GCCs are becoming central to how retail brands rethink customer engagement as expectations rise across physical stores and digital channels. Speed, relevance and consistency now matter as much as product quality. To meet these demands, companies are increasingly relying on data, digital platforms and AI, with India based GCCs supporting real time decision making and frontline customer experiences.
As these capabilities move closer to the business core, retail GCCs in India are taking on wider mandates. Their focus now includes building core platforms, supply chain intelligence and merchandising systems that directly influence customer experience across global markets. Leaders from Best Buy and Circle K recently shared how their India centres are helping brands respond faster and personalise interactions without slowing customers down.
At Best Buy, the India GCC is central to redesigning customer journeys across online and in store channels. Surendra Bashani, Head of Best Buy India, said the priority has been to create a strong data and AI foundation that reduces friction for customers and store associates. “There is a really deep pool of talent here with data and AI. We’ve built our data and AI center of excellence. Part of this is just building new experiences. The other part is also migrating away from our legacy systems and reimagining our processes and building things that are really transmitted to our customers,” he said. This work includes modernising legacy systems and breaking down data silos to enable effective AI adoption.
For Circle K, which manages millions of customer interactions every day, convenience depends on speed and relevance. Sushant Bhushan, Global Leader, Data and Analytics and India GCC Leader at the company, said customers want quick access to what they need without knowing what happens behind the scenes. “Convenience is all about speed. The customer has to go in and come out. The customer doesn’t need to know what’s happening behind the scenes. They just need that one item they’re looking for to be available,” he said. The brand, owned by Canadian multinational Alimentation Couche Tard, operates over 14,800 outlets across 26 countries. Its Gurugram centre drives analytics, data science and technology efforts, supporting predictive inventory, loyalty programmes and fuel pricing. “Every single drop of fuel pricing is done from India,” Bhushan said. Both leaders stressed the importance of using data responsibly, with strong governance and clear opt out choices to balance personalisation with customer trust.
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