PepsiCo is reshaping one of the world’s largest direct-to-store delivery operations with a sweeping digital modernization that blends mobility, AI, and real-time intelligence across frontline sales. The effort, co-engineered with long-time technology partner Infosys, consolidates more than 40 legacy applications into a single Sales+ platform supporting 500,000 store visits each week and more than 25,000 field representatives across PepsiCo Foods North America.
Modernizing a Decades-Refined DSD System for New Market Realities
PepsiCo’s direct-to-store delivery network has long been considered an industry benchmark for scale and precision. Yet evolving consumer expectations, the rapid rise of click-and-collect and dark-store models, and continued disruption across retail channels pushed the company to rebuild long-dependable systems for a new era. PepsiCo transitioned from a closed, monolithic architecture to a flexible, cloud-native platform designed around speed, offline resilience, and frontline empowerment.
Infosys helped drive a two-phase journey: first modernizing and consolidating workflows, then layering in “smart” automation and AI. The engagement included what Infosys executives describe as the world’s largest deployment of Xamarin-based mobile applications, effectively building ERP-grade functionality on mobile devices with full offline capability, a critical requirement for field routes operating in variable environments.
Integration ran in parallel with a major ERP transformation and the retirement of aging systems. Infosys’s familiarity with PepsiCo’s “Make, Move, and Sell” operations, developed across more than two decades of partnership, was central to navigating change at scale. The companies established joint teams, shared code frameworks, and aligned priorities from design through deployment to maintain speed and minimize frontline disruption.
Unified Workflows, Real-Time Insight, and Measurable Efficiency Gains
The resulting Sales+ platform provides role-based tools that streamline planning, execution, and inventory coordination. Store reps now access digital planograms, proactive alerts, digital asset records, and paperless proof-of-delivery workflows on consumer-grade iOS devices. Mobile banking features and automated task prompts reduce coordination overhead, while integrated guidance supports more consistent in-store execution.
PepsiCo executives say the platform eliminates fragmented workflows, improves sales focus, and strengthens customer service by consolidating processes once scattered across dozens of systems. Automation and predictive models support decision-making throughout the go-to-market chain, boosting productivity and responsiveness.
Infosys reports that generative AI has also improved engineering efficiency, accelerating remediation of technical debt, increasing developer productivity, and improving reliability in code delivery. These capabilities are enabled in part through Infosys Topaz, the company’s AI-first suite used to embed intelligence across operational workflows.
Sustainability benefits have followed: paperless proof-of-delivery and digital documentation significantly reduce paper usage, while automated routing and store-level insights help frontline teams operate more efficiently.
Turning Field Data Into Upstream Advantage
A growing priority in large consumer goods networks is linking frontline signals to upstream planning, not simply improving store-level execution. As manufacturers like PepsiCo modernize route-to-market systems, the information flowing from shelf conditions, order patterns, and delivery performance can reinforce demand planning, inventory allocation, and trade investment decisions. Retailers are already moving in this direction, with companies such as Walmart advancing real-time shelf intelligence and automated ordering to reduce stockouts. The practical opportunity now is to shape field platforms into inputs for enterprise forecasting and scenario planning, allowing supply chains to respond earlier and more precisely to shifts in local consumption and channel behavior.
