How Bata India is using Oracle Cloud to build a scalable, data-driven retail enterprise

As India’s retail sector faces rising pressure to scale operations, manage volatile demand, and deliver seamless omni-channel experiences, technology has emerged as a critical enabler of competitive advantage.

In this interview, Varun Bansal, Chief Information Officer at Bata India, discusses the company’s journey of migrating core retail and supply chain systems to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, modernising warehouse operations, and building a foundation for data-driven decision-making and AI adoption. He shares insights into Bata’s cloud strategy, lessons from large-scale transformation, and how backend modernisation is reshaping customer experience and operational efficiency.

As a customer of Oracle, Bata has migrated its operations and databases to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. What were the key limitations of your on-premise environment that prompted this move? Were there specific peak periods when infrastructure constraints became critical?

We were among the first in India to adopt OCI. We are using one of Oracle’s top platforms, Oracle XR Data. The migration happened roughly three to four years ago. Previously, we were on-premises. Bata has been on a growth journey, and our endeavour has always been to serve customers better. That is why the organisation decided to move to OCI.

Besides our point-of-sale system, we also brought other critical supply chain applications onto OCI. The primary driver was to have a stable, scalable platform with the right performance, security, and reliability. As we wanted to become more data-driven, OCI fitted our strategy.

One major advantage of cloud is managing the peaks and troughs of retail demand. We have various seasons, events, and triggers that lead to demand surges. We needed a reliable infrastructure that allows us to scale up. During lean periods, we wanted to optimise costs. At night or on certain days, we can shut down compute and optimise costs.

This flexibility comes with OCI. We have access to analytics, and it is pay-per-use. We only pay for what we consume. So far, we have achieved the right performance, reliability, and availability.

Availability is critical because the point-of-sale system is the most important application. Even five minutes of downtime leads to chaos. So far, the experience has been excellent. When issues arise, we get instant support from Oracle.

Given the dominance of hyperscalers such as AWS and Azure, what technical and business benchmarks did your team evaluate, and how did OCI differentiate itself?

I was not part of the original migration journey, but from what I understand, a few factors were important. Many of our databases are Oracle databases. Moving to OCI provides enterprise licenses at no additional cost, which fits well from a cost perspective.

We also had to integrate extensively with internal applications using Oracle databases. It was easy to establish database links. Several other factors were involved, but these were the primary ones.

Many retailers remain cautious about migrating core databases to the cloud due to latency and security concerns. What factors made cloud adoption a non-negotiable decision for Bata?

Cloud infrastructure today is more secure and reliable. Latency is also lower. Serving 2,000 stores on on-premise infrastructure is more challenging than using cloud, where hyperscalers like Oracle have invested in best-in-class network and security infrastructure.

My strategy has always been that critical, consumer-facing workloads should move to the cloud. From that perspective, it was the right move.

From a supply chain and warehouse perspective, what operational inefficiencies did you identify in the legacy systems, and how has cloud adoption addressed them?

Oracle WMS is a critical application implemented across our warehouses. It is a SaaS platform, and we have implemented it over the last four to five years.

When operating warehouses, real-time inventory tracking is essential, including goods receipt, storage, picking, and dispatch. This is possible only with a strong system. Operations also need to be standardised. WMS provides standard workflows based on best industry practices.

This allows us to manage operations effectively, improve productivity, utilise space and labour better, and strengthen fulfilment processes. We want to fulfil store and e-commerce demand efficiently. With a reliable system, we can replenish faster across channels.

As a SaaS platform, Oracle WMS provides scalability, reliability, and regular upgrades. We stay up to date with industry developments. This has reduced complexity, improved efficiency, and provided analytics for better operational decisions.

How is Bata leveraging its cloud-based data foundation to enable AI and predictive analytics initiatives?

We are actively exploring opportunities. With Oracle supporting critical workloads in retail and supply chain, we are looking at AI and predictive use cases.

Oracle is bringing agentic and predictive AI use cases to WMS, such as warehouse layout planning and manpower planning. We will deploy these as they mature. Being on SaaS and cloud makes adoption easier.

For retail systems, cloud-based data enables insights and AI capabilities. We can leverage other Oracle platforms. We are running pilots with Oracle on AI and ATP databases, which is possible because we are on the cloud.

 If you were to undertake this migration today, what key gaps or pitfalls would you advise other CIOs to avoid?

First, avoid excessive customisation in SaaS platforms. Heavy customisation makes upgrades difficult and moves you away from best practices. If you have business requirements, share them with Oracle so they can be part of the product roadmap.

Second, focus on change management and adoption. Adoption is critical for realising ROI. The business must leverage all capabilities.

Our partnership with Oracle has been strong. They conduct regular audits and provide feedback. This helps us extract full value from our investment.

How has backend modernisation translated into measurable improvements in customer experience across physical stores and digital channels?

We are focusing on omni-channel and fulfilment capabilities by integrating stores and digital channels. This improves speed, inventory utilisation, and customer experience.

We leverage Oracle Integration Cloud. Our systems are integrated with marketplaces and our website. These integrations enable omnichannel capabilities.

We also focus on data sensing and demand sensing. We bring together sales, inventory, and customer insights for faster decisions. Data-driven merchandising allows us to offer the right assortments in stores. This is possible through cloud and analytics investments.

How does Bata manage sudden demand spikes during festive and promotional periods without resorting to excessive over-provisioning?

Oracle is part of our broader IT landscape. When we combine all capabilities, we can address these challenges.

One key priority is zero-bit merchandising. We use analytics and local demand insights to tailor assortments at the store level instead of relying on centralised templates. This has been rolled out to 400 stores and will expand to 800 by 2026.

This allows us to maintain the right inventory and improve store performance. This is possible through these technologies.

Are there any additional perspectives or insights you would like to share?

Our vision is to bring the best-in-class technology and become faster, more consumer-focused, and data-driven. Technology plays a key role in understanding customer needs and responding quickly across stores, supply chains, and digital channels.

We are actively exploring AI use cases. The finance minister’s report after the budget highlighted how cutting-edge technologies like AI can act as force multipliers. We are aligned with this vision and are investing accordingly.

Cloud supports scalability, flexibility, and faster execution. We want to achieve these goals in a secure and compliant way, with strong governance and cybersecurity practices.