Abstract:

Artificial intelligence (AI) can support forecasting and inventory decisions, but technical feasibility does not establish organisational readiness for operational use. This study examines readiness for AI-based inventory decision support in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) organisations through a structured literature review and thematic synthesis. Twenty-one publications were coded in NVivo 15 using seven readiness dimensions within the Technology–Organisation–Environment (TOE) framework, with FMCG operational context coded separately. Human readiness appeared in all coded publications (100%), followed by skills and resources (95%), process and governance (90%), technology and integration (90%), data (81%), strategic and management readiness (71%), and partner readiness (62%). Explicit FMCG operational context appeared in only 33% of publications. Comparison across three literature streams showed that partner readiness and FMCG-specific conditions were more visible in operational and supply-chain research than in general organisational AI-readiness literature. Co-occurrence analysis further showed frequent overlap between human readiness and process and governance, and between data readiness, governance and technological integration. The synthesis proposes a context-specific framework linking established readiness dimensions to inventory workflows, operational users and external supply-chain relationships, providing a basis for future empirical validation rather than a validated readiness score.