Technology will be managed by IT, however needs to be run by enterprise

As Bestseller completes 15 years within the nation, Ranjan
Sharma, CIO & Supply Chain Head, Bestseller India speaks in regards to the
function of know-how in serving to the corporate adapt, evolve and innovate
to efficiently develop available in the market

A veteran with 27 years of expertise in dealing with varied points of
retail know-how, Ranjan Sharma joined Bestseller India in 2012,
after having labored with the likes of Future Group, Vishal Retail and
Future.com.
Over the years, the scope of his work at Bestseller grew in quantum
and complexity as he helped the corporate meet the wants and at
instances keep forward of the altering instances and shoppers together with his
experience and expertise.
An alumnus of the American International University of
Management & Technology, NIIT and IIM Kozhikode, Sharma
shoulders two vital points of Bestseller’s enterprise in India –
info know-how (IT) and Supply Chain.
As the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Head of Supply Chain,
Ranjan is liable for guaranteeing the Danish firm’s operations
in India run easily and effectively whereas enabling its greater than
3000 workers with the assistance of the proper know-how.
To present an summary, Bestseller India presents seven distinctive
manufacturers, specifically Jack&Jones, Vero Moda, Only, Selected Homme,

Jack&Jones Junior, Vero Moda Girl, and the lately acquired
homegrown ethnicwear model, Indifusion. These manufacturers are
out there by way of a various community of over 350 unique model
retailers (EBOs) and franchise shops, over 1,600 shop-in-shops, and
an expansive e-commerce presence spanning varied platforms,
together with the corporate’s webstore. Furthermore, two of the
firm’s manufacturers are actively engaged in distribution enterprise in
India.
Considering the scale of the canvas, guaranteeing clean operations
whereas guaranteeing innovation to remain forward of the competitors is not any
imply job, particularly because the firm is within the enterprise of quick
trend.
But Sharma handles all of it with poise and panache, counting on his
mantra— of holding issues easy. While he doesn’t enable himself
to get slowed down by the overwhelming adjustments in know-how or
the market, he isn’t the one to take a seat again and comply with.
He prefers to be on the forefront of innovation and preserve doing new
issues, unafraid of creating errors. If issues usually are not understanding,
he has the knowledge to kill a mission as an alternative of constant on the
unsuitable path. This angle has received him a number of accolades and the
respect of his fraternity, making him a sought-after speaker at
varied fora.
As Bestseller completes 15 years within the nation, Sharma speaks to
Phyigital in an unique interview in regards to the function know-how has
performed in serving to the corporate adapt, evolve and innovate and never
simply preserve doing higher daily however keep forward.

Bestseller accomplished 15 years in India. How has the corporate
been performing?

Bestseller India celebrates its fifteenth yr within the nation with a
outstanding journey. In 2008, it started its Indian enterprise with the
opening of the primary Jack&Jones retailer in Mumbai’s Oberoi Mall. From
these modest beginnings, it has developed right into a thriving organisation.
Starting with only one retailer and 10 workers, Bestseller India now
employs round 3,000 professionals who deal with varied aspects of
the enterprise, from model administration to warehousing.
BESTSELLER India’s retail presence has additionally grown considerably,
with over 350 EBOs and greater than 1,600 SIS throughout the nation.
Embracing the digital age, Bestseller India has established a strong
on-line presence. Our e-commerce platform allows prospects to
conveniently entry their most well-liked manufacturers and merchandise from their
properties. Additionally, now we have strengthened our enterprise by way of a
well-organized distribution community, guaranteeing environment friendly product
availability throughout the nation.
The future guarantees extra thrilling developments and continued
success.

What function has know-how performed in enabling this?

Technology has been one of many greatest pillars of success for us. If
you have a look at how various we’re—totally different manufacturers, totally different
companies, totally different channels—with that type of a complexity,
know-how is the one binding pressure for all. It allows us to run the
companies and scale them rapidly. Technology is the enabler, the
spine to make sure that every part works the best way it’s anticipated to
work and likewise provides us an edge when it comes to fixing a number of the
future issues.

Can you elaborate?

If know-how simply helps immediately’s operation, then it’s purely
operational tech. That’s not an area we’re in. We are into an area
the place we handle the long run and we’re into quick trend, which is
formidable to handle as a result of there’s a lot new occurring each
day. How do you see the brand new tendencies? How do you convey them into
your mainstream enterprise? How do you change that and handle
shocks like COVID-19?
How do you may have a enterprise continuity plan in order that you’ll be able to
proceed when no demand planning or forecasting is working for
you?… That’s the place tech begins taking part in a a lot bigger function.
Also, to allow a number of the new age digital-led companies like
ecommerce, omnichannel, WhatsApp or social commerce. That’s
the place tech empowers.

