Disclaimer: The following case is fictional and does not represent any real company, individuals, or events. It is intended solely for learning and discussion.

Your Challenge
You have 25 minutes to brainstorm ideas with your group and provide a recommendation. One BDO team member is with you to help answer questions and capture your ideas in a PowerPoint slide deck.

Please prepare a 3-minute pitch with the following:

1. What 2–3 areas of the business could benefit most from AI or automation? (e.g., finance, customer service, operations, tax, sales)
2. What specific AI tools or innovations would you suggest? (Examples might include AI-powered bookkeeping, chatbots, predictive inventory tools, etc.)
3. What are the potential challenges of using AI? (e.g., cost, staff training, data accuracy, privacy concerns)
4. How can BDO support this client through this change? (Think about education, implementation help, or ongoing advisory support)

For the PowerPoint deliverable, you will need to include:
Slide 1: Recommendation Summary 

• Top 2–3 areas for AI adoption
• The AI solutions you recommend
• Expected impact on the business

Slide 2: Risks & Support Plan

• Key risks or barriers
• How BDO can support Horizon

As a reminder, you will have only 3 minutes to deliver your solution to the judges. Additional details around the deliverables are provided below. 

Horizon Home Goods

Client Background: Horizon Home Goods

Company Profile
Name: Horizon Home Goods
Founded: 2003
Headquarters: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Employees: 24 full-time; 12 part-time
Annual Revenue: ~$4.2 million 
Locations: 3 brick-and-mortar retail stores (Halifax, Moncton, Charlottetown) + small online store
Ownership: Family-owned and operated by siblings Sarah and Andrew Patel
 

Business Story
Horizon Home Goods began as a small family-run home decor store offering curated, coastal-inspired furniture and housewares. Their value proposition has always been quality, local charm, and personalized service—especially in-store, where staff know many customers by name.

Over time, they expanded to three locations and launched a Shopify-based online store in 2018. During the pandemic, online sales temporarily soared but have since dropped. With competitors offering next-day delivery and AI-driven customer experiences, Horizon is falling behind.
 

Current Pain Points
Operational Inefficiencies

• Inventory is managed manually using spreadsheets and emailed stock updates.
• Reordering is reactive, leading to missed sales and overstock issues.
• Bookkeeping is time-consuming, done monthly by a single admin with limited accounting knowledge.

Tax & Compliance Challenges

• Tax filing and reporting is stressful and inconsistent.
• They're unsure how recent CRA digital reporting changes impact their obligations.
• No tax planning is currently done—just reactive filing at year-end.

Customer Engagement Drop-off

• In-store foot traffic has declined, and the online store has low repeat visits.
• Social media marketing is inconsistent; no tools are in place to track or predict customer behavior.
• They’re unsure how to compete with larger retailers that offer AI-curated product recommendations and chatbots.

The Owners' Perspective
Sarah handles front-of-house operations, including customer service and store layout. She is 
open to tech, but skeptical of "complex systems" and worried that AI will make things “cold 
and impersonal.”

Andrew manages finance and back-end logistics. He’s interested in innovation but 
overwhelmed. “We’re too small to build AI tools,” he says. “We just need something simple 
that makes things easier—not harder.”

They’ve come to BDO not for tech jargon, but for trusted advice.

Deliverables

What You’ll Be Evaluated On

As you prepare your recommendation slides and 3-minute pitch for Horizon Home Goods, here are the key areas the judges will assess:

1. Relevance of Recommendations
   Your AI or automation suggestions should directly address Horizon’s current pain points. Focus on ideas that are practical and realistic for a small, family-owned business.
    
2. Business Impact
   Demonstrate how your solutions will improve the business—through cost savings, efficiency gains, or better customer engagement. Be specific about the expected benefits.
    
3. Creativity and Innovation
   Original ideas are encouraged, as long as they are appropriate to Horizon’s size and capabilities. Avoid generic or overly complex solutions.
    
4. Risk Awareness
   Acknowledge potential risks such as cost, staff training, or privacy concerns, and suggest ways Horizon or BDO could manage these challenges.
    
5. BDO’s Role
   Clearly outline how BDO can support Horizon—through education, implementation assistance, or ongoing advisory services. Show an understanding of BDO’s value.
    
6. Pitch Delivery
   Your presentation should be clear, structured, and within the time limit. Please appoint one or two individuals to deliver the team’s findings.