In FMCG, attention is the new currency. Every brand is fighting for a place in the same basket as established names, challenger brands and own-label alternatives.
Traditionally, teams have relied on sales data, retailer feedback and shopper panels to understand performance. But another source is quietly transforming the way brands grow: the shoppers themselves.
Reviews are more than star ratings. They are real stories about what people love, what frustrates them, what feels worth the money and why they buy. The problem is scale. Thousands of reviews sit across retailers and SKUs, each with its own sentiment and context. Finding the signal in that noise is difficult.
That is why we created SmartInsights!
Turning Feedback into Action...
SmartInsights is an AI-powered assistant built for FMCG teams. It understands real category hierarchies, measures and language rather than generic text analysis. We process review data from Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose and Ocado, tagging each review with over twenty category-specific themes and sentiments.
SmartInsights then applies guided analysis and coaching to turn unstructured feedback into commercial direction your teams can trust.
SmartInsights works equally well on laptop or mobile:
What Makes SmartInsights DifferenT...
SmartInsights uniquely combines:
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Consumer review datasets: thousands of verified reviews across every major UK grocery retailer, structured by brand, SKU, retailer and category hierarchy, all pre-tagged by theme and sentiment.
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AI tuned for FMCG: category-specific prompts, measures and language designed for commercial consistency rather than generic AI output.
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Coaching and guardrails: built-in guidance, example questions and standard outputs help teams reach confident answers quickly.
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Practical support: user guides, in-person training and ongoing coaching to support rapid adoption and up-skilling across marketing, shopper, category and R&D teams.
This is hybrid AI human intelligence at work. Your team brings the context and experience, and SmartInsights brings the speed and structure.
From Reviews to Revenue questions...
SmartInsights reveals not just what shoppers say but why they say it. Its outputs are clear, comparable and built to help teams align across brands, retailers and time periods.
Core outputs include:
- Theme and sentiment analysis: what shoppers talk about most, and how they feel.
- Comparative benchmarking: brand, SKU and retailer performance side by side.
- Trend tracking: language shifts such as protein, vegan, refillable and recyclable.
- SKU and category status: which products delight shoppers and which need attention.
- Opportunity maps: unmet needs and whitespace that shape messaging, pack design and innovation pipelines.
Stories, not stars…
Research consistently shows it is the text of reviews that drives behaviour, not the average star rating. People connect with emotional tone and detail. It is the story that clinches the sale.
Our analysis focuses on language and sentiment because that is what shapes decision-making, and not just online.
Sixty-six percent of shoppers check reviews before purchasing in-store, particularly younger adults and women under forty-five. Strong, recent narratives influence both digital and physical retail performance.
Category management powered by shopper language...
Review data is a goldmine for category strategy. It captures preferences, frustrations and unmet needs in shoppers’ own words. Integrating structured review analysis into category planning helps you:
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Understand consumer preferences from flavour and texture to pack usability and sustainability cues.
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Optimise product performance by identifying recurring issues that inform R&D and packaging changes.
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Drive category growth by spotting trend signals that guide communication and innovation.
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Support retailer decisions through objective shopper language that strengthens listing and range conversations.
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Enhance shopper marketing by using authentic review quotes across digital, on-pack and in-store campaigns.
SmartInsights supporTing commercial progress...
SmartInsights fits how commercial teams actually think. It answers open questions and coaches users to build analyses around them.
For example:
- Which SKUs attract the most complaints and why?
- Should Brand A launch a plant-based variant?
- What are the key shopper themes in my category this quarter vs last quarter?
- How does shopper language differ by retailer for my brand?
- How can we improve this PDP based on how shoppers talk about this category / brand / product?
Teams get step-by-step support to build comparison sets, shape prompts and turn tables into shareable visuals. Data updates automatically so you spend time making decisions rather than tackling spreadsheets.
Implementation and enablement
SmartInsights is built for fast adoption. Setup is flexible, with in-person or online training, detailed user guides and ongoing coaching. Our team guides your team step by step to create consistent outputs and repeatable analysis workflows that engage teams and keep them.
Next Steps...
If you want to understand shopper stories and act where it matters most, SmartInsights can help.
Get in touch with the CheckoutSmart team to see how SmartInsights can help you turn shopper stories into sustainable growth.
