How Constraint Is Fuelling Innovation Across Pakistan, Indonesia, and Beyond
Constraints are often seen as barriers within retail technology, however, in emerging markets, they are increasingly becoming catalysts for innovation: “Constraints in terms of coverage via third parties are now forcing practical innovation,” argues Moazzam Kamran.
Drawing on his role as a business and strategy leader, Kamran believes the limitations that retailers face in markets have birthed some of the most practical and disruptive AI applications in the industry.
With over a decade of experience helping enterprises scale intelligent, data-led systems, Kamran understands that developed markets and emerging economies are not simply on different pages of the same playbook; they are often playing different games entirely.
Infrastructure Gaps and Distinct Digital Paths
In developed economies, digitisation has followed a linear trajectory. Years of investment in infrastructure, connectivity, and point-of-sale systems have developed a solid foundation for the emergence of advanced analytics, cloud platforms, and omnichannel integrations. However, in emerging markets, this groundwork is often missing or fragmented. And that’s precisely why innovation is being forced into a different (and more nimble) direction.
“Emerging markets lack infrastructure and are looking for solutions that are more lightweight and able to solve real problems (inventory management, revenue, AI led insights etc.). In developed markets, due to foresight in terms of infrastructure adoption and connected systems, their path to digitisation is clearer,” Kamran notes.
Rather than layering complex solutions on outdated systems, many businesses are skipping over traditional infrastructure altogether. The result? A rise in AI-led, mobile- first tools that are both bandwidth-conscious and laser-focused on real business outcomes.
The WhatsApp Workaround: Smart Simplicity at Scale
One of the solutions promoted by Kamran includes the rise of WhatsApp-led AI tools in general trade. This solution proves especially useful in economies, like Pakistan and Indonesia, where over 70% of retail activity runs through informal mom-and-pop stores, often without a digital record in sight; tools that rely on browser dashboards or expensive hardware simply do not land.
As affirmed by Kamran:
“These markets don’t need fancy dashboards or surface-level insights. They need lightweight, smarter solutions, WhatsApp led, low-bandwidth, agentic/automated solutions that help them get real-world insights and lead to real change, with respect to their business practice”.
These AI agents run on minimal data, require no extra hardware, and deliver actionable insights in real time. More importantly, they are being used, not just tested, by merchants on the ground.
This approach doesn’t just empower store owners. It gives brands something they have historically lacked in general trade environments: visibility. And with that visibility comes the ability to make better decisions, reduce waste, and drive sales.
Eliminating Redundancy, Enabling Trust
Traditionally, large FMCG companies have relied on third-party field teams to audit shelf compliance and collect sales data. But that model is expensive, inconsistent, and typically riddled with inaccuracies. According to Kamran, brands are now flipping the model entirely.
“With AI led workflow optimisation, you can do better demand forecasting. There’s no structured POS data in general trade. But through Display AI led shelf-visibility you can easily predict stock levels (Share-of-Shelf, On-Shelf-Availability, Out-Of- Stock etc.)”.
Instead of sending merchandisers out to stores, brands are incentivising store owners to do the verification themselves, by submitting shelf images through AI-powered tools.
“Forget expensive field audits. AI-powered product recognition via WhatsApp is cutting compliance costs by over 50%”.
The simplicity of the solution belies its transformative potential. It is more than digitisation. It is a reimagining of how retail execution can work when trust and incentives are properly aligned with technology.
Data Monetisation: The Next Billion-Dollar Opportunity
Through Kamran’s leadership in scaling AI solutions across emerging markets, one trend is becoming increasingly clear: retail data is gold, and brands are just beginning to realise how valuable it is.
“The biggest untapped opportunity? Retail data monetisation. Brands spend billions on trade promotions but have zero visibility on execution. We’re changing that at Libera Global AI; by giving brands the power to crowdsource shelf visibility using merchants and consumers, rather than relying solely on third parties”.
Trade promotion fraud remains a pervasive issue in emerging economies. Billions are spent on campaigns without any real accountability or traceability on execution.
Libera’s approach, crowdsourcing shelf visibility using both merchants and consumers, turns this challenge into an opportunity. By creating transparent trails of promotional activity, brands can finally understand what is working, where budgets are going, and who is actually engaging.
This isn’t just useful. It’s revolutionary. Especially in markets where formal data sources are thin, and consumer insight is often anecdotal at best.
Workflow Optimisation at Scale
The most powerful part of this innovation story is that it scales. AI-led workflow optimisation is allowing brands to better forecast demand and manage inventory, even when traditional retail data is unavailable.
With 200,000+ general trade stores across some regions, reaching every merchant with consistency used to be a pipe dream. Now, it is a reality. AI doesn’t just surface the gaps. It fills them with actionable guidance that lets sales teams focus on execution, not administration.
And when blockchain enters the picture, as Libera Global AI has done in other deployments, the trust layer is solidified. Transactions become tamper-proof. Claims can be verified. Compliance becomes part of the system rather than an afterthought.
A Glimpse at the Future
Looking ahead, Kamran sees massive transformation on the horizon. General trade retail, long overlooked in favour of more glamorous e-commerce narratives, is being reborn as a proving ground for applied AI. “At Liberal Global AI, we’re building solutions that don’t just digitalise retail, but completely transform how brands, retailers and consumers interact. For us and now for the world, AI and blockchain aren’t just buzzwords; they’re the future of retail execution”.
Store owners are becoming data contributors. Consumers are being incentivised to engage. And brands are learning that execution can, in fact, be measured and optimised, even in the most disjointed markets.
This shift isn’t just relevant for the Global South. As these models mature, they may well begin influencing how retail is run in developed economies too. When innovation is born out of necessity, it tends to outperform legacy approaches built for a different age.
At the heart of it all is a simple truth: innovation doesn’t require abundance. It requires intent. And in markets where constraints are everywhere, the intent to solve real problems is what is fuelling a quiet revolution, led by companies like Libera Global AI, and visionaries like Moazzam Kamran.
