Swire Coca-Cola Uses AI Suggested Orders To Guide Sales Staff

Swire Coca-Cola is turning operational data into AI-generated “suggested orders” for sales staff, as Hong Kong firms look for ways to drive growth while navigating economic headwinds.

Why companies are adapting

Hong Kong’s economic transformation is at a critical juncture, and the private sector must adapt along with it, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has noted.

The shift is being examined through the forces driving change among established enterprises, in the first of a two-part series by Ambrose Li and Wynna Wong.

Swire Coca-Cola is cited among the firms leveraging AI and other cutting-edge technologies to support growth in challenging times.

How AI is changing sales work

Before visiting a vendor in mainland China’s Jiangsu province, a salesman from Hong Kong bottling giant Swire Coca-Cola can now use a mobile phone to check which drinks customers in the neighbourhood are most likely to buy.

The recommendations are generated by artificial intelligence and are based on factors such as the area’s consumer profiles.

Swire Coca-Cola describes the resulting output as “suggested orders”, turning information held across the firm’s operations into guidance for sales visits.

Robots inside mainland plants

The company’s mainland plants are also using AI-powered robots in their operations.

These robots can make decisions and adapt to changing operating conditions while picking and sorting heavy, shrink-wrapped loads of drinks from pallets at high speed.

The use of such robots is described as a breakthrough in a labour-intensive industry.

Together, the sales recommendations and plant automation show how one established Hong Kong enterprise is applying AI across both customer-facing and operational parts of its business.

Source: South China Morning Post