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Bobby Aflatooni is driving sweeping tech transformation for two of the biggest businesses you know with “dollar” in the title. The executive vice president and chief information officer (CIO) at Dollar Tree and Family Dollar believes that he can create one outstanding delivery system for both brands, unifying their distribution centers and warehouse management operations.
Some context is critical when you talk about what’s on the CIO’s docket. Companies typically roll out large-scale business applications once or twice per decade. Aflatooni is tackling all five critical core applications for the two brands in just five years.
Dollar Tree and Family Dollar may carry similar items, but behind the scenes, Aflatooni is working to replace the merchandising systems for two completely separate hierarchies. He aims to implement a consolidated solution that has the flexibility to serve both banners independently.
“Dollar Tree’s business is simple; Family Dollar is more diversified,” Aflatooni explains.
“There are more consumables, more expiring products, and more complex offers. There are more vendor-based campaigns and consumable product sellers.”
Going forward, both companies will have the technology to optimize buying and distribution.
“Today, we’re buying one warehouse management system, controlling it from one unique location, and local controllers will be able to flip the switches on specific deliveries or brands,” the CIO explains. “Our plan is to greatly decrease our distribution time, help with cheaper management costs, and, again, give us the ability to take advantage of collaboration from large-scale consumer product manufacturers.”
“Aflatooni’s expertise, combined with his visionary leadership style, has enabled him to execute best-in-class digital transformation strategies at Dollar Tree,” says Manikandan Sundaram, Associate Vice President for Retail at Cognizant. “His commitment to championing innovation and finding ways to constantly improve the customer experience is both admirable and inspiring.”
Aflatooni joined Dollar Tree and Family Dollar just over two years ago, but the discount store business runs through his veins. He previously spent nearly 10 years at Dollar General, then headed up CIO operations at real estate company Howard Hughes Corporation before returning to the bargain retail sector in his current role. Aflatooni has a deep understanding of the customer, and he’s dedicated to passing along that knowledge to his people.
The CIO requires his reports at the manager level and above to work at store locations at least two weekends a year and at least one weekend at receiving locations. It’s a practice Aflatooni learned while working at Pizza Hut.
“As leaders, we make decisions that impact the everyday lives of so many people,” Aflatooni says. “I want everyone making decisions to have the empathy and understanding of the kind of waterfall effect those decisions have on this entire organization and our customers.”
Ask the CIO about the typical demographics of a Family Dollar customer, and he can describe them on the spot. It’s a person he thinks about every day. That person is, statistically, a single mother with limited income.
“If you think about a register going down or a product not being available when it should be, you are talking about impacting a person who does not have the time or money to go to a second location,” Aflatooni says. “You have got to think about that customer in everything that you do. If one cog in our machine breaks down, those ramifications can be absolutely devastating for the people we serve.”
If Aflatooni seems mission driven, it might be due to his years as a Marine. The veteran learned to “walk the talk” early in life. He’s steadfast in his belief to not ask his reports to do anything he hasn’t done or wouldn’t be willing to do himself.
“What I’ve learned in my life is that no one is born a leader,” the CIO says. “You have to learn to follow—and follow the right people. That’s one thing I try to express to my people. Look around to see who [is exemplifying] the kind of traits you want to have as a leader.”
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Aflatooni says he intentionally hires people who are smarter than he is and looks for those with skills that can complement his own areas of development. Learning your own blind spots is crucial, he asserts. It’s the kind of self-understanding that makes one a better and more compassionate leader.
“Once you know your blind spots, you’re either going to exacerbate them or find folks who can help you get better about them,” Aflatooni says. “But first, you’ve got to identify them.”
While the CIO is overseeing a technology overhaul unlike any in either company’s history, the project leaves Aflatooni a bit underwhelmed. He’s one for a life of action. After sustaining a fairly significant motorcycle injury, Aflatooni relented to his wife’s wishes and elected to play it safe with racecars instead.
Aflatooni and his sons own and operate their own high-speed vehicles. It’s probably not the ideal bonding activity Aflatooni’s wife had in mind for the father and sons, but the need for speed seems to be hereditary.
Dollar Tree has long been seen as a beacon of value and convenience for American shoppers. But in a hyper-competitive retail landscape, even the best organizations must evolve. Cognizant is working with Dollar Tree to unlock new levels of efficiency and accelerate growth through automation, innovation, and process reinvention across merchandising, store operations, supply chain operations, inventory management and customer experience. By embracing a comprehensive strategy, next-gen technology and new business frameworks, Cognizant is helping Dollar Tree strengthen its reputation for affordability and access and fulfill its promise to “deliver extreme value every day”.
