INDUSTRY COMMENT: BHETA
AI IS A GAME-CHANGER, IF YOU KNOW HOW TO USE IT
With AI (artificial intelligence) hitting the headlines on a regular basis, Steve Edwards, BHETA’s Sector Manager for DIY and garden, highlights how the industry must embrace the technology and use it correctly for business benefits.
A
s BHETA announces its in-person training event – ‘How to Supercharge Your Marketing with AI in 2025’ – to be held
at Federation House, Birmingham, on Wednesday 3 December 2025, the association is reiterating just how game-changing AI can be. The caveat is, of course, that suppliers know how and when to use it successfully, and when not so much. Not just in a technical sense, but also to ensure brands continue to deliver authenticity, inspiration, and ideas, as well as saving time and increasing efficiency.
Benefits and pitfalls
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how companies operate – from data to marketing to decision-making. The key question is no longer if they should explore AI, but how they can apply it practically and effectively, enjoying the benefits and avoiding the pitfalls. That’s why BHETA has made AI one of its top priorities for 2026 – helping members understand the possibilities that this technology can unlock.
As my colleague, BHETA’s Marketing Director, Steve Richardson says: “AI is already helping BHETA itself deliver more timely, relevant, and actionable insights and thereby create a smarter, more responsive trade association. Now we want to ensure that our members can access the benefits too.” BHETA’s recent programme of AI webinars showcased how it has been transformative. The four sessions looked respectively at: 1. How machine learning can track key performance indicators, predict market movements, and identify growth opportunities. 2. How AI can refine customer segmentation, improve targeting accuracy, and support international growth strategies. 3. How AI can be used to generate campaign ideas, adapt creative for different regions, and support the real humans, generating content under pressure.
8 DIY WEEK OCTOBER 2025
insights and streamlining the more automated and repetitive aspects of marketing and sales. These represent efficiencies that were once out of reach for most SMEs, saving time, reducing costs, and improving the quality of decision-making. Positive AI contributions include: • Improving forecasting accuracy and stock control
• Automating some marketing processes including packaging copy, translation, and testing.
Above: Steve Edwards, BHETA’s Sector Manager for DIY and garden
4. How predictive systems are
improving reporting accuracy and efficiency – freeing up teams to focus on strategy rather than spreadsheets.
All four sessions are now available for BHETA members to watch in the Member Zone on
www.bheta.co.uk.
Positive AI contributions One thing was obvious – AI is no longer the distant future – it is already helping businesses make the most of areas such as forecasting, preparing customer
• Generating customer and competitor insights at speed.
• Supporting product innovation through consumer trend analysis. Using AI effectively is a matter of harnessing its support potential – as in the examples above – but not being fooled into thinking that it is a substitute for all decision- making or all creativity. AI works brilliantly for certain purposes, but it is entirely driven by fluency based on statistical probability. In other words, it is not about originality, creative new ideas of content, or radical decisions and direction. For these we still need real humans, and AI is not a substitute, albeit sometimes a useful prompting tool!
So, BHETA’s purpose as far as AI is concerned is to help members know when and how to maximise the advantages and where – or where not so much – to deploy its potential. Hence the workshop in December aimed at senior leaders, marketers, and business owners. The session will combine live demonstrations with practical exercises, and it is designed be interactive, engaging, and – most importantly – applicable. AI can only ever be as good as the knowledge and experience of the people who use it, so it is vital that companies get up to speed as soon as possible to ensure that the technology can be a positive assistant to good and successful practice, and not a threat to supplier integrity and consumer trust.” BHETA represents suppliers in the home improvement, garden, housewares, and small electricals sectors, providing members with insight, networking, and business development opportunities. For more information about BHETA’s AI workshop and other BHETA support, contact BHETA Member Services on 0121 237 1130 or visit
www.bheta.co.uk.
www.diyweek.net
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