In the heart of Dubai’s vibrant tech scene, the next episode in our international podcast series highlights the spirit of innovation and collaboration at Aforza. In our latest episode, we had the pleasure of hosting Abdul Rehman, Technical Consultant at Aforza, whose Salesforce expertise has proved invaluable in his time at Aforza.

Since joining Aforza in August 2023, Abdul has been instrumental in bridging the gap between clients’ unique requirements and the implementation of professional services. Growing up in the historic city of Lucknow, renowned for its rich culinary heritage, Abdul brings a blend of cultural richness and technical acumen to his role.

With a background in computer science and IT, Abdul’s journey includes various areas, including Salesforce Commerce Cloud and Salesforce Service Cloud. His proficiency as a Java developer and experience in Android development helped his seamless transition to working with Salesforce technologies.

In a previous role, Abdul became interested with Aforza, seeing its robust foundation built on Salesforce and Google Cloud. Abdul acknowledges its versatility in catering to diverse customer needs.The seamless offline functionality and rapid synchronization capabilities underscore Aforza’s commitment to enhancing user experience and efficiency across the Consumer Product industry. And, he notes how the integration of image recognition capabilities further increases Aforza’s value proposition in the market.

For anyone considering a role at Aforza, Abdul shares some valuable insights. Emphasizing the importance of teamwork, he highlights Aforza’s collaborative environment, where every team member is empowered to contribute and communicate freely. “We handle the client, we handle the issues, and we solve them together.” Competence in technology is a prerequisite, coupled with a willingness to embrace new challenges and emerging technologies with enthusiasm. 

In summary, Abdul’s experience highlights the what makes Aforza unique – a blend of technical prowess and collaborative spirit. As Aforza continues to innovate, Abdul’s story can serve as inspiration for tech enthusiasts looking to make their mark in the field! Watch the full podcast below, or to listen on the go, you can subscribe to the series on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Over the past 5 months, Saira Anjum has become an integral part of Team Aforza, bringing her unique background and expertise to her role as a Support Engineer. We’re delighted to work with Saira in our Dubai office, and it was extra special to get the opportunity to sit down and discuss everything from her career to what she values about Aforza as a place to work. And, as the release episode coincides with International Women’s Day, what better time to not only highlight one of our newer female team members, but to do so on an international platform.

Surprisingly, Saira didn’t start her career in IT or any technical field. Instead, she began in the banking sector, gaining invaluable experience in customer-facing roles and business processing. After a fulfilling tenure in banking, Saira shares how she took a decade-long break to focus on her family.

However, she retained her passion for working with customers as she followed an interest in the growing segment of cloud CRM, she ventured into the world of Salesforce, immersing herself in Trailhead courses and furthering her knowledge through dedicated training programs.

Saira shares how Salesforce’s 360-degree views and CRM processes sparked her enthusiasm for the cloud. And how, under the guidance of an inspiring coach, she delved into hands-on projects, honing her skills and deepening her understanding of the platform.

Additionally, the transition to Aforza has marked a significant milestone for Saira. Despite initial nerves about re-entering the workforce after 10 years, she found the experience to be nothing short of amazing. From the conversational interview process to the supportive environment, she shares how Aforza has welcomed her with open arms.

“It’s all about communication,” Saira emphasizes, discussing on the importance of fostering trust and rapport with customers. At Aforza, this mentality is ingrained in our culture, fostering a sense of ease and collaboration among team members.

Curious about what a typical day looks like for Saira? In this episode, she tells us how her role is dynamic and multifaceted; from troubleshooting technical issues to providing tailored solutions for clients. Each day presents new challenges and opportunities to make a meaningful impact.

For those considering a role at Aforza, Saira offers invaluable advice: focus on the people and the environment. Aforza stands out not only for its innovative solutions but also for its supportive and inclusive culture. With an open-door policy and a team of passionate individuals, she shares how motivation to come in every day comes naturally.

Watch below for the full discussion we had with Saira, and stay tuned for more episodes of the Aforza Insights series. To listen on the go, subscribe to the series on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

In our latest podcast episode (the first recorded internationally) we caught up with Sameer Jaffery, Dubai-based Aforza Solution Consulting Manager. Sameer joined the Aforza team about 8-9 months ago, bringing with him over a decade of experience in the IT industry. With a background as the ‘go-to-guy’ for colleagues with technical questions, progressing from a developer to an administrator to a consultant, he can connect with both sides of a product conversation.

