India’s Global Capability Centres (GCCs) have evolved from traditional back-office support units into strategic hubs that power core industry processes across the Retail and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) sector. According to EY India, GCCs now combine scale, speed, and digital-first execution to support global enterprises, enabling leadership teams to focus on strategy and growth.
Key Industry Functions Enabled by GCCs
GCCs play a central role in strengthening global merchandising functions. Assortment planning and forecasting are increasingly analytics-driven, with AI used to analyze item-level sales data, seasonal trends, and regional buying behavior. GCCs also support pricing operations through benchmarking, markdown strategies, and price sensitivity analysis.
Space planning and visual merchandising are being centralized, with GCCs designing digital planograms and optimizing store layouts using shopper movement analytics. In addition, AI-powered image recognition enables real-time tracking of shelf availability and product placement accuracy.
Sales and Marketing
India-based GCCs are becoming strategic partners for global sales and marketing teams. They provide market research and analytics covering consumer behavior, competitive benchmarks, demand forecasts, pricing strategies, and marketing ROI.
Marketing communications and advertising activities are increasingly managed end-to-end by GCCs, including campaign execution and content creation. India is emerging as a creative hub for global brands, handling static creatives, 3D imaging, email campaigns, social media, and loyalty marketing. GenAI tools are significantly accelerating content creation and time-to-market.
Digital marketing operations such as SEO, SEM, paid campaigns, influencer engagement, and online community management are also centralized within GCCs. On the sales operations side, GCCs streamline quotation management, contract management, CRM administration, and end-to-end order management.
Customer Services
GCCs are transforming customer service by integrating AI, machine learning, and automation. Product substitution has emerged as a key innovation area, with machine learning models recommending suitable alternatives for out-of-stock items.
Customer journeys are enhanced through immersive experiences such as 3D shoppable rooms, enabling virtual product exploration. Search relevance and product discovery are also improved to increase satisfaction. In fashion retail, machine learning-based size and fit recommendations help reduce return rates and improve purchase confidence.
As centralized hubs for customer queries and feedback, GCCs resolve issues efficiently through automation and advanced analytics, ensuring faster response times and continuous service improvement.
Store Operations
GCCs are redefining store operations by deploying advanced technologies to create smarter retail environments. AR-based assistants help store staff identify products requiring restocking and ensure correct placement.
Foot traffic and queue analytics enable retailers to optimize customer flow and improve checkout efficiency during peak periods. Workforce planning analytics help deploy the right number of associates at the right time, improving service levels while optimizing costs
GCCs also address inventory shrinkage by combining data analytics with AI-enabled cameras to monitor store activity and detect anomalies in real time
Strategic Impact of GCCs on Retail and CPG Organizations
By managing end-to-end processes and delivering real-time insights, India’s GCCs enable global Retail and CPG leaders to focus on brand vision, market expansion, and product strategy. GCCs now function as execution and innovation engines, delivering operational excellence while driving continuous innovation.
Conclusion
According to EY India, GCCs in India have evolved from cost-focused support units into strategic powerhouses that drive innovation, efficiency, and customer centricity across the Retail and CPG value chain. Through advanced analytics, AI, automation, and digital technologies, India’s GCCs are playing a critical role in shaping the future of global retail operations.
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