With a strong position in Latin America, Bata has redesigned its digital platforms and introduced search algorithms to maintain its image as a "local brand of foreign origin."
For generations, Bata has been in the minds of millions of Latin Americans as a recognizable footwear and fashion company. Founded in 1894, this multinational company often meets the needs of its customers during school campaigns, sporting activities, social gatherings, and other everyday occasions. Its presence is so widespread that many even believe it to be a local brand.
Bata is actually of Czech origin and has branches in more than 70 countries worldwide. By 2024, it operated 21 production plants and sold 150 million pairs of shoes annually. Through its international network, the company markets its most iconic brands: Bubble Gummers (children's footwear), Weinbrenner (outdoor footwear), North Star (casual sneakers), Teener (school footwear), Power (athletic shoes), among others.
Bata has now established itself as one of the leading players in the Latin American footwear industry. For example, in Colombia, the company reported annual sales of $536.372 billion (US$123.8 million) and year-over-year growth of 5.8% in 2023. Meanwhile, in Chile and Peru, it operates with a retail network of 300 and 145 stores, respectively.
“We always try to understand consumer needs, both at the channel and product levels, and then we adapt our products to what the customer really demands. For example, in Chile, the climate has very distinct seasons; Peru less so, and in Colombia, depending on the town or city, the weather tends to be very stable throughout the year,” Roger Graell, Bata Global's Digital Director, told AméricaEconomía .
THE DIGITAL STRATEGY
The executive also affirms that the company's communications and marketing teams are committed to designing campaigns that "speak the same language" as customers.
In parallel with this expansion, the multinational has invested in integrating its online sales with physical stores to offer a shopping experience tailored to its customers' expectations. To achieve this, Bata redesigned its e-commerce platform, optimizing the mobile version and the navigation process.
Artificial intelligence is used to offer personalized recommendations based on users' preferences and purchasing behaviors, in addition to improving the product search and filtering process.
“The digital channel is a business where the big fish eats everything. So we built a global website that strives to position itself as a benchmark in usability, image, and functionality,” explains Graell.
From their perspective, a digital product must first be built in the most comprehensive way possible to achieve high-quality results.
"At the same time, we must ensure that local operations are highly optimized so that the shopping experience is positive for every customer who purchases from anywhere in their country," he added.
BET ON AI
As is common in other companies, artificial intelligence is a key element of Bata's digitalization strategy. The multinational has introduced a ChatGPT-based chatbot that provides automated responses to 50% of customer inquiries. According to Graell, this innovation not only improves the customer experience but also reduces the company's operating costs.
The chatbot handles two types of questions: the first is pre-sales, where the AI answers automatic product attributes such as material or origin. The second is post-sales, where customers ask where their order is or if they're requesting an exchange or refund.
“Then we also have product recommendations, which come in two AI-powered variants. One is the recommendation of similar items based on an image: the system sees the photo, recognizes the product, and suggests similar ones. The second variant offers personalized recommendations based on the customer's tastes,” explains Graell, who also explains that the service includes automatic translation for Bata products exported from one country to another.
The company representative is optimistic about AI and believes that in the near future, Bata's chatbot will be able to automatically answer 90% of customer questions.
"There will always be questions about more specific cases, as someone may have lost the package during the shipping process. I think we'll always need human intervention, but I think that both in pre-sales and post-sales, there's a very high percentage of questions that could be answered automatically," says Graell.