Recently, Sameer also attended Gulfood, the largest food and beverage event in the world held in Dubai. He was impressed by the entrepreneurial spirit and innovation displayed by participants from across the globe, and attended a number of meetings with members of our global team who were on-site.

During the episode, Sameer highlights the unique position Aforza holds in the GCC region. Unlike other fragmented solutions in the market, Aforza offers a complete, connected platform that integrates planning to execution on the Salesforce & Google Cloud Platforms. This end-to-end solution streamlines processes for consumer goods companies, driving efficiency and innovation.

Out of stocks are costing you millions in lost revenue. With Aforza Studio, you can identify compliance & availability issues from a single photo and then automate the corrective action with workflows that place the order, schedule delivery and keep the account team updated.

One camera click is all that’s needed to get your products back on the shelf.

• If the share of shelf is low, Aforza Studio automatically generates a new telesales order.

• If a competitor is detected in a bar, Aforza Studio initiates a new competitive takeout promotion.

• If a B2B user uploads a photo of a non-compliance store, Aforza Studio rejects their payment.

• Share of Shelf Analysis to Order Replenishment with Aforza Studio Image Recognition integration to Neurolabs & others, and workflow to create a Telesales order

• Competitor Detection to Merchandiser Visit with Aforza Studio Vision text detection and workflow to schedule visit & send Slack message

• Promotion Non-Compliance to Reject B2B Payment with Aforza Studio Watermarking, ChatGPT Store Analysis and workflow to hold payment in Aforza B2B Portal

Love is in the air, and so are countless sales opportunities—it’s Valentine’s Day! Amidst the flurry of hearts and roses, Consumer Product businesses are gearing up to capitalize on this romantic season. There’s no better time to showcase how Aforza can be your ultimate partner in creating, checking, and maximizing the value of promotions in the season of love and beyond.

Let’s take a look at 3 of the key areas where your sales team can leverage the power of Aforza to deliver heart-stopping promotions, captivate a target audience, and drive sales growth during this romantic season. Get ready to meet Vanessa, Alex, and Tom—three team members of the Berry Mist beverage company, whose roles require special attention on a specific 40% off promotion this Valentine’s Day. We’ll see them design, check the compliance, and socially amplify the promotion, all with the help of the Aforza solution.

Additionally, she can gauge the performance of promotions in real time, providing insights for quick adjustments and optimal results.

In the Field: Promotion Compliance Check with Aforza

Alex, a Berry Mist merchandiser, is in the field at one of his stores. Ensuring promotion compliance is a fundamental requirement of his day-to-day; Aforza equips Alex with tools to seamlessly check and enforce compliance with the Berry Mist promotions designed by Vanessa.

The mobile app ensures that in-store promotions are executed as intended, maintaining consistency and adherence to brand standards. This feature not only streamlines operations but also supports valuable communication between the field and HQ, ensuring a unified approach to Valentine’s Day promotions.

He can access the appealing promotion graphics that have been delivered by the Berry Mist Design team through designated folders on Aforza Studio. Each asset for the campaign has been tagged so that he can access and download them with ease. Tom has quickly been able to maximise support for in-store promotions through leveraging Berry Mist’s engaging content on social. Sounds like a match made in heaven.

As production costs continue to rise, it has never been more important to offer the most relevant promotions to your customers and price them to perfection, everywhere. It’s time to place and promote products consistently on every channel.

And, as we’ve just seen, Aforza’s suite of cloud and mobile apps, tailored specifically for the Consumer Products industry, makes it easier than ever for your sales teams to create, check and maximise the value of every promotion.

Don’t let this Valentine’s season pass you by without unlocking the full potential of your promotions. Contact us today to learn more about how Aforza can help you execute the most effective promotions at the lowest cost, guarantee promotion compliance, and drive growth through your branded products. Leading Consumer Products companies have increased their average basket size by 250% with Aforza – embrace the power of Aforza and elevate your sales journey to new heights of success.

Press Release: Aforza Receives 5 Best In Class Distinctions POI 2023 Enterprise Planning Panorama

The POI research team evaluated leading vendors to help their manufacturer and retail partners understand the technology and related service options that can help them improve promotional outcomes and drive profitable growth.

