In a region where retail is evolving at breakneck speed, Bappaditya Banerjee, Director of Technology at BFL Group, stands out for blending discipline with imagination. A technologist with a musician’s instinct, he brings a rare clarity to the chaos of digital transformation—focusing not just on the tools, but on the people and processes that give those tools purpose.
In this conversation, he speaks candidly about value-seeking consumers, digital treasure hunts, internal tech as a product, and why the smartest leaders know when not to play. His views reveal a pragmatic yet deeply human approach to innovation.
You have often spoken about treating internal technology as a “product” with its own internal customers. How has adopting this mindset changed the way you build and scale teams? And does it redefine how you measure “success” in a tech rollout?
If we treat every internal technical deliverable as a “product,” we are essentially looking at the classic triad: people, process, and technology. But for me, the order matters. First, you must have a clearly defined process. Second, you need people ready to follow it. Only then do we look at how technology can support—or sometimes seamlessly lead—that process so stakeholders actually see the benefits.
Adopting this mindset makes driving change significantly easier. It prevents that dreaded scenario where we simply “deliver a piece of tech” and then watch it fail because we didn’t account for the human element. In some cases, the answer to a business problem isn’t technology at all. It might just be a simple tweak to an existing workflow or better training on a specific SOP. When you view technology as a product, your goal becomes solving the problem, not just building the tool.
Everyone is talking about GenAI. For a value retailer, where do you see the real immediate ROI? Is it in customer-facing chatbots, or is the real magic happening behind the scenes in forecasting, planning, and supply chain efficiency?
“Generative AI relies heavily on the right data—in terms of adequacy, cleanliness, and integrity—being available within the organization first. Once that foundation is set, the magic begins.”
For us, the internal use cases focus on actionable self-service for employees, such as using a digital assistant to check a purchase requisition status and immediately asking it to create a purchase order. We are also leveraging conversational BI using NLP for advanced analytics.
But we are also moving fast on the customer-facing side. In fact, we recently became the first retailer in the Middle East to launch a full ad campaign for our Summer 2025 collection using AI-generated models, settings, audio, and backdrops. This complements our broader strategy of using market data for brand intelligence and delivering hyper-tailored campaigns to our customers.
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In the ad-tech and retail-tech space, personalization is becoming the gold standard—yet consumers are increasingly privacy-conscious. How do you advise retailers to strike the balance between being genuinely helpful and becoming intrusive?
I usually guide retailers through three simple but powerful steps.
Tailor, don’t spray and pray: Leverage modern CRM, customer data platforms, and marketing automation tools to create the right target segments and roll out campaigns with a higher conversion ratio. This way, customers don’t feel overwhelmed or bombarded with promotions. Tailor efficiently, let customers come in and share their data, and in return give them the right offers.
PICK IT ALL, but subtly: Pick up all the available digital footprints—from social media, e-commerce app clickstreams, store visits, and purchases—to stitch identities and build a 360-degree view. Test the waters, get real-time feedback, and do it subtly so customers don’t feel that their privacy is being invaded.
Communicate benefits through store staff: Personal interaction at the tills continues to be a definite success.
BFL is known for the thrill of physical discovery. From a technologist’s perspective, how can digital platforms replicate or enhance that sense of surprise, inspiration, and delight—without losing the human touch that makes discovery meaningful?
We really have to strike that balance. We can’t openly promote specific brands—either in our stores or online. It’s similar to product placement in movies: if you highlight one brand too strongly, others can question it. So instead, we focus on the TREASURE HUNT experience—the thrill of finding a deal and making that hunt enjoyable rather than tiring.
“A digital treasure hunt works incredibly well in this region, which is why our online business contributes so handsomely to overall revenue.” But again, we do this without promoting any particular brand. Even our web and app banners talk more about categories than brands.
Thankfully, our customers understand who we are. When someone discovers a great deal—whether in-store or online—they proudly share it through word of mouth. And that genuine excitement is something we truly enjoy.
As we approach 2026, what is one shift in the Middle East that you believe the industry is still underestimating?
Certainly, customers are increasingly seeking value—and the right mix of fashionability, affordability, brand name, quality, and availability. The shelf life of products is decreasing by the day, and retail therapy is at an all-time high.
However, many retailers still underestimate the concept of everyday value and continue to rely heavily on big events like all the colours of Friday to drive revenue. I don’t think that approach helps in the long run.
“Everyday newness, a strong value proposition, and consistent availability go a long way.”
And, in my view, they’re far more sustainable as we head into 2026.
You’re also a musician, and you’ve mentioned the discipline of “knowing when not to play.” How does this philosophy translate into leading technology teams especially during intense phases of digital transformation?
That’s a good question! I use that philosophy to build real camaraderie within my teams and to empower people to step in, take ownership, and genuinely feel proud of what they accomplish.
Yes, it comes with a cost—things might go wrong occasionally, or the pace may slow down. But once they catch up, they grow. And when they grow, I grow too. That mutual progress is what opens up bigger roles and opportunities for all of us.