Can you establish areas by which know-how has helped
Bestseller India change its recreation?

If you’re a quick trend retailer, product is the place you make your
greatest funding. That’s the place we began bringing in an enormous
quantity of know-how… to unravel issues which a human mind
presumably can’t by churning the quantity of knowledge out there and making
proper inferences. So, we introduced in AI/ML for recognizing a pattern and
localising it to our model. Also, to herald a science to in a position to say
hey, that is what you need to make, and that is the amount you
ought to make.
And predict whether or not the promote by way of of a product will go up or
down when you change sure parameters like a color or the material.
Because on the finish of the day, we’re all within the enterprise of getting
the utmost promote by way of for a product. The extra the product sells,
the higher it sells and the quicker it sells, the more healthy our enterprise is.

Fast trend is all about bringing in merchandise, promoting them rapidly
and changing them with new merchandise. That’s one space the place
know-how has performed a big function for us.

And the opposite space?

The different space the place know-how has helped us is in effectively
managing our provide chain when it comes to how rapidly we are able to
rework and how briskly we are able to react to adjustments.
It has helped us to handle various companies, every with calls for
of its personal. Exclusive retailers have their very own provide chain
necessities, the shop-in-shops enterprise has its personal wants, so does
e-commerce. How do you handle all of this from the identical
distribution centre with a single view of stock throughout all
channels?
How do you do the fulfilment for e-commerce?

All our shops are additionally micro fulfilment centres. It’s about changing the identical retailer
which was once a degree of sale and a buyer expertise centre
right into a micro fulfilment centre and allow your retailer workers to be
in a position to fulfil orders which may very well be coming out of your digital
channels and thus bettering product sell-through. So, there are a
lot of areas the place know-how is taking part in a key function.
Are you additionally using know-how on the shops?
There are giant transformations underway in-store as I communicate. Our
shops have executed immensely effectively. But now we have to take the shop
expertise to the following degree. And that’s the place we’re engaged on.
We’re bringing a brand new level of sale resolution and a few extra tech to
assist us to enhance effectivity and accuracy of the stock, bringing
pace and agility on the storefront.
We are attempting to make use of web of issues (IoT) to know
prospects strolling into our retailer. We are bringing tech to enhance

our buyer understanding and repair. We are additionally leveraging QR
codes to have interaction with prospects and join with them.

How do you employ AI/ML?

We’ve been utilizing AI/ML for nearly six years to assist us spot tendencies
and establish ones that may very well be related for our prospects in India
after which we added a layer to assist us forecast what sort of materials,
colors work and the way a lot we must always produce. We are additionally utilizing
AI/ML within the house of buyer insights. We are at present additionally
working a big data-based mission the place once more the AI/ML goes
to play a giant function as a result of we’re going to infuse AI/ML into our knowledge
and knowledge platforms.

What is the supposed final result of the train?

The concept is to make individuals smarter. In trend retail, individuals used to
do issues based mostly on intestine. That’s nice as a result of creativity is required in
trend retail. But when you can again it up with some science, some knowledge
factors, that’s the place the entire recreation adjustments.
Humanly, it’s not doable for any designer, any merchandiser to be
in a position to keep in mind issues like a product that bought in 2017 or 2018,
why it bought, what was the promote by way of and what it regarded like.
Today, we aren’t any extra knowledge in columns. We have
embedded photos into our analytics, making it extra visible. When a
merchandiser, product man or a designer seems to be at a report, he sees
the product picture which is extra relatable to him moderately than simply
some numbers.

Do you employ AI/ML to enhance buyer expertise?

We use AI/ML for personalization and making suggestions to
prospects. We at the moment are bettering the identical so as to add advertising

capabilities like understanding which buyer to succeed in, which channel to
use and what time.
It’s going to attach all our channels such that the identical
advice, similar personalization works throughout channels
enabling us to offer a unified expertise to prospects wherever they
go—WhatsApp, webstore or offline retailer.

What’s the contribution of various channels to the enterprise?

