Inside Lowe’s India’s retail tech philosophy

Lowe’s India, the Global Capability Centre of Lowe’s Companies Inc., has evolved into a crucible of innovation, where cutting-edge AI, digital platforms, and a people-first culture converge to transform customer journeys.

It has played a vital role in shaping the future of omnichannel retail and delivering meaningful impact at scale.Lowe’s India’s proficiencies span across Enterprise Architecture, Data Science & Analytics, Omni-channel Platforms, Financial planning & Analytics, Supply Chain, Merchandising, Marketing, and beyond. With a holistic approach, they deliver exceptional customer experiences, optimize business processes, and stay in the loop with the ever-evolving retail landscape.At the core of Lowe’s India’s growth story are two leaders who are at the forefront of its innovation - Amit Kapur, who leads Applied AI and Data Analytics, and Reena Sofiya, who heads Merchandising and Supply Chain.In the second episode of ‘Future Forward: Retail Tech Leadership Playbook’, they discuss a significant theme, ‘AI-Powered Retail - From Data to Delivery.’

AI approach at Lowe’s IndiaAt Lowe’s India, artificial intelligence has been integrated into its operational models, significantly enhancing efficiency and innovation. Amit Kapur discusses how they have roughly 50 AI models in place that fuel search and product recommendation, sourcing engine, demand planning tools, and pricing. Some examples include:

When asked about the strategic foundation of the company’s AI leadership approach, he explains, “From a leadership perspective, we focus on how best to serve our customers.

Our strategy is built around three key pillars: how our customers shop with us, how we sell - which is crucial given our network of over 1,700 stores, and how we work - recognizing that our associates play a vital role in enabling those sales. These three pillars are integrated with our Total Home Strategy to drive our overall vision.

We also built our AI foundry, an internal Generative AI experimentation platform which is built to help product, data science, and engineering teams rapidly test ideas and evaluate models without waiting for long development cycles.

It enables teams to build proof-of-concepts using contextual grounding, reusable prompts and API capabilities to figure out what works best with AI before making it a full, real product.”Amit Kapur also sheds light on how the teams have conceptualized their home-grown self-checkout system, custom-designed and deployed at thousands of registers at over 1,700 Lowe’s stores in the U.S., complemented with computer vision technology, which has increased speed and efficiency. Amit Kapur states that Lowe’s Meridius endeavours to bring a modular, cost-efficient, omnichannel retail tech suite to the market. It is built by retailers for retailers to transform both the checkout and commerce experience by bringing proven innovation to the market. This home-grown self-checkout platform, built on commodity hardware and proprietary software, will be their first offering to the market.Understanding consumer impactThe seamless integration of technology across business functions and shared services is a key differentiator for Lowe’s.

Departments such as Marketing, Merchandising, and Supply chain are deeply tech-driven, fostering innovation to achieve their strategic business objectives. Talking about this, Reena Sofiya the VP for Merchandising and Supply Chain outlines, “As a leader, I seek opportunities where strengths intersect. For instance, where the analytical rigor of the supply chain aligns with the customer-centric approach of merchandising, or where advanced technologies can enhance both areas.

To me, this intersection represents true innovation and meaningful value creation. I also believe collaboration surpasses traditional boundaries between teams; it is fundamentally driven by curiosity.

When teams are encouraged to ask questions and actively explore how their work connects, understanding the broader impact they can have across the organization - that is when partnerships become organic, natural, and enduring.”The role of advanced technologies in managing scaleReena emphasises the vitality of retail analytics and also goes on to explain the behind-the-scenes work of smart space productivity. She sheds light on predictive modelling tools that recommend the apt way to allocate space across thousands of products. This ensures that the right categories and items get the right amount of space, maximising ROI. This is also paired with a space productivity dashboard and heatmaps that highlight where action is needed.

When asked about the potential impact of AI on retail in the coming years, Reena adds, “I believe the future of retail will be defined by how effectively we harness AI, not only to anticipate our customers’ needs but also to customise and hyper-personalise their experiences, ensuring that every customer finds exactly what they are looking for. That, to me, is the direction we are headed. Imagine walking into a store where the shelves already know your preferences.

It may sound futuristic, but I believe we are well on our way to making that a reality.”This conversation served insights on how retail can be thoughtfully reimagined through AI-interventions. Its application can offer real-time customer behaviour analysis to sustainable supply chain optimisation. Lowe’s India team has merged extensive retail knowledge with advanced technology and people-centered leadership, shaping the roadmap for the future of retail.Disclaimer: This article has been produced on behalf of Lowe’s India by Times Internet’s Spotlight team.