Utilising the power of AI in small businesses
Bharat Sharma, founder and CEO of Apex B2B
Recent figures show that 77% of B2B buying processes involved AI in 2025, with heavy usage continuing to grow. Why has AI become a competitive necessity rather than a “nice-to-have” for businesses across the drinks sector?
AI has become a competitive necessity because it’s no longer reserved for large enterprises. Recent advances have made AI far more accessible, affordable and practical, allowing businesses of every size to benefit without needing specialist AI teams or major transformation programmes.
At the same time, the technology has matured significantly. Today’s AI is delivering measurable improvements across sales, customer service, procurement, forecasting and operational efficiency.
In the drinks sector, where margins are tight and customer expectations continue to rise, businesses that embrace AI can respond faster, make more informed decisions and operate more efficiently, while those that delay risk losing competitive advantage.
Many drinks wholesalers, suppliers and publicans are facing margin pressures, rising costs and changing customer expectations. Where do you see AI delivering the biggest commercial benefits today?
The biggest commercial opportunity is using AI to increase revenue while reducing operating costs. We’re already seeing AI enrich product information, personalise promotions and recommend complementary products to increase basket value. It can help customers reorder faster through AI-assisted shopping carts and self-service portals, while behind the scenes it automates orders received by email, PDFs or WhatsApp, mproves demand forecasting and supports customer service teams. The real value isn’t a single AI feature: it’s removing friction across the entire buying journey, making it easier for customers to buy and easier for teams to sell, fulfil and support every order.
One of the biggest challenges for publicans is managing stock efficiently while avoiding overordering or running out of key products. How can AI-powered predictive ordering help pubs make smarter purchasing decisions?
Rather than relying solely on experience, AI recommends what to order, when to order and in what quantities. This helps reduce overstocking, minimise stockouts, improve cash flow and ensure popular products remain available when demand peaks. As AI continues to learn from actual purchasing behaviour, its recommendations become increasingly accurate, giving publicans greater confidence in every order while allowing them to focus more on running the business and serving customers.
Many pubs still rely on a combination of manual ordering, spreadsheets and multiple supplier systems. How can AI simplify procurement and reduce the administrative burden on busy operators?
Many pubs still manage procurement across phone calls, emails, supplier portals and spreadsheets, creating unnecessary administration and cost. AI can simplify this by automating order capture, validating pricing and availability, and integrating directly with back-office systems. Combined with modern self-service portals, operators can place orders, reorder previous purchases, view invoices, track deliveries and manage their accounts whenever it suits them. Just as importantly, everyone works from a single source of truth, giving both customers and customer service teams access to the same real-time information. The result is lower operating costs, fewer errors, faster service and a better customer experience.
Beyond ordering and procurement, are there opportunities for publicans to use AI to improve other aspects of their business, such as staffing, stock control, customer engagement or sales forecasting?
Absolutely. AI has the potential to support almost every aspect of running a pub. It can optimise staff scheduling based on expected demand, improve stock control and reduce waste, forecast sales more accurately, personalise marketing campaigns and loyalty offers, and help managers identify trends before they impact the business. Increasingly, AI is connecting these functions together, giving operators a single, real-time view of performance and helping them make faster, betterinformed decisions. The biggest opportunity isn’t simply automating individual tasks; it’s using AI to run a more efficient, profitable and customer-focused business.
Some smaller and independent pub operators may feel that AI is only relevant to larger businesses with bigger budgets. What would you say to those who are unsure whether AI can deliver a meaningful return on investment?
AI is no longer just for large enterprises with dedicated IT teams and significant budgets. Recent advances have made AI more accessible, affordable and easier to adopt for businesses of every size. My advice is simple: don’t try to transform everything at once. Start by identifying the biggest source of friction in your business; the manual task that’s costing the most time, money or customer frustration, and tackle that first. Measure the results, then build from there. The strongest returns on investment rarely come from one big AI project; they come from solving one meaningful business problem at a time.
Do you think a gap is emerging between businesses that are embracing AI and those that continue to rely on manual processes? What risks do drinks suppliers, wholesalers and publicans face if they fail to modernise?
AI doesn’t create a competitive gap overnight, it widens it one improvement at a time. Businesses embracing AI are continuously removing friction, automating manual tasks, improving customer experiences and making better decisions. Over time, these incremental gains compound into a significant competitive advantage.
Businesses that continue to rely on manual processes risk higher operating costs, slower service and losing customers to competitors that are easier to do business with. Modernisation doesn’t have tohappen overnight, but standing still is becoming the greatest risk.
Looking ahead, what AI innovations are most likely to transform the drinks trade over the next three to five years, and what practical steps should businesses take now to ensure they remain competitive?
Over the next three to five years, AI will become embedded across every part of the business, from purchasing and inventory management to customer service, sales, marketing and supply chain operations. Rather than being another tool, AI will increasingly become another member of the operational team, helping people make faster, better-informed decisions every day.
My advice is not to wait for the perfect AI strategy. Start by identifying the biggest source of friction in your business, solve one problem at a time and build from there. AI doesn’t create a competitive advantage overnight, it widens it one improvement at a time
