Why AI Is Now a Competitive Necessity for the Drinks Trade, Not a “Nice-to-Have”
Bharat Sharma, founder and CEO of Apex B2B, recently spoke with Drinks Industry Ireland (July/August 2026) on the topic of AI in B2B commerce and why it has evolved from ‘nice to have’ to competitive necessity. Here are the key points from that conversation:
Recent figures show that 77% of B2B buying processes involved AI in 2025, and heavy usage is continuing to grow. Against that backdrop, Bharat’s view is clear. AI has become a competitive necessity because it is no longer reserved for large enterprises.
“Recent advances have made AI far more accessible, affordable and practical, allowing businesses of every size to benefit without needing specialist AI teams or major transformation programmes.”
At the same time, the technology has matured significantly. Today’s AI is delivering measurable improvements across sales, customer service, procurement, forecasting and operational efficiency. In the drinks sector, where margins are tight and customer expectations continue to rise, businesses that embrace AI can respond faster, make more informed decisions and operate more efficiently. Those that delay risk losing competitive advantage.
Where AI is delivering the biggest commercial benefits today
For drinks wholesalers, suppliers and publicans facing margin pressures and rising costs, Bharat sees the biggest commercial opportunity in using AI to increase revenue while reducing operating costs.
That is already happening in a few ways. AI is being used to enrich product information, personalise promotions and recommend complementary products to increase basket value. It can help customers reorder faster through AI-assisted shopping carts and self-service portals, while behind the scenes it automates orders received by email, PDFs or WhatsApp, improves demand forecasting and supports customer service teams.
But the way Bharat frames it, the real value isn’t a single AI feature.
“It’s removing friction across the entire buying journey, making it easier for customers to buy and easier for teams to sell, fulfil and support every order.”
Predictive ordering: smarter purchasing for pubs
Managing stock is one of the biggest challenges publicans face, avoiding over-ordering on one hand and running out of key products on the other. Here, Bharat explains, AI can move decisions beyond experience alone by recommending what to order, when to order and in what quantities.
This helps reduce overstocking, minimise stockouts, improve cash flow and ensure popular products remain available when demand peaks. And as AI continues to learn from actual purchasing behaviour, its recommendations become increasingly accurate, giving publicans greater confidence in every order while allowing them to focus more on running the business and serving customers.
What makes those recommendations work is the range of inputs behind them. Predictive ordering combines historical sales with real-time signals such as weather forecasts, major sporting events, local demand patterns, seasonal trends and promotional activity.
Simplifying procurement and cutting the admin burden
Many pubs still manage procurement across phone calls, emails, supplier portals and spreadsheets, which creates unnecessary administration and cost. AI can simplify this by automating order capture, validating pricing and availability, and integrating directly with back-office systems.
Combined with modern self-service portals, operators can place orders, reorder previous purchases, view invoices, track deliveries and manage their accounts whenever it suits them. Just as importantly, everyone works from a single source of truth, giving both customers and customer service teams access to the same real-time information. The result, as Bharat describes it, is lower operating costs, fewer errors, faster service and a better customer experience.
Beyond ordering: AI across the whole operation
The opportunity does not stop at procurement. Bharat believes AI has the potential to support almost every aspect of running a pub. It can optimise staff scheduling based on expected demand, improve stock control and reduce waste, forecast sales more accurately, personalise marketing campaigns and loyalty offers, and help managers identify trends before they impact the business.
Increasingly, AI is connecting these functions, giving operators a single, real-time view of performance and helping them make faster, better-informed decisions. As Bharat puts it, the biggest opportunity isn’t simply automating individual tasks. It is using AI to run a more efficient, profitable and customer-focused business.
Is it worth it for smaller operators?
Some smaller and independent pub operators may feel AI is only relevant to larger businesses with bigger budgets. Bharat responds that this is no longer the case. AI is no longer just for large enterprises with dedicated IT teams and significant budgets, and recent advances have made it more accessible, affordable and easier to adopt for businesses of every size.
His advice on where to begin is refreshingly practical.
“Don’t try to transform everything at once. Start by identifying the biggest source of friction in your business, the manual task that’s costing the most time, money or customer frustration, and tackle that first. Measure the results, then build from there.”
The strongest returns on investment, he notes, rarely come from one big AI project. They come from solving one meaningful business problem at a time.
The gap is widening, one improvement at a time
Asked whether a gap is emerging between businesses that embrace AI and those that stick with manual processes, Bharat is direct. AI doesn’t create a competitive gap overnight. It widens it one improvement at a time.
Businesses that embrace AI are continuously removing friction, automating manual tasks, improving customer experiences, and making better decisions. Over time, those incremental gains compound into a significant competitive advantage. Businesses that continue to rely on manual processes risk higher operating costs, slower service, and losing customers to competitors that are easier to do business with. Modernisation doesn’t have to happen overnight, but standing still is becoming the greatest risk.
The next three to five years
Looking ahead, Bharat expects AI to become embedded across every part of the business, from purchasing and inventory management to customer service, sales, marketing and supply chain operations. Rather than just another tool, he believes AI will increasingly be a member of the operational team, helping people make faster, better-informed decisions every day.
His closing advice mirrors where he started. Don’t wait for the perfect AI strategy. Start by identifying the biggest source of friction in your business, solve one problem at a time, and build from there. AI doesn’t create a competitive advantage overnight. It widens it one improvement at a time.
Read Bharat’s full interview in the Drinks Industry Ireland July/August 2026 edition.
