How Vita Coco Automated Stock Monitoring at Target Stores Using AI Automation

Vita Coco had a big challenge. Their coconut water was in over 1,900 target stores across the U.S., but they couldn’t easily check if their product was on the shelves or not.

The only way to do it? Manually checking each store, ONE BY ONE!

In New York alone, there were 63 stores.

Every day, someone had to go see if their product was there.

Missing stock meant lost opportunities for sales, something no brand wants to overlook.

So we came up with a simple solution: automated stock monitoring at Target stores using AI automation.

Now, Vita Coco gets daily updates on their stock, removing the guessing and saving time.

It’s faster, more cost-effective, and reliable

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Key takeaway:

• Manual stock monitoring is inefficient and costly. It takes time and resources to check inventory across hundreds or thousands of stores. This often leads to stockouts and lost sales.
• AI automation provides real-time insights. Automating stock monitoring with AI ensures accurate, daily data. It lets businesses like Vita Coco track inventory across multiple stores in minutes.
• A cost-effective, scalable solution: AI tools for stock monitoring. They cut labor costs, reduce errors, and can be easily scaled for more stores or regions.
• Improved efficiency: Faster, data-driven decisions can prevent stockouts. This will boost customer satisfaction and sales.

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The Challenge of Manual Stock Monitoring in Retail

For Vita Coco, manually tracking stock was an operational bottleneck. With 63 Target stores in New York and over 1,900 nationwide, checking if their coconut water was on the shelves took too much time and effort. Manually checking inventory across all these locations wasn't just inefficient—it was costly.

Stockouts—when products aren’t available on the shelf—are a common issue for many retailers, and the cost can be significant. On average, stockouts can result in 4% to 8% loss in sales annually. In the global retail industry, this adds up to a staggering $1.75 trillion in missed revenue, representing about 8.3% of total retail sales.

For a high-demand product like Vita Coco coconut water, every empty shelf is a missed opportunity. Customers encountering a stockout might switch to a competitor’s product or leave the store altogether. In fact, 91% of customers are less likely to return to a retailer after a negative experience like a stockout.

Moreover, the labor costs involved in manually monitoring stock add up quickly. Relying on employees to check stock levels across hundreds of stores can increase operational expenses by as much as 10-15%. There is an urgent need for a solution. It must save time and money. It must also keep Vita Coco in stock at all locations.

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Automating Stock Monitoring Using AI-Automated Tools

The AI system automates verifying stock levels in Target stores in New York. Every day, the AI tools automatically retrieve stock information for Vita Coco coconut water from website. These tools scan product availability across multiple stores in minutes. They are faster than checking each store manually. What once took hours now takes only minutes to check all the stores.

The real strength of this solution lies in its integration with Zapier and Browserbase. At its core, we use browserbase with a simple cron job and javascript to write data to csv. This data is then automatically sent to Google Sheets, where the information is structured and ready for immediate action. Also, the AI tools send a daily CSV report to Vita Coco's team. This gives them up-to-date insights and speeds up restocking decisions. This eliminates delays and ensures that stores are never understocked.

These AI-automated tools offer a highly efficient and scalable solution. The system can be easily expanded to cover more stores or regions. Just adjust the configuration. Unlike large, complex automation platforms, this tailored solution is lightweight and cost-effective. It meets Vita Coco's needs for flexibility and accuracy. It does this without requiring costly infrastructure.

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Leveraging AI automation for real-time insights.

The benefits of using AI-automated tools extend far beyond simply collecting stock data. For Vita Coco, the real value is in the tools. They provide real-time insights. This enables smarter, faster decisions.

In the past, Vita Coco's manual stock monitoring process was not only slow but also reactive. If a store ran out of stock, it might take days before the issue was noticed and even longer for the product to be restocked. The new AI system updates stock data daily and automatically. It gives the team a proactive way to manage inventory. This ensures that low-stock issues can be flagged before they become a problem, allowing the team to take action early.

The automated stock tools let Vita Coco track trends over time. They can identify which stores have higher turnover rates and where to restock more often. This ability to analyze stock performance in real time gives Vita Coco an edge in managing their supply chain more efficiently. They no longer rely on outdated reports or manual work. Instead, they have a constant stream of actionable data at their fingertips.

By using AI automation with their stock monitoring, Vita Coco has improved its efficiency. The AI system reduces the risk of human error, provides consistent reporting, and eliminates the guesswork. With data from Zapier in CSV format, their team can quickly respond to stock shortages. This ensures product availability across all stores.

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Cost Savings, Efficiency, and Client Satisfaction

The most significant gain has been in cost savings. Vita Coco has saved time and money. It cut costs from human errors and missed restocks. It did this by reducing stockout risks and eliminating manual labor. Studies suggest that AI automation can cut costs by 15-20%. Vita Coco is seeing early signs of these savings.

The CFO and other stakeholders are satisfied with the system. It delivers timely, actionable insights. They can now manage their supply chain more effectively. The automation has provided peace of mind. Their products will remain stocked and ready for customers at all locations. Vita Coco's investment in AI for automation has paid off. It changed a slow, manual process into a fast, efficient one. Now, it delivers real value.

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Conclusion:

AI-automated stock monitoring has helped Vita Coco. It has cut costs, streamlined operations, and ensured product availability at Target stores. What took hours of manual work now takes just minutes. Real-time, reliable data now drives smarter decisions.

Want to experience the benefits of automation for your business?

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