The group allocated US$265 million to technology in 2026. The strategy is already delivering results: AI-powered recommendations generated US$78 million in sales for Falabella.com.
For one week, more than 1,100 Falabella employees across Chile, Peru, Colombia, and India stepped away from their regular duties to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) could solve real business challenges across the group’s five business units.
The initiative, called Play Week, began with presentations from the CEOs of Falabella Retail, Sodimac, Tottus, Banco Falabella, and Mallplaza, who shared their companies’ challenges and goals toward 2030. This was followed by training sessions and a two-day competition, during which more than 200 multidisciplinary teams developed prototypes. Ten teams reached the final round and presented their solutions to the company’s executive committee.
“This was not an experiment. All of these solutions are already being deployed or are currently under development,” says Leonardo Di Nucci, Corporate Technology Manager (CIO) of Grupo Falabella.
The event reflects the transformation Falabella aims to drive in its technology strategy: ensuring that AI is no longer confined to technical teams, but instead becomes a cross-functional business tool.
“AI innovation happens when you connect it with the business. Our role is to provide the tools and ensure all security aspects are properly managed,” he explains.
Di Nucci became the group’s CIO in July 2025 after nine years with the company. He previously led the creation of Banco Falabella’s Digital Factory and oversaw the bank’s technology operations across the region. Today, he supervises the technology platforms of the group’s five businesses, as well as the development center Falabella maintains in India.
The growing importance of artificial intelligence within Falabella’s strategy became evident in January, when the company unveiled its 2026 investment plan.
Di Nucci participated in the announcement alongside Group CEO Alejandro González and CFO Juan Pablo Harrison. Of the company’s total US$900 million budget, US$265 million was allocated to technology, with a focus on digital platforms, banking, e-commerce, and the advancement of AI initiatives. “For us, this is one of the key drivers,” says the CIO.
The company has already started preparing its 2027 budget, and although no final figure has yet been determined, Di Nucci expects technology investment to continue increasing in specific areas.
“We are only at version one. I wouldn’t venture to give you the amount yet, but we will certainly continue increasing it. Digital, e-commerce, and artificial intelligence are our strongest bets.” He adds: “We will continue investing in artificial intelligence, data, and digital platforms with the goal of constantly improving the customer experience and strengthening our businesses.”
The 2026 increase builds on an acceleration that had already begun the previous year. For Di Nucci, what matters most is not only the size of the budget, but where it is invested.
“I can tell you we have US$265 million, but what did we invest it in? Investing in servers is not the same as investing in technology platforms. The key message is that our investment focus is on data, artificial intelligence, and digital platforms.”
This shift has also transformed the CIO’s role. “The position has evolved from being a traditional back-office IT function to one that is at the forefront, proposing solutions and connecting with the business.”
Falabella is leveraging AI across two major dimensions: enhancing the customer experience and optimizing internal processes.
One of its flagship projects is the hyper-personalization of the group’s websites and mobile applications. The technology uses browsing and purchasing patterns to tailor the products, benefits, and recommendations displayed to each user.
One example is the product carousel available in the Banco Falabella app. Recommendations are not random; they are based on each customer’s preferences and redirect users to Falabella.com when selected.
“That personalized recommendation generated more than US$78 million in sales directed to Falabella.com over the past 12 months,” Di Nucci reveals.
At Sodimac, the group has introduced a virtual assistant that helps users plan projects such as building an outdoor barbecue area by identifying the required materials and linking them to available products.
“We saw purchase intent increase fivefold because customers receive more information. If someone like me, who is not an expert, describes what they need and receives a list of materials, they are much more likely to complete the purchase.”
AI is also being used to enrich product catalogs, generate images, improve search capabilities through semantic algorithms, and recommend benefits associated with the CMR card.
In customer service, Falabella has automated frequently asked questions using generative AI while continuing to offer customers the option of speaking with a human representative.
The technology is also making an impact behind the scenes in commercial operations. In logistics, the group uses cameras and computer vision technology to calculate truck cargo volume in real time and determine whether vehicles are ready for dispatch.
“There are routes where the goal isn’t necessarily to move faster, but to move fuller. A truck leaving at 20% capacity is very different from one leaving at 70%. If I send the same load at 20%, I need three trucks. ”According to Di Nucci, the solution has improved efficiency by more than 20% on the routes where it has been implemented.
For the CIO, these examples demonstrate that AI is no longer an isolated technology initiative. “The technology exists and is available. The real advantage comes from connecting it with the business.”
Di Nucci describes the company’s technology infrastructure as the “backbone” linking retail operations, banking services, shopping centers, payment systems, and digital channels. “When you look at the customer journey, customers move through different Falabella formats, and underneath it all is the technology that connects everything together,” he concludes.
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