Albert Heijn
Supermarket chain
Albert Heijn’s merchandising team saw a unique opportunity to explore how generative AI could enhance their decision-making, streamline operations, and unlock new efficiencies. With growing interest in AI across the organization, the team aimed to: Empower business users with hands-on experience using AI tools to solve real merchandising challenges. Identify practical applications of generative AI that could be scaled across the business. Build internal momentum by engaging teams in rapid experimentation and innovation.
Riverflex designed and delivered a 90-minute mini AI hackathon tailored to Albert Heijn’s merchandising context: Hands-On AI Training: Participants were introduced to the fundamentals of Large Language Models (LLMs), including how they work, what tools are available (ChatGPT Pro, Gemini, Claude, Manus), and how to prompt effectively Tool-Enabled Sprints: Teams were equipped with laptops preloaded with different AI tools and a “PocketHack” guide to support experimentation Live Prototyping: In under an hour, teams tackled real merchandising challenges using AI: Dashboarding: Built interactive dashboards in minutes. Image Analysis: Extracted insights from shelf images using visual AI tools. Deep Research: Generated long-form, data-backed reports in just 10 minutes
Working prototypes were developed that addressed real merchandising questions and sparked follow-up development into minimum viable products.
Broader AI literacy was achieved across the merchandising team, with participants gaining confidence in using AI tools independently.
High engagement and excitement around AI’s potential, laying the groundwork for future scaling across other business functions.