Retail Sees No Reason To Cheer PepsiCo’s Plan Tapping Salesforce’s AI Agents To Simplify Operations

Consumer giant PepsiCo Inc. (PEP) has struck a deal with Salesforce (CRM) to implement its Agentforce digital labor platform, embedding autonomous AI agents into daily workflows.

Through this partnership, PepsiCo will deploy AI-powered Agentforce bots to enhance customer support and operational efficiency. 

PepsiCo stock inched up 0.9% on Tuesday afternoon.

Agentforce – a flexible and scalable platform designed to enable the creation and deployment of digital assistants for both customers and employees – supports multi-channel functionality and can connect with any system, making it simple to embed AI-driven automation throughout any organization.

This will enable its salesforce to shift attention toward driving strategic expansion and deepening relationships with retail partners.

PepsiCo plans to use Salesforce’s Data Cloud to merge data from multiple channels, building detailed customer insights. 

With the use of Consumer Goods Cloud, field teams would have access to live inventory updates, boosting shelf execution and ensuring better stock levels in stores.

Meanwhile, the Marketing Cloud would help PepsiCo access consumer behavior data for more targeted and automated marketing initiatives, and the Service Cloud is aimed at allowing faster and more responsive customer service.

"Embracing an AI-first world means reimagining an enterprise where humans and intelligent agents don't just coexist, they collaborate," said Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer at PepsiCo, Athina Kanioura.

Additionally, the company has adopted Salesforce’s Trade Promotion Management tool to optimize promotional budgets.

PepsiCo’s first quarter (Q1) 2025 revenue declined 1.8% year-on-year to $17.92 billion, but surpassed the analyst consensus estimate of $17.72 billion, as per Finchat data. 

Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.48 missed the analysts' consensus estimate of $1.49. Chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta warned that the company anticipates heightened instability and unpredictability in the near future, particularly regarding international trade, which is likely to increase supply chain expenses. 

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around PepsiCo remained in ‘extremely bearish’ territory.

PepsiCo stock has lost over 14% year-to-date and over 22% in the last 12 months.

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