Aforza Studio: Your Digital Content Execution Hub

Even with these risks on the table, the absence of a common point solution for image recognition in the Consumer Products industry has required that companies purchase and integrate multiple solutions.

This is where Aforza Studio comes in. A compelling alternative to in-house development, Aforza Studio is a pre-built platform tailored specifically to the needs of the Consumer Products industry. Leveraging cutting-edge technology, Studio ensures cost-effectiveness, faster implementation and access to specialised expertise. Through uploading just a single asset, Aforza can can automate actions in the field for customers with an end-to-end setup (such as cater for follow up visits if your products on the shelf are below a certain percentage) – no more time-wasting manual actions and calculations.

Aforza Studio excels in capturing and processing high volumes of store images, flawlessly detecting products and understanding share of shelf and planogram compliance. Its ability to tag images with actionable attributes enables teams to take proactive action to resolve stock and availability issues, driving operational excellence and revenue growth.

This is enhanced by our partnership with ParallelDots, a renowned AI company specializing in advanced IR solutions for consumer products and retail brands, and their product ShelfWatch – ParallelDots’ ShelfWatch uses Computer Vision to analyse images of retail shelf displays that generates perfect store KPI insights in real-time.

“In the fast-paced retail world, our ShelfWatch and Aforza Studio partnership offers Consumer Products companies a futureproof image recognition solution, blending advanced capabilities with continuous feature and functionality enhancements. This collaboration sidesteps the complexities and costs of in-house development, providing a ready-to-deploy, state-of-the-art service tailored to the industry’s unique needs,” said Angam Parashar, Co-Founder & CEO of ParallelDots. “Leveraging this leading platform enables companies to stay ahead of the curve, ensuring growth, operational excellence, and superior customer engagement with unparalleled efficiency and accuracy.”

Here are some of the key features of Aforza Studio:

• Protect up to 5% of revenues by immediately addressing out-of-stock issues with proactive actions.

• Ensure promoted stock is available in store and visible, reclaiming up to 70% of wasted trade investment.

• Increase customer NPS and prevent brand switching to a competitor when faced with an out-of-stock situation.

• Save thousands with just a one-time Aforza Studio set-up. Configure workflows, allow members of sales teams to do what they do best – sell.

In conclusion, image recognition technology presents a transformative opportunity for the Consumer Products industry. Its ability to streamline operations, improve customer engagement, and unlock valuable insights makes it an indispensable tool for companies striving to stay competitive in today’s fast-paced market.

By embracing established IR solutions like Aforza Studio, Consumer Products companies can harness the power of their visual data to drive growth, enhance efficiency, and deliver exceptional experiences to consumers worldwide. As the industry continues to evolve, those who leverage the potential of image recognition can be confident that they are at the forefront of innovation.

Lara Giles is a recent (and welcome) addition to the Aforza’s London Waterloo offices, coming all the way from Sydney, Australia. She comes to the company with an extensive background in Consumer Goods, most notably at Arnott’s, a major player in the Australian grocery market. Her roles spanned demand planning, finance, and IT implementation, which is where she first gained exposure to the Aforza tool. Intrigued by its potential, Lara decided to explore further upon moving to London.

Transitioning into her new role of Solution Consultant, Lara shares how she has found herself welcomed into a collaborative environment at Aforza. The advantage of a smaller team allowed her to dive in hands-on, creating a sense of involvement from the get-go. Structured onboarding sessions and platform training sessions with the team have ensured Lara’s seamless integration, despite her initial lack of familiarity with Salesforce.

Beyond professional development, Lara notes the genuine warmth of her colleagues, who not only guided her through Aforza’s solution & capabilities but also extended their hospitality by recommending local eateries and attractions in London, easing her transition to a new city.

So far, a standout for Lara has been the Aforza platform’s REX connectivity with TPM. She appreciates how Aforza seamlessly brings these two worlds together, recognizing its potential to rapidly provide significant value to businesses. Drawing from her prior experience, Lara notes that even with a fantastic sales team, it’s not always straightforward for corporate entities to gain visibility into ground-level operations.

In summary, Lara’s podcast offers insights into her journey from Australia to Aforza in London, detailing her background, early experiences, and first impressions of the products. It provides a glimpse into the seamless integration of Aforza into her professional life and the value she sees that it holding for businesses.