Epicor Study: High-Growth Businesses Lead AI Adoption in Supply Chains

In the 2024 Agility Index by Epicor and Nucleus Research, almost half of companies in manufacturing, logistics, and retail sectors identified rising costs as their top supply chain challenge. Over half are leveraging AI, automation, or machine learning for supply chain management, with 63% of high-growth businesses already using generative AI to tackle costs and operational issues effectively.

Nucleus Research surveyed more than 1,700 supply chain management leaders worldwide to understand how they are leveraging powerful technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning to thrive while navigating challenges like supply chain disruptions, escalating costs, and skilled labor gaps. The study also uncovered anticipated future investments in these technologies.

“When workers are empowered to spend more time innovating — what humans do best — that’s where the real value creation happens. That is agility,” said Vaibhav Vohra, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Epicor. “Our 2024 Agility Index underscores the growing adoption of AI and other automation technologies as an essential factor in enabling supply chain businesses to better thrive and compete. These cognitive capabilities are coming together to empower workers and their businesses to more readily adapt to shifting market conditions and better serve their customers.”

Survey respondents indicated they are integrating generative AI into digital supply chain operations across various functions such as product descriptions, customer service chatbots, natural language querying, reporting, and in-application assistance. Specifically, the adoption of generative AI in customer service chatbots, noted by 72 percent of organizations, is highlighted as the most prevalent use case. This widespread implementation is attributed to the technology’s ability to streamline customer interactions across various sectors.

Similarly, 67 percent of organizations currently employ generative AI for crafting product descriptions, leveraging the technology’s capacity to analyze customer sentiment and forecast market demand. This enables a more informed approach to product design and feature development.