Solving Retail's Biggest Category Management Challenges with Synthetic Data

Embark on a transformative journey into the future of retail category management with our groundbreaking solution – synthetic data. 

In the ever-evolving landscape of the retail industry, where adaptability, scalability and precision are paramount, the team at Neurolabs believes it is fundamental to take an innovative approach to address the sector's most pressing challenges. 

Join us as we unravel the potential of synthetic data in overcoming retail's biggest catalogue and category management hurdles, driving unparalleled efficiency, and ushering in a new era of retail execution excellence.

What Is Synthetic Data?

Synthetic data refers to artificially generated data rather than data collected from real-world observations. It is created through various computational techniques, simulations, or generative models, aiming to mimic real data's statistical properties and patterns. 

Synthetic data can be valuable in scenarios where access to sufficient real data is limited, or when privacy concerns are associated with using actual data. It is often used for training machine learning models, testing algorithms, and conducting simulations without relying on sensitive or proprietary information.

At Neurolabs, we use synthetic data in combination with computer vision to offer technology powered by synthetic computer vision for Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) brands. 

Computer vision is a field of artificial intelligence that empowers machines to interpret, understand, and make decisions based on visual data, similar to human visual processing. 

It involves the development of algorithms and models enabling computers to analyse and extract meaningful information from images or videos. 

Computer vision systems use image recognition, pattern detection, and deep learning techniques to identify and interpret objects, scenes, and even actions within visual data.

How Neurolabs Use Synthetic Data 

Here at Neurolabs, we recognise that real data has shown limitations in providing comprehensive solutions for CPG brands. When creating a catalogue of items for image recognition (IR), brands require high-quality data solutions for accurately onboarding and categorising their products. 

We realised that synthetic data was a far superior alternative to real-world data in this industry, offering a faster, more diverse, and more accurate means of creating an imagery database. 

Neurolabs' innovative approach to synthetic data management involves using a combination of synthetic data and computer vision (CV) to create a synthetic computer vision solution called ‘ZIA’ (Zero Image Annotations).

While most traditional IR is reactive, as it can only conduct image recognition on already launched products using only real images, ZIA is entirely proactive.

With up-to-date catalogues driven by this synthetic data, brands can gain better actionable insights, allowing them to craft stronger REX strategies to increase their bottom lines. 

Our technology aims to make the process of onboarding and organising products more efficient, and the process of gaining actionable insights superior and far simpler. 

Introducing Our Technology, ZIA 

ZIA revolutionises the landscape of image recognition for CPGs by eliminating the traditional reliance on real-world data. 

Unlike conventional IR approaches, ZIA leverages synthetic data, a groundbreaking alternative that mimics real-world patterns more efficiently, diversely, and accurately. 

There are 4 key steps to using ZIA to onboard new products to your catalogue:

1. Data Collection: CPGs can upload the artwork label of their product or promotional material, and if that is not available they can use the ZIA Capture app to collect the correct data. 

2. 3D Asset: Using the artwork or input from ZIA Capture, a high-quality 3D digital twin is generated for each SKU or item.

3. Virtual Environment: With your digital twins created, ZIA is able to train on its own in a huge variety of virtual scenes, built with your custom 3D assets.

4. Trained Algorithm: Deployed in the real world, ZIA recognises products in scope with +95% accuracy from day one.

Our simple upload solutions make it easy to create new product categories and easily search your catalogue for specific SKUs. 

Additionally, ZIA is designed to be simple to integrate with your existing solutions and tech stack via cloud APIs. We want to make your onboarding experience easier, faster and more efficient. 

ZIA: Using Synthetic Data for Better Catalogue Management 

Consumer Packaged Goods brands often encounter various challenges when it comes to their catalogue management. 

From a slow onboarding process to expensive third-party costs, there are many things which may hinder the way CPG brands create a catalogue. 

Let’s take a look at some of the biggest issues in catalogue management and how Neurolabs ZIA technology aims to solve them:

Lack of Catalogue Coverage: 

• Issue: Traditional IR focuses primarily on real-world data, often limiting its scope to a company's internal catalogue and product displays.

• Solution: Leveraging insights derived from ZIA also empowers CPG brands to onboard and acquire actionable information about competitors' catalogues. This strategic advantage enables them to stay ahead of industry trends, seize opportunities and ensure the delivery of unparalleled experiences to consumers.

Reliance on Real Data:

• Issue: Depending solely on real-world data for image recognition can be challenging, slow, and expensive.

• Solution: Neurolabs employs synthetic data, offering a faster, more diverse, and more accurate way to build an imagery database, reducing reliance on costly and time-consuming real data.

Inefficient Onboarding Processes:

• Issue: Traditional methods of adding new products to the catalogue can be tedious, costly and often result in inaccuracies. Many CPG brands struggle to keep an up-to-date catalogue because of this. 

• Solution: Neurolabs' ZIA Capture facilitates rapid onboarding, reducing the time it takes to add new products, and ensuring adaptability to industry changes and customer demands. This process reduces onboarding time by a whopping 97% compared to traditional methods.

Incomplete or Inaccurate Data:

• Issue: Gathering data from online sources for catalogue information may result in incomplete or inaccurate details.

• Solution: ZIA Capture's Universal Artwork Approach allows the creation of 3D models effortlessly, ensuring a high degree of accuracy and eliminating the need to rely on unreliable, error-prone imagery.

Costly Catalogue Management:

• Issue: Traditional catalogue management methods can require third parties or a dedicated own team that is costly and inefficient.

• Solution: Neurolabs' technology streamlines the onboarding processes, reducing costs and enabling scalability, keeping up with market changes and competitors.

Limited Scalability:

• Issue: Traditional methods hinder the scalability of catalogue management processes.

• Solution: ZIA Capture's speed improvements and automated processes enable scalability, ensuring efficient handling of large SKU volumes.

Lack of Insights: 

• Issue: Traditional IR focuses primarily on real-world data, often limiting its scope to a company's internal catalogue and product displays.

• Solution: Leveraging insights derived from ZIA also empowers CPG brands to onboard and acquire actionable information about competitors' catalogues. This strategic advantage enables them to stay ahead of industry trends, seize opportunities and ensure the delivery of unparalleled experiences to consumers.

In summary, Neurolabs' technology addresses catalogue management challenges by leveraging synthetic data, streamlining onboarding processes, reducing costs, and enhancing accuracy and scalability for CPG brands.

Embrace Synthetic Data: Book A Demo Today

Representing a true breakthrough in image recognition, ZIA stands out as an exceptionally accurate, efficient, and hassle-free solution to improving your catalogue management, retail execution and shelf auditing capabilities. 

Its abilities surpass those of nearly every other image recognition solution currently available in the market, making it an exciting advancement in the field. 

To find out more about how ZIA uses synthetic data to empower retail solutions, take a look at our dedicated ebook. You can also request a demo to see firsthand how our technology could help your CPG brand thrive. 

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At Neurolabs, we are revolutionising in-store retail performance with our advanced image recognition technology, ZIA. Our cutting-edge technology enables retailers, field marketing agencies and CPG brands to optimise store execution, enhance the customer experience, and boost revenue as we build the most comprehensive 3D asset library for product recognition in the CPG industry.