Hershey is using AI to strategize for s'mores season
Hershey deploys computer vision + AR for real-time shelf placement, signaling CPG AI moving from planning to store-floor execution.
- 01Hershey's seasonal s'mores push is now guided by a proprietary AI system combining computer vision and augmented reality to optimize in-store display placement and measure performance against live consumer data.
- 02A parallel upgrade to its marketing-mix model adds real-time signal tracking.
- 03The move reflects a broader CPG shift: AI is migrating from back-office forecasting toward moment-of-purchase decisions, compressing the loop between consumer behavior and retailer action.
- 04- **Watch:** Whether rivals like Mondelēz or Kraft Heinz accelerate similar shelf-intelligence deployments before 2027 seasonal planning cycles.
Hershey deploys computer vision + AR for real-time shelf placement, signaling CPG AI moving from planning to store-floor execution.
Hershey's seasonal s'mores push is now guided by a proprietary AI system combining computer vision and augmented reality to optimize in-store display placement and measure performance against live consumer data. A parallel upgrade to its marketing-mix model adds real-time signal tracking. The move reflects a broader CPG shift: AI is migrating from back-office forecasting toward moment-of-purchase decisions, compressing the loop between consumer behavior and retailer action. - **Watch:** Whether rivals like Mondelēz or Kraft Heinz accelerate similar shelf-intelligence deployments before 2027 seasonal planning cycles.
Watch: Competing CPG brands for accelerated shelf-intelligence AI rollouts as Hershey's real-time model sets a new seasonal-category benchmark.
The Hershey Company has started using new AI tools to maximize sales of s’mores ingredients in stores — including its own chocolates, as well as marshmallows and graham crackers. This year, the company started using a new proprietary AI tool developed in-house that uses computer vision and augmented reality to identify where to place s’mores displays in stores and determine how they perform based on consumer data, according to Stephanie Berman, vp of retail at The Hershey Company. Hershey also started using AI this year in its marketing-mix model to better understand real-time consumer data. “The big thing for us as we look at AI: It’s been about real-time data, it’s been about getting closer to the consumer in more real time, and it’s about partnering with our retailers on how we see the consumer behaving, so that we can iterate faster and more meaningfully with the consumer,” Berman said. “It’s all about real-time data, faster decisions and then optimization, both in-store and online.”
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