Pod Foods Expands Access to Infinite Warehouse with New Data-Driven Discovery Engine for Food & Grocery Retailers

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pod Foods, the company reinventing the grocery supply chain with the first full-service wholesale B2B marketplace, today announced the launch of a new, data-driven discovery engine that will ultimately make "the infinite shelf" a reality for grocery retailers. The new engine connects any retailer, in any location, with Pod Foods' infinite warehouse of emerging brands, along with its robust, software and data-enriched warehousing and fulfillment platform.

As a "Virtualized Wholesaler" (pat. pending), Pod Foods can support an infinite array of products regardless of historical SKU velocity. As a result, customers can continuously reset their product assortment and expand their inventory based on consumer demand – in real-time, with minimal risk and accelerated speed to shelf. This closes the gap between brick-and-mortar retailers and their online counterparts, providing a critical advantage for the grocery industry in the face of ongoing global supply chain challenges, increased competition from digital delivery services, and changing consumer expectations.

"Retailer success depends on assortment. Buyers must procure products their customers want and deliver them in the right format, at the right price, place, and time" said Larissa Russell, CEO and Co-Founder of Pod Foods. "It is harder for brick-and-mortar retailers to compete with e-commerce businesses on assortment because they have limited real estate — they have to optimize physical space instead of online space. It's even more challenging when everyone is relying on behemoth broad-line distributors that also have limited real estate and fall short on data enrichment. Our engine provides both offline and online retailers with targeted access to our "infinite warehouse," making it possible for them to keep shelves and/or fulfillment centers physically stocked with the most relevant products."

Pod Foods offers the first truly 'infinite' warehouse for food procurement in the industry while providing retailers with data-driven, relevant access. The engine is powered by the company's "Pod Bytes" data platform, which synthesizes data from their B2B marketplace, economic indicators, and other grocery-adjacent and third-party sources. The built-for-grocery models provide retailers with personalized, AI-enabled insights across all areas of discovery – including product placement/procurement, inventory optimization, and market opportunity. The result is access to an endless yet personalized assortment of products, targeted to each retailer based on consumer purchasing behavior, desired retail margins, local trends, and more.

"Pod Foods has been a phenomenal guide to us when it comes to introducing new items," said Melissa Becht at Standard Market, a Chicago-based retailer. Erandy Rivera at Beatrix Markets, also based in Chicago, has also seen tremendous value in the recommendations from the engine, "Pod Foods opens our eyes to all the new products that are on the market. It's a perfect way for our locations to have these recommendations right at the tip of our fingers."

Coupled with Pod Foods' infinite, virtualized warehouse and full-service fulfillment platform on the back end, retailers can easily adapt and procure inventory demand in real-time, ensuring their shelves are always filled with the products their customers want. The ability to fully leverage this data brings Pod Foods and their customers one step closer to creating a true "infinite shelf" for consumers – in-store, for pickup, or for quick delivery.

"What matters most now is providing a relevant assortment along with customer personalization. Retailers that can shelve the right products will win the business. This engine will provide retailers a specifically curated product list supported by a data-driven robust logistics network, all while fulfilling procurement and delivery needs required by the industry," said Fiona Lee, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Pod Foods. "An infinite shelf cannot be supported by a finite warehouse. As our engine learns with real-time transactions and years of historical data, we'll be able to match the goals of retail partners in any market where they operate."

Pod Foods connects brands with traditional retailers, online retailers, and high-growth quick-delivery services alike, facilitating discovery, inventory management, end-to-end fulfillment, analytics, and more. To learn more about Pod Foods and how the company is impacting procurement and distribution for retailers and brands please visit: https://podfoods.co/.

About Pod Foods
Pod Foods is a tech-enabled, data-driven full-service distribution solution, reaching retailers and brands via a B2B wholesale marketplace. With the platform, food retailers can easily procure from emerging brands and receive orders in a consolidated fashion via an optimized logistics network. Food manufacturers can grow their retail businesses with higher margins, streamlined logistics, and transparency. In-store marketing support, data analytics, and online recommendations bring visibility to emerging brands, accelerating sales so retailers and manufacturers alike can sell more, more easily. Follow @podfoodsco or say [email protected] for better distribution.

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SOURCE Pod Foods