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An Exclusive conversation with Mahimm Gupta, Founder & Managing Director of PPMS Group. For more than two decades, Mahimm Gupta has been the invisible force powering India’s retail engine—shaping how the country’s biggest FMCG, FMCD, mobile, telecom, beverage, and e-commerce brands appear on shelves, connect with shoppers, and execute at the last mile. As Founder & Managing Director of PPMS Group, he built India’s first and largest managed merchandising and promoter services network at a time when modern retail was still finding its feet. Today, PPMS drives execution across 160,000 stores, 800+ towns, 15,000+ employees, and nearly 700,000 monthly store visits—capturing over 1.5 million images that fuel data-led retail decisions. From pioneering tech-enabled field reporting in 2008 to setting the benchmark for compliance, people-first culture, and AI-driven execution, Mahimm Gupta stands as a quiet disruptor who has turned merchandising into both a science and a nationwide discipline. In this interview, he reflects on the gaps that sparked PPMS’s creation, the cultural fabric that shaped its growth, and the future of analytics-led shopper behaviour in India.

What early career moment revealed the gap in systematic in-store execution, inspiring PPMS's founding?

The idea behind the formation of PPMS was driven by the realization of a significant gap in systematic execution in stores within the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. Several earlier career experiences showed dynamic but haphazard merchandising, which undermined brand visibility and shopper engagement. This realization planted the seed for the vision to develop a managed merchandising and execution service that adds operational discipline, recommending flawless execution, and producing measurable results after each store visit, leading to increased growth from the brand across a diverse range of retail channels.

Starting PPMS in Chennai amid linguistic/cultural challenges, how did early endorsements shape partnerships with industry giants?

Launching PPMS in Chennai, where languages and cultures vary widely from my hometown, required rapid learning of language and culture, apart from early buy-in from brand leaders. Those first partnerships, based on trust and clear results, helped PPMS handle local nuances and grow quickly. Validation from industry giants on the ground gave PPMS credibility, letting it confidently expand across India’s fragmented retail market.

PPMS pioneered tech reporting in 2008; trace the evolution of tools like FRAMe app and AI image recognition, and their retail impact.

PPMS's journey in technology began in 2008 with the original introduction of digital field reporting with ITC which set the standard for in-store data capture. The PPMS FRAMe app which includes functionalities such as geofencing and geotagging, route planning, AI-based image recognition and analytics, has reformed retail execution into a science, based on data. The use of technology provides data that has improved real-time decision-making, increased productivity in field agents and provided actionable intelligence that improves brand presence and increases sales.

How do mottos “Execution Excellence in Every Call” and “People First” drive internal promotions and a results-oriented culture at 15,000+ employee PPMS?

The mottos “Execution Excellence in Every Call” and “People First” are the backbone of PPMS’s culture. They foster a relentless pursuit of quality and prioritize employee well-being, promoting growth from within. Almost all of the supervisors at PPMS are internally grown, 80% of leaders after that are from within the organization. At 15,000+ strong, this ethos creates a motivated, results-driven workforce committed to delivering impeccable service and accountable outcomes for clients.

From 170K stores/1.5 mill monthly visits to field marketing leadership: what expansions in promoter management, branding, and omnichannel define PPMS's next 5 years?

PPMS anticipates to broaden promoter management to become more intricately integrated with omnichannel approaches that combine both the physical and digital world of retail experiences. Over the next five years, PPMS's focus would include driving perceptions of branding impact, becoming more intelligent with AI and analytics in field execution, and establishing PPMS as a field marketing leader globally. This growth in capabilities would drive scale, innovation and enhanced measurable customer engagement across markets.

Share a success story where PPMS's data-driven execution delivered measurable ROI in sales/visibility for a brand.

Through increased sales and brand equity, PPMS's execution program, with a data-centric focus, has provided significant ROI for a leading foods brand. Utilizing the real-time reporting system that FRAMe gives, PPMS was able to enhance the merchandising presence and compliance in stores, enhancing shelf visibility and accelerating the conversion of shoppers into buyers. This example highlights evidence of how tailored field insights can be used to achieve a tangible return and growth in business.

As a University of Rhode Island alumnus, how has international education blended global operations with India-specific retail innovations at PPMS?

The international education offered through the University of Rhode Island expanded horizons for global best practices with the local reality of working in India at PPMS. That intersection has shaped operators and technology that moves toward scalable solutions that align international best practice frameworks with local market agility and consumer behavior.

How do hobbies in watercolour, music, and reading fuel creative problem-solving for PPMS's dynamic retail challenges?

Hobbies like watercolour painting, music, and reading also spark creative thinking that is ultimately essential for problem-solving. Creative ways of thinking can stimulate fresh thoughts, which create new ideas Creative pursuits provide alternate spaces that provides the ability to be agile and create solutions as new challenges arise.

With SEDEX certification and full compliance, what advice for retail tech entrepreneurs on balancing ethics, innovation, and scale?

Our SEDEX certification is a validation of our people practice. In a business with people in the centre of everything we do and at this scale, it mandates an unwavering commitment to transparency and compliance. Retail tech entrepreneurs should embed ethical standards from the outset, using them as a foundation to build trust while pursuing disruptive technologies and scaling responsibly to maintain sustainable growth.

After 25+ years disrupting India's merchandising, what's the biggest untapped AI/ML/analytics opportunity for shaping shopper behavior in physical/e-commerce?

The untapped AI/ML opportunity lies in predictive analytics that anticipate shopper behavior in both physical and e-commerce channels. Integrating these insights with real-time field data can revolutionize assortment, supply chain and inventory planning allow create shopper engagement strategies that is shaping next-generation retail experiences across all touchpoints.

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