Bata launches IndiaÔÇÖs first AI-powered visual merchandising app

Multinational footwear retailer Bata has launched India’s foremost visual merchandising app powered by AI (artificial intelligence), a top company official wrote on social media last week.

“We recently launched 1st in-country visual merchandising app powered by artificial intelligence,” said Abhinav Sharan, head of retail marketing and visual merchandising at Bata India in a LinkedIn post.

Launched in June 2023, the new app is equipped with core visual merchandising and retail deployment management facilities.

“Visual merchandising and retail deployments, if done right, can enhance consumer experience and improve store footfall and conversion. With so many technologies coming in, it’s important to provide a one-stop solution to field teams and store managers, which can solve all the marketing campaigns, retail deployment and visual merchandising requirements,” he added.

“This came alive with months of hard work, algorithms, machine learning, creating the UI and a lot more, making it one of the finest innovations in the field of visual merchandising,” he added.

The new app enables end users to follow defined marketing guidelines to prepare and run campaigns. It allows store managers to access campaign information, acts as a digital channel for acknowledging receipt of campaign material at retail outlets and provides a gamified approach towards retail outlets’ performance. In December 2022, Bata India launched a 3D billboard in Bengaluru at Garuda Mall to become the first footwear brand in India to bring the disruptive format of 3D OOH advertising to the country.

The footwear brand also introduced the first in-industry jukebox services, using with any consumer can play a song of his choice while shopping at Bata Store, Sharan added.

The brand has also installed ‘Lift and Learn’ technology inside the stores in some locations. As soon as a customer picks up a shoe off a rack, the ‘Lift and Learn’ digital wall, using RFID (radio-frequency identification) technology, communicates all the right information on that particular product and also displays comparative information if the customer picks up two products.

Footwear, apparel and accessories manufacturer and retailer Bata Corporation was founded in 1894 by Tomas Bata. The Switzerland headquartered company was incorporated in India as Bata India Ltd in 1931.

Currently, Bata operates around 1700 COCO (company owned company operated) and franchise stores across the country.