Three AI Journeys and What They Mean for Walmart Suppliers

AI Adoption Is Not One Size Fits All

Artificial intelligence is moving quickly from experimentation to execution across the consumer goods industry. While the end goal is often similar, better decisions, faster execution, and improved productivity, the path to get there varies widely.

Recent commentary from senior leaders at Coca-Cola, Newell Brands, and Clorox provides a useful comparison of three distinct AI roadmaps. For Walmart suppliers, these approaches offer practical insight into how AI can be applied in different operating contexts, and what tradeoffs each path entails.

Understanding these differences is especially important as Walmart continues to raise expectations around automation, data accuracy, and operational consistency.

Coca-Cola Focuses AI Where Revenue Is Created

Coca-Cola has taken a pragmatic approach to artificial intelligence by applying it first where it directly supports growth. Marketing and sales execution have been the primary areas of focus.

In marketing, AI has helped Coca-Cola move faster and operate more efficiently. The company has used AI to accelerate content creation, reduce production costs, and increase the level of customization across campaigns. This allows for more precise audience segmentation and faster adaptation of messaging across markets.

The more consequential shift is happening in the selling system. Coca-Cola is using AI to modernize sales processes that historically relied on manual store visits and outdated ordering practices. With millions of store interactions taking place each week, AI can now generate suggested orders based on patterns observed in successful retail locations and connect stores more directly to consumer demand signals.

For Walmart suppliers, this approach aligns closely with the retailer’s priorities. Better forecasting, smarter order recommendations, and fewer manual interventions all support improved on shelf availability and execution.

At the same time, Coca-Cola’s leadership has emphasized a critical point. AI does not fix broken processes. If underlying workflows are inefficient or poorly designed, AI will only accelerate those problems. Suppliers should view this as a caution to address process gaps before scaling advanced tools.

Newell Brands Moves Fast Through Experimentation

Newell Brands represents a more aggressive AI adoption strategy. As part of a broader turnaround effort, the company chose to move quickly, testing and deploying AI across the organization rather than waiting for perfect conditions.

Newell actively partnered with technology providers, volunteered as a beta tester, and pushed into agent based AI earlier than many peers. This exploration mindset led to rapid implementation of AI use cases across marketing, product development, customer service, supply chain, and brand management.

The impact has been significant. Newell has reported major productivity gains, substantial reductions in response times, and simplified operations across functions. The company has also dramatically increased the volume of digital marketing assets produced without adding headcount.

A key enabler of this progress was broad access. AI tools and training were made available across the organization, helping teams learn by doing rather than waiting for centralized expertise.

For Walmart suppliers, Newell’s experience demonstrates the upside of speed, particularly for companies under performance pressure. However, rapid experimentation also requires strong governance. In Walmart’s environment, where accuracy and consistency matter, suppliers pursuing this path must ensure controls keep pace with innovation.

Clorox Builds the Foundation First

Clorox has taken the most deliberate approach of the three companies. Its AI journey began several years ago with a focus on rebuilding data infrastructure and modernizing core systems before scaling advanced capabilities.

The company invested in centralized consumer data, content management, and analytics platforms. These investments now support personalized marketing at scale, with a majority of Clorox’s marketing efforts benefiting from AI driven personalization.

Beyond marketing, AI has helped Clorox analyze consumer feedback, identify unmet needs, and uncover operational improvement opportunities. These capabilities are also supporting a broader ERP transformation that provides real time visibility across the supply chain.

For Walmart suppliers, Clorox’s approach reinforces a foundational truth. AI outcomes are only as strong as the data and systems behind them. Suppliers with fragmented data or siloed processes will struggle to generate reliable results, regardless of the tools they deploy.

While this foundation first strategy takes longer to deliver visible gains, it reduces risk and supports more sustainable improvement over time.

Three Paths Share Common Principles

Despite their different strategies, Coca-Cola, Newell, and Clorox share several important themes that are highly relevant for Walmart suppliers.

First, AI initiatives are tied to clear business outcomes. Whether the goal is revenue growth, productivity improvement, personalization, or operational efficiency, success is measured in impact, not experimentation.

Second, leadership engagement is essential. In all three cases, senior executives are actively involved in setting priorities and managing expectations around AI adoption.

Third, process discipline remains critical. AI amplifies what already exists. Companies that invest in fixing workflows, aligning teams, and clarifying accountability are better positioned to benefit.

What This Means for Walmart Suppliers and Sellers

Walmart is becoming more automated, more data driven, and more demanding in how it evaluates supplier performance. AI will increasingly shape replenishment decisions, execution standards, and operational expectations.

The experiences of Coca-Cola, Newell, and Clorox suggest that suppliers do not need to follow a single blueprint. However, they do need to be intentional. Key questions every supplier should be asking include:

• Are our data foundations strong enough to support AI at scale
• Which processes create the most friction with Walmart today
• Where can AI improve speed, accuracy, or consistency without increasing risk
• Do our teams understand how to use AI outputs effectively

Suppliers that align AI investments with Walmart’s priorities, especially on shelf availability, execution discipline, and shopper relevance, will be better positioned to strengthen their partnership with the retailer.

Looking Ahead

AI adoption across consumer goods will continue to accelerate, but outcomes will vary. Companies that match ambition with readiness will pull ahead, while those that chase technology without addressing fundamentals will struggle.

For Walmart suppliers, the lesson is not to copy any one approach, but to choose deliberately. Whether moving fast like Newell, scaling where revenue is created like Coca-Cola, or building patiently like Clorox, success depends on clarity, discipline, and alignment with Walmart’s operating reality.

AI is not a shortcut. It is a multiplier. Used well, it can help suppliers compete more effectively in an increasingly demanding retail ecosystem.

Source context: Reporting from Consumer Goods by Liz Dominguez informed this analysis and has been contextualized for Walmart suppliers and sellers, alongside additional industry reporting and public company disclosures.

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