In a strategic shift over the past six years, Bata India has been methodically modernizing its technology infrastructure to better navigate a volatile retail landscape. As one of India’s largest footwear retailers, operating across a vast network of company-owned and franchise stores, the ability to manage operations efficiently at scale is crucial. Varun Bansal, CIO of Bata India, emphasized that the aim has been to create a resilient digital backbone that supports not only retail stores but also supply chains and customer interactions.
The transformation began with a critical transition from offline to online point-of-sale systems, a foundational element for large-format retailers. To enhance operational efficiency, Bata standardized enterprise platforms across various functions, adopting state-of-the-art systems for finance, HR, e-commerce, merchandising, and supply chain operations. A significant aspect of this modernization involved migrating core retail and supply chain workloads to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), which was implemented early on to support high-performance, transaction-heavy applications. The company’s point-of-sale system now operates on OCI Exadata, while its warehouse and fulfillment processes are optimized through Oracle Warehouse Management and cloud-based supply chain applications.
Bansal noted that “standardisation and automation across operations were essential for scale and consistency.” He highlighted that improved visibility into inventory management directly correlates with store performance and enhances customer experiences.
Given the sharp demand spikes characteristic of India’s retail sector—during festive seasons, sales events, and regional surges—Bata has leveraged cloud elasticity to ensure both performance and cost efficiency. Mission-critical applications, such as the POS, can dynamically scale during peak periods while contracting during lean times, allowing the IT team to manage infrastructure costs effectively without sacrificing reliability or security. “As CIO, cost governance is as important as uptime,” Bansal observed, reiterating the advantages of the pay-per-use cloud model.
Although Bata does not disclose specific performance metrics, Bansal stated that the implementation of Oracle WMS has significantly enhanced warehouse visibility, auditability, and operational efficiency. More importantly, it established a platform poised for future AI-driven capabilities. “With AI embedded into supply chain platforms, insights move from static reports to predictive actions,” he explained, which minimizes manual intervention and reduces lead times.
Beyond optimizing core IT systems, Bata has employed analytics to transform its merchandising and store operations. The company has adopted a zero-based merchandising strategy, guided by localized demand insights, which has enabled it to expand tailored assortments from approximately 400 to nearly 800 stores. This strategy has improved product relevance while maintaining tight inventory controls. Additionally, by consolidating multiple applications into a single platform, known as Bata Hub, the company has streamlined functions such as customer feedback, audits, and merchandising execution, delivering a more consistent in-store experience.
As part of its technological evolution, Bata is equally focused on its workforce. The company has initiated AI awareness programs, organized workshops with partners, and launched proof-of-concept projects across various domains including sales, supply chain, marketing, and HR. While selective external expertise has been integrated for data and AI initiatives, the primary aim remains upskilling internal teams to encourage widespread adoption.
Bansal remarked, “Technology is easy to buy. The real challenge is change management and adoption.” Looking to the future, Bata’s technology roadmap is geared towards enhancing speed, consumer orientation, and data-driven decision-making. The integration of cloud, AI, and analytics is expected to bolster omni-channel experiences and personalization across both physical and digital touchpoints.
The company is also collaborating with Oracle on deeper integration via Oracle Integration Cloud and is piloting AI-driven analytics within cloud databases, enabling business users to extract insights using natural language prompts instead of complex queries. “Our aim is to democratise analytics,” Bansal stated, emphasizing that empowering business teams to directly query data will facilitate faster and more effective decision-making.
For Bata India, this ongoing transformation is not merely about adopting the latest technological trends, but rather about establishing a scalable, AI-ready retail core that can support current growth and adapt to the future’s challenges.
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