Overview: A Proud Legacy, Bold Ambition
AG Barr is one of the UK’s leading soft drinks companies, proudly building great brands since 1875. From the iconic IRN-BRU to the vibrant flavours of Rubicon, Boost, and Funkin Cocktails, AG Barr has long been recognised for its innovation and bold positioning in the market.
With a clear ambition to become the fastest-growing scale drinks business in the UK, AG Barr is investing heavily in five strategic pillars: one of which is technology.
A key part of delivering on this ambition is transforming retail execution: moving from manual, reactive processes to intelligent, AI-driven action in store.
The Challenge: Manual Processes Slowing Growth
Before the rollout of Aforza & Neurolabs, AG Barr’s retail execution followed a familiar pattern across the FMCG sector:
Field reps manually captured stock data
Each visit required reps to manually count SKUs, often under time pressure
Errors were common, from missed products to mislabelled quantities
Data collection dominated the visit, leaving little time for meaningful engagement with the retailer
Store visits averaged around 20 minutes, but much of that time was spent on manual time consuming admin rather than driving influence at the shelf. AG Barr recognised that to scale, it needed a faster, more accurate and value-driven way to operate.
Reference: AG Barr Capital Markets Day 2025 Presentation
The Solution: Ava Brings Speed, Accuracy & Intelligence
To overcome the inefficiencies of manual execution, AG Barr introduced Ava, Aforza’s Vertical AI, in partnership with Neurolabs. This solution transforms the way field teams operate by connecting photo capture to real-time, AI-powered decision-making.
Take a Photo
Field reps simply snap a photo of the shelf or chiller using their mobile device.
Neurolabs Image Recognition
The image is processed using Neurolabs’ synthetic computer vision to instantly identify every SKU and detect any gaps or compliance issues.
Audit Automatically Updated
The audit is enriched and structured on the spot, removing the need for manual checks or SKU ticking.
Ava Analyses & Recommends
Ava reviews the data and makes three clear, actionable recommendations to drive in-store impact, whether that’s restocking, upselling, or fixing placement.
Time Savings Reinvested in Customers
With execution time halved, reps can now focus on what matters most: building relationships, uncovering opportunities, and delivering more value during every visit.
This approach turns every store call into a high-value engagement, combining automation, insight, and action to dramatically improve commercial performance.
Reference: AG Barr Capital Markets Day 2025 Presentation
“Ava has transformed the way our field teams work. By cutting data collection time in half and improving accuracy to 96%, our reps can now focus on building stronger customer relationships and maximising opportunities at the shelf. The Vertical AI-driven recommendations mean we know exactly what action to take in store, and that’s delivering real productivity gains and measurable business impact for AG Barr.”
Business Benefits: Transforming Productivity & In-Store Impact
The results have been immediate and significant.
50% reduction in data collection time
Reps can cover more ground, faster, without sacrificing quality.
96% accuracy in data collection
AI eliminates manual counting errors and ensures a consistent, reliable dataset.
AI-driven best action in store
Reps are now guided by intelligence, knowing what to recommend, what’s missing, and how to execute effectively.
More time to gain, retain and maximise
With admin time cut, reps can spend more time building relationships and growing the shelf.
This isn’t just a marginal improvement: it’s a step-change in how productivity is delivered in the field.
%
reduction in data collection time
Reps can cover more ground, faster, without sacrificing quality.
%
accuracy in data collection
AI eliminates manual counting errors and ensures a consistent, reliable dataset.
Reference: AG Barr Capital Markets Day 2025 Presentation
What’s Next: Scaling Value
Building on early success, AG Barr’s focus is already on expanding Ava’s impact within the Field Sales team.
With a clear track record of success and an ambition to lead, AG Barr is proving how technology can power the next generation of growth in consumer goods.
Get Started with Ava Today
Ready to welcome Ava to your team? We’re here to make the integration seamless. We’ll work with you to review your use cases, understand your unique challenges, and demonstrate the business value Ava brings.
Our experts will tailor her capabilities to fit your needs, ensuring you see immediate benefits. Let’s embark on this journey together and unlock new levels of productivity and growth with Ava by your side.