ŚWIĘTOKRZYSKIE, POLAND – 05/01/2026 – () – FMCG companies are facing a fiercely competitive retail environment, which is transforming category management into a strategic, data-centric function. Given limited shelf space and accelerated decision-making timelines, AI is proving essential for category managers who need clear insights, rapid responses, and quantifiable results.
Lorenz, which produces snacks like Crunchips, Wiejskie Ziemniaczki, and Monster Munch, demonstrates how AI is transforming daily category management operations. Sandra Lemańska, Category Manager at Lorenz, explains that the role now extends far beyond arranging shelves to include strategic choices based on sophisticated data analysis.
Today’s category management demands constant tracking of KPIs such as distribution, sales velocity, profitability, and market position. Managers must also coordinate with promotional schedules, marketing campaigns, and various departments. Creating optimal product mixes for diverse retail channels—from discount stores to convenience shops to hypermarkets—has grown significantly more complicated.
Acknowledging the constraints of conventional BI tools, Lorenz teamed up with AI and data analytics specialist DS STREAM to enhance its analytical power. This partnership signaled a move away from backward-looking reports toward forward-looking and actionable intelligence that enables quicker, more assured decisions.
DS STREAM assisted Lorenz in creating a unified data environment by constructing a scalable Data Lake that consolidated data from sales, marketing, supply chain operations, and external market intelligence. Building on this base, they deployed sophisticated analytical models and ML tools to enhance demand prediction, product mix optimization, and promotion performance evaluation. Tailored dashboards gave teams instant access to key metrics, allowing them to react more nimbly to market changes.
This shift underscored a crucial tipping point for AI adoption: companies often have abundant data but lack the time and analytical resources to leverage it. Lemańska observed that after basic reporting was established, there was immediate pressure for more profound insights and predictive guidance that legacy systems couldn’t provide.
Crucially, AI didn’t eliminate category manager positions—it transformed them. Mundane activities like manual data gathering and report generation were automated, creating space for strategic thinking, retailer partnership development, and scenario modeling. AI-powered analytics also facilitated quicker replies to retail partners, sharper promotion tactics, and deeper consumer insight.
DS STREAM’s deep FMCG knowledge was instrumental to the project’s success. Since 2017, the firm has established itself as a leader in AI and data analytics, aiding global consumer goods companies with ML platforms, MLOps frameworks, and contemporary data infrastructure. Their vendor-neutral, collaboration-focused methodology guaranteed that solutions were cutting-edge yet pragmatic and suited to category managers’ everyday processes.
The Lorenz experience shows that integrating AI into category management is a gradual evolution, not a radical upheaval. By laying robust data groundwork, targeting concrete business problems, and equipping staff for more strategic responsibilities, FMCG businesses can make AI a valuable ally instead of a disruptive threat.
With mounting competitive pressures and ever-expanding data sets, the Lorenz-DS STREAM partnership shows how merging industry know-how with sophisticated analytics generates lasting competitive edge—empowering category managers to act swiftly, analyze thoroughly, and decide wisely in today’s intricate market landscape.