Bata India has reworked its marketing operations around artificial intelligence, moving creative production from an agency-dependent model to an in-house system powered by autonomous AI agents. The footwear retailer estimates the shift will save more than $1 million annually in agency and production costs.
The company has partnered with AI marketing technology firm Zocket to build the technology stack supporting the transformation. According to Bata India, AI agents now operate across its creative calendar, covering briefing, content creation, review, publishing, response management and post-performance analysis.
The new model brings processes previously handled by external agencies and production partners within Bata India's marketing operation. The company said its marketing team now directs the AI system while retaining responsibility for areas such as brand direction, consumer strategy, campaign planning and final decisions.
Bata has also been running its online reputation management through AI agents for the past three months. The system monitors and responds to conversations across key social platforms without outsourced support. Creative briefs are generated using current brand and category information, while assets can be created, adapted for different formats, reviewed, scheduled and published through the same workflow. Performance data from published content is then fed into subsequent briefs.
The underlying intelligence layer, developed with Zocket, tracks signals including footwear trends, consumer behaviour, brand conversations, campaign context and market movements. Bata said this information is used by its AI agents to create and adapt images and videos for digital campaigns, product communication and seasonal marketing.
Badri Beriwal, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Business Development Officer at Bata India, said the company had moved from being fully dependent on agencies for creative execution to running its creative calendar through AI. He added that the transition had improved speed and productivity, with the expected savings being redirected towards brand building.
The development extends Bata India's existing use of technology across its operations. The company's FY2026 annual report said it continued investing in brand and technology, while its retail footprint was approaching 2,000 stores and its distribution network had expanded to 1,650 towns.
Bata's move comes as consumer brands experiment with generative and agentic AI across marketing workflows, from content production to customer engagement. For Bata India, the latest deployment shifts AI from individual marketing tasks to a connected workflow spanning creation, publishing, consumer responses and performance feedback.
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