Our enterprise thrives by way of the synergy of a number of channels. E-
commerce performs a pivotal function in connecting with prospects throughout
the nation, particularly post-pandemic, enhancing accessibility and
sustaining relevance within the dynamic retail panorama.
Our bodily shops function the inspiration, offering a tangible and
immersive model expertise that fosters private connections with
prospects, permitting them to work together straight with our merchandise.
Simultaneously, our distribution community is important in guaranteeing
our merchandise attain a broad buyer base throughout the nation,
bridging the hole between the model and shoppers by way of varied
stores.
These channels work in tandem, creating a strong and efficient
enterprise technique, the place e-commerce broadens our attain, bodily
shops provide immersive experiences, and the distribution community
ensures widespread availability. Each channel is integral to our
model’s success within the aggressive retail business.

Where are you when it comes to omnichannel capabilities?

We are omni channel for greater than three years now. We embarked
on the journey even earlier than the pandemic. We ship from retailer a big
a part of our e-commerce orders.

When a buyer walks right into a retailer, we don’t have a view if that
buyer had been to our webstore or conversational commerce
platforms and initiated a journey or bought one thing.
Those are the issues that we are attempting to convey
collectively…capabilities like purchase anyplace, return anyplace and purchase
on-line, decide up at retailer with a single view of the client throughout our
channels.

What are the challenges for you as a CIO when dealing with such
giant and sophisticated operations?

The objective submit is altering daily…this is among the greatest
challenges. How do you not simply adapt to it but in addition see it coming
and construct for it? Because know-how should all the time keep a step forward
of the long run.
We have been rising at a excessive pace and on one hand now we have the
problem of managing the pace of development and on the opposite, of
innovating.
Also, discovering individuals with the proper ability units mixed with ardour
is a problem.

Speaking of individuals, do you employ know-how to enhance
productiveness?

Efficiency enchancment or enablement of individuals is a big a part of
our know-how investments. We have been one of many firsts to have our
personal app for workers again in 2014. Today, now we have taken it to the
subsequent degree. We invested right into a bot for workers means again in 2017-
2018.
We additionally spend money on a number of platforms. Also, we’re a cloud native
firm, which brings in plenty of agility to do issues.

Another space we’re investing massive is in our knowledge capabilities to
make sure that individuals have all the information to take smarter and quicker
choices and hyperlink them again to operations. We are bringing in a
enormous quantity of automation to assist eliminate mundane work and do
extra value-based work.
In retail persons are the important thing and we must allow and empower
them to do their work quicker, higher and with increased accuracy.

Can you elaborate on the type of platforms you’re investing in?

We’ve invested in platform which assist in planning. Then there are
app engine platforms the place we’re investing in. We are exploring
what all we are able to obtain with the assistance of automation.
When it involves know-how investments, individuals usually have a wait
and watch angle. They enable others to make their errors and
as soon as it really works advantageous for everybody, then copy it. At Bestseller, we don’t
imagine in that method. We wish to be on the forefront of innovation,
doing new issues. We as an organisation, have stayed forward in
know-how as a result of we need to be forward in enterprise. We don’t need
to spend money on know-how for the sake of it however as a result of we need to
develop, construct our manufacturers and have the next market share. That retains
us pushing for extra in know-how.

Sidebar
Rapid Round with Ranjan Sharma
When making a tech determination I have a look at…
 The worth that the brand new tech would convey not solely when it comes to
immediately but in addition for the long run.
 If it makes us extra environment friendly and assist us do higher and quicker
 How would the identical work in our present eco-system

My tech mantra…
 Empower individuals to unravel their very own issues.
 Technology will be managed by IT individuals, but it surely needs to be run
by enterprise, solely then are you able to really realise its worth.
Lessons I learnt…
 One doesn’t have to be slowed down with the brand new phrases or the
new know-how names which might be developing daily. You want
to maintain issues easy.
 You must have a readability when it comes to what you want as an
organisation. What would possibly make sense for another person would possibly
not make sense for you and your ecosystem because the maturity
degree of your organisation, your wants may very well be totally different.
 It’s essential to chill out, take a step again and relook at issues
from a bigger perspective. Don’t be over pressured about issues
in any other case you’ll begin faltering. Keep the muddle out; it doesn’t
lead you anyplace.
Tech that may change the long run…
 QR code—it should have an effect on every part from the entrance
finish to the again finish.
 RFID. It’s very previous however has now turn out to be reasonably priced. It goes to
turn out to be a recreation changer.
 Platforms that simplify workflows and allows collaboration
with simplification of processes and all the time linked.