Last updated : November 14, 2025 1:48 pm
The panel themed ‘The Smart Store Playbook: Tech That Removes Friction and Adds Delight ‘at RAI’s Retail India Summit & Expo 2025, had industry leaders mapping the way forward for smart stores and tech investments that are rooted in operational reality.
Over the past few years, Indian retail has been quietly but powerfully transforming. The rise of smart retail has changed how customers discover, try, choose and buy products. Retail stores are no longer just physical stores but are now becoming responsive and intelligent to anticipate customer needs rather than simply react to them. The modern store is expected to deliver zero friction, faster decision-making, and a sense of delight that keeps the customer returning.
At Retail India Summit & Expo (RISE) 2025, organised by the Retailers Association of India, the energy across the entire event made one thing clear that technology is the engine steering Indian retail forward. Building on this momentum, the power-packed panel, The Smart Store Playbook: Tech That Removes Friction and Adds Delight, offered timely insights into how top retail leaders are understanding the modern retail, where data, design, and technology converge to provide convenience to customers.
Moderator Ravi Shankar, CMO of Krishna Bhoomi Arcade, opened the discussion by pointing out that India’s retail story is evolving in a unique way. As the panelists joined in, the conversation quickly moved to what makes a store “smart” today. Akhil Jain, MD of Jain Amar & CEO, Madame, emphasised that smart stores today rely heavily on both artificial intelligence and hardware-driven insights. He said, “The customer relies only on the product. It’s about how we present the product better to the consumer, because that’s where the early catch lies. With technology, AI for accessibility and hardware that helps us understand why a product went into the trial room and didn’t come out, we can understand patterns. With artificial intelligence, we can set up systems that help us plan patterns for the next day in that area.”
The personalisation factor
Each individual behaves differently and expects brands to recognise their personal taste. Ankur Bhatia, CEO of Chogori India Retail Ltd, shared, “Personalisation is built on data. The more customer data we capture, the more personalised our offerings become, because there’s no single cohort anymore. Every customer thinks and behaves differently. Every size, colour, and silhouette fits differently, and even online, if someone has browsed outerwear, they should see more outerwear and not sportswear or accessories. Personalisation runs on a data platform, and the consumer is leaving a footprint almost every second.”
The conversation took a nostalgic yet forward-looking turn when Mayank Mohan, Partner & CEO of Mohanlal Sons, spoke about how a legacy brand like Mohanlal & Sons has evolved. He shared that personalisation has always existed in their business, but now, digital tools are strengthening that tradition. By resolving concerns immediately, they often turn a complaint into deeper trust and sometimes even additional purchases.
RFID for retail
Retail businesses are rapidly adopting RFID technology as it is the need of the hour. As a major highlight of the panel discussion, Ashim Ashok Patil, MD & CEO of i-TEK RFID, explained how the technology has shifted from being considered expensive to becoming one of the most efficient tools in modern retail.
Ashim shared, “RFID use cases run across everything, from merchandising to ITC, and retailers are investing heavily in AI and data analytics. But if your analytics are based on six-month-old inventory data, the freshness isn’t there, and you don’t know what’s working. With AI being used so widely, customers now want more fresh data, and RFID makes that possible.
Caution against going tech-overboard
Retailers often go overboard with technology, but real value emerges only when tech investments stay grounded in operational realities. Technology can easily become a distraction if the investment roadmap isn’t aligned with store-level priorities. As JP Shukla, CEO of 1-India Family Mart, highlighted, “Sometimes we go overboard with technology. A few years back, we invested heavily in technology, but the investment didn’t do much good. In retail, the priority must be the customer. Any investment should empower either the customer or the store staff to serve the customer better. Entrepreneurs often focus on cost savings, but it doesn’t work that way.”
On the other end of the spectrum, Drishti Gupta, Director of Transline Technologies and Founder of Storepulse AI, emphasised, “What we have learned is that store awareness becomes critical when a brand scales to 20, 50, or 100 stores. It’s hard to know what’s happening inside every store. One retailer told us they faced long checkout queues because some cashiers weren’t present. So we built an AI system that checks, within 30 seconds, whether the cashiers are at their counters and alerts the store manager. Small tweaks like this significantly improve conversion rates and overall customer experience.”
Recreation of warmth through smart CRM
In a market where technology often creates distance, Dhruv Garg, CEO and Co-Founder of Global Republic, reminded everyone that its real power lies in bringing people closer. Dhruv shared how neighbourhood stores from his childhood created a deep sense of belonging. Everyone knew each other, and every family felt recognised. But modern retail slowly lost that personal touch.
To bring that warmth back, his team built a “family treat” CRM. Instead of treating a family as one phone number, they created separate profiles for the husband, wife, and kids, while keeping them connected as one family unit. Their system captures who buys what, who should receive offers, and even who should have retention rights. Even without a big ERP setup, they streamlined the entire process manually.
The takeaway
The panel made it clear that smart retail isn’t about flashy technology, but about using the right tools in the right way to make customers' journeys more personal and smoother. Whether it’s AI, RFID, or intelligent CRM systems, technology works best when it strengthens human connection. As retail turns more digital, the smartest stores of tomorrow won’t just run on data; they will use that data to create moments of genuine connection.