from AI systems that analyze information to technologies capable of coordinating and executing actions.
For consumer goods manufacturers, this distinction is particularly relevant at the retail shelf, where product availability, merchandising standards, promotional compliance, and execution speed can directly influence sales.
The POI agenda includes discussions on agentic retail execution, AI-ready data infrastructure, and the integration of commercial planning with operational decision-making.
Effie.AI, a retail execution technology company, will be among the companies participating in the summit. Its CEO, Ruslan Okhrimovych, will take the stage alongside Nestlé to present what they describe as a new category of solutions: operational agentic retail execution.
The presentation will examine how AI agents and human teams can work together to improve retail execution, alongside business results achieved through their collaboration.
Ahead of the event, Okhrimovych shared three figures illustrating the reported impact of the implementation: a 16% increase in sales, a 67% reduction in shelf audit time, and a 40% reduction in supervisor workload.
The figures offer a practical example of how agentic AI can extend beyond analytics and reporting to support activities taking place in physical retail environments.
A broader shift in consumer goods operations
The discussion comes as manufacturers face pressure to improve productivity while navigating changing consumer behavior, pricing challenges, and increasingly complex retail relationships.
POI’s summit is designed to bring these priorities together rather than treat them as isolated technology challenges. Its agenda includes manufacturer and retailer presentations, technology demonstrations, peer discussions, and workshops focused on translating commercial strategies into measurable business outcomes.
The program begins November 11 with pre-conference activities, technology talks, and networking sessions. November 12 features keynotes and breakout discussions covering RGM, TPM, omnichannel, AI, and retail execution. The final day will focus on deeper workshops and technology demonstrations.
Among the broader questions facing the industry is how companies can move from deploying individual AI tools to building interconnected systems that improve decision-making and execution across their operations.
For an industry where commercial performance is ultimately determined by what happens across distribution networks and store shelves, the ability to translate intelligence into action could become an increasingly important competitive advantage.
The POI 2026 Fall Hybrid Summit will bring these discussions together as consumer goods companies begin defining their technology and commercial priorities for the year ahead.
Disclosure: This article mentions a client of an Espacio portfolio company.
