**California**: Sunrider International is rolling out a comprehensive AI strategy to optimise its Independent Business Owners’ experience, featuring tools like an AI Shopping Assistant, AI Reporting Assistant, and Churn Predictor, aimed at streamlining processes and fostering growth in a competitive market.
Sunrider International, a company specialising in herbal science and nutrition, is implementing a comprehensive artificial intelligence (AI) strategy designed to enhance the operational effectiveness of its Independent Business Owners (IBOs) and enrich their overall experience. This initiative, as highlighted by Gareth Hooper, Sunrider’s Chief Information Officer, aims to streamline processes and foster business growth through various AI platforms that offer customisation and efficiency.
At the heart of this strategy is a suite of AI tools specifically tailored for IBOs. One of the prominent innovations introduced is the AI Shopping Assistant, a generative AI solution that provides personalised support for both distributors and customers alike. Hooper elaborated on this development, saying, “We don’t want people just coming to the homepage and getting lost. We’re going to be doing a very specific customer-orientated website—a more proactive shopping assistant.” This tool is integrated into Sunrider’s online platforms, enabling users to navigate their extensive range of over 400 products more intuitively.
In addition to enhancing the shopping experience, the AI Reporting Assistant has been developed to facilitate access to crucial business data. This tool simplifies the reporting process, allowing IBOs to generate complex reports with basic queries, thus removing any requirement for technical expertise in back-office analytics. For example, an IBO can inquire, “Who enrolled YTD, ordered skincare, and lives within 50 miles of Dallas?” Currently active in the US and Canada, this feature is set to be expanded to other international markets by the end of the year. Hooper explained, “We basically made it so you can create your own reports. Some of our older IBOs still find the back office reports complicated to use. But with the AI Reporting Assistant, you can ask it any question, and it will look through your downline and provide the answer to you.”
The company also recognises the importance of helping IBOs identify strategies for income generation. The Income Producing Activities (IPA) AI Coach leverages personalised data to recommend actionable tasks prioritised for impact. This feature is particularly beneficial for new IBOs, offering step-by-step guidance to expedite their onboarding process. Hooper noted, “If someone’s going to qualify to rank up, or if someone’s within striking distance of a fast start bonus, then you definitely want to help that person achieve it.”
Customer retention is also a primary focus, and to address this, Sunrider has introduced the Churn Predictor, which utilises machine learning to forecast customer attrition with approximately 80 per cent accuracy within 60 days of a customer’s last order. This predictive capability is embedded into the IPA AI Coach, guiding IBOs on effective measures to re-engage customers. Hooper stated, “Churn prediction is about giving our distributors the opportunity to act before it’s too late. It’s one of the ways we’re using AI to foster stronger, long-term relationships between IBOs and their customers.”
AI’s influence extends beyond the IBO sphere to corporate operations as well. The IT department has embraced AI tools, now generating roughly 30 per cent of the company’s code through platforms like Claude 3. Maintaining security and compliance remains a priority, as Hooper explained, “Generative AI is helping our IT team work more efficiently. It allows us to focus on innovation and scalability without compromising quality or security.” Plans are also in place for utilising AI for test automation, which is anticipated to streamline quality assurance processes.
Furthermore, across various departments, AI tools are being deployed for marketing tasks and video translations, with future plans to introduce an AI-powered Adhoc Reporting Assistant aimed at reducing the time spent on these tasks by 90 per cent by 2025.
Sunrider’s investment in AI illustrates a commitment to creating a more dynamic and supportive environment for its distributors while simultaneously enhancing operational efficiency across various corporate functions.
Source: Noah Wire Services
Subscribe to Industry Updates
