PepsiCo expands AI footprint with Salesforce’s Agentforce platform to digitize field service and boost B2B efficiency

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP) announced on June 24, 2025, that it will implement Agentforce, the digital labor platform developed by Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE: CRM), to enhance customer engagement and B2B operational agility across its global footprint. This collaboration positions the global food and beverage manufacturer as one of the earliest large-scale adopters of AI agents in field and customer service operations. With products consumed more than a billion times daily in over 200 markets, PepsiCo’s integration of Agentforce signals a pivotal transformation in enterprise workflows.

The deployment forms part of PepsiCo’s long-term digital transformation strategy, which emphasizes sustainable growth, automation, and real-time decision-making. With a fiscal 2024 net revenue of nearly USD 92 billion, the American food and beverage conglomerate is prioritizing advanced technology to future-proof its value chain and maintain competitive agility across retail categories and service tiers.

How does PepsiCo plan to integrate AI-driven field agents through Salesforce’s Agentforce platform?

The adoption of Agentforce introduces autonomous AI agents into PepsiCo’s day-to-day operations, especially within field services, retail execution, and customer support channels. Built on Salesforce’s Customer 360 and Einstein AI ecosystems, Agentforce provides a unified interface where digital agents augment human workflows across inventory tracking, service inquiries, and sales enablement.

PepsiCo’s integration strategy includes a comprehensive rollout across its B2B servicing units and go-to-market (GTM) operations. According to official statements, these AI agents will support field representatives by providing real-time data on inventory status, in-store execution opportunities, and consumer behavior analytics. This initiative also aims to improve responsiveness in customer service workflows by pairing AI agents with human service representatives through the Salesforce Service Cloud.

Executives from both companies described the partnership as a benchmark for future AI applications across large-scale CPG environments. Ramon Laguarta, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, emphasized that the integration would drive “smarter and faster decision-making” while promoting innovation and resilience. Marc Benioff, Salesforce Chair and CEO, noted that PepsiCo is “at the forefront of the digital labor revolution,” with Agentforce reimagining how operational intelligence and human collaboration can co-exist across complex supply chains.

What are the key features of Salesforce Agentforce being adopted by PepsiCo for B2B automation?

At the core of PepsiCo’s AI roadmap is the unification of data systems through Salesforce’s Data Cloud—an architecture that allows real-time customer profile development, cross-platform integration, and contextual automation. By leveraging Data Cloud, PepsiCo aims to aggregate disparate data streams from sales, inventory, and marketing into coherent AI-driven outputs.

Agentforce also supports PepsiCo’s field service modernization via the Consumer Goods Cloud, enabling visibility into retail shelf availability, optimized replenishment cycles, and enhanced store execution metrics. Field agents will be equipped with predictive insights and action prompts, reducing friction in product restocking and shelf management.

On the marketing front, Salesforce’s Marketing Cloud will deliver personalized, data-backed engagement campaigns, optimizing spend and precision through AI-curated promotions. The addition of Agentforce augments this by automating campaign deployment and A/B testing in near real time, refining promotional effectiveness across target segments.

Institutional observers note that the scalability of this model is critical, especially in fast-moving retail sectors where seasonal volatility and localized inventory shifts require instant operational feedback. With AI agents working alongside human agents, response times in customer service and inventory management are expected to improve significantly.

How will PepsiCo’s adoption of AI agents affect its retail engagement and customer support operations?

Retail execution is a major component of PepsiCo’s GTM strategy, especially given its expansive portfolio that includes Lay’s, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker, and Doritos. The deployment of Agentforce aims to empower sales and merchandising teams with AI insights, reducing dependency on legacy data systems and enabling intelligent reallocation of human effort toward high-impact retail engagements.

Customer service will also benefit from tighter integration of AI agents with human representatives via Salesforce’s Service Cloud. PepsiCo plans to use digital agents to triage common inquiries, process feedback loops, and escalate complex service tickets to human support agents. This hybrid service layer is designed to balance scalability with personalization, meeting the company’s dual goals of efficiency and brand loyalty.

From an institutional standpoint, this AI adoption reflects a broader shift toward augmented enterprise systems across global FMCG players. Analysts suggest that PepsiCo’s initiative will likely serve as a case study for similar firms navigating the convergence of human capital, automation, and consumer data.

What impact will PepsiCo’s trade promotion optimization tools have on channel partner efficiency?

Beyond front-line AI adoption, PepsiCo is also expanding its use of Salesforce tools for backend promotional planning and analytics. A newly announced Trade Promotion Management (TPM) tool will help the American food and beverage major improve spend efficiency across retail campaigns. The TPM system will utilize data-driven insights to guide decisions on pricing, discounts, and placement effectiveness, particularly in convenience retail and supermarket chains.

The system’s design integrates with Salesforce’s AI platforms, delivering real-time promotion tracking and dynamic forecasting. With institutional buyers and retail chains demanding greater ROI visibility from suppliers, this TPM layer will likely enhance PepsiCo’s credibility with channel partners. Analysts also expect this will support stronger retail relationship management and bolster shelf presence in high-volume zones.

PepsiCo’s marketing and transformation leaders described the TPM platform as a tool to “optimize spend with improved decision-making,” suggesting a tighter alignment between promotional execution and business impact metrics.

How does PepsiCo’s AI strategy support its broader sustainability and innovation goals under the pep+ initiative?

PepsiCo’s investment in AI technologies aligns closely with its corporate strategy known as pep+ (PepsiCo Positive), which positions sustainability and human capital at the center of value creation. According to PepsiCo’s disclosures, the company is reimagining its operations to deliver measurable gains across environmental efficiency, product innovation, and workforce adaptation.

AI systems like Agentforce enable more sustainable field operations by reducing waste associated with overstocking and inefficient routing. Predictive models can minimize physical effort in restocking routines and lower emissions linked to field service logistics. Simultaneously, AI tools help product teams evaluate and respond to changing consumer demands, improving alignment between supply and evolving tastes.

From a talent development standpoint, integrating AI agents allows PepsiCo employees to focus on creative, analytical, and interpersonal dimensions of customer engagement—domains where human input adds unique value beyond automation. Experts believe this hybrid model is essential to workforce resilience in an AI-first economy.

What is the institutional response to PepsiCo’s partnership with Salesforce and what is the forward-looking outlook?

Institutional investors have broadly viewed PepsiCo’s digital strategy as a forward-leaning play to secure long-term margin expansion and operational flexibility. As macroeconomic headwinds continue to challenge the packaged goods sector, companies that integrate intelligent systems for decision support and service automation are seen as better positioned to preserve earnings momentum.

While the financial specifics of the Salesforce deployment were not disclosed, analysts expect that investments in Agentforce and associated Salesforce applications will be accretive over time through productivity gains and reduced cost-to-serve in both B2B and B2C settings.

Looking ahead, institutional sentiment suggests that PepsiCo’s AI transformation is likely to extend further into supply chain orchestration, demand planning, and sustainability reporting. Future updates may include enhancements in logistics optimization and AI-powered demand sensing—areas where Salesforce’s platforms already offer modular capabilities.

As global consumer behavior evolves and supply networks become increasingly digitized, PepsiCo’s AI agenda reflects a broader recalibration of how legacy manufacturers evolve into data-driven operators. With Agentforce serving as a digital backbone, the company is poised to unlock value at the intersection of automation, intelligence, and customer-centric design.