GullData — nationwide field data capture for a global tobacco company

Sector: tobacco / CPG · Scope: nationwide

GullData is the massive field data capture platform we built and operate for the point-of-sale execution of a global tobacco company in Mexico. It combines a web backend and an offline-first Android mobile app.

The problem

Point-of-sale execution is captured inside the store, and inside the store there is rarely signal. The operation required hundreds of thousands of daily captures — with photo evidence — to arrive complete and verifiable, without depending on in-store connectivity and without the volume bringing the system down during seasonal peaks.

Before, paper and spreadsheets arrived late, without evidence and with no way to audit what actually happened on the shelf.

How we solved it

• True offline-first architecture: field reps capture data and take photos with no connection; everything syncs on its own, securely, once signal returns.
• Backend sized for high volume, able to sustain peaks of 400,000 to 500,000 daily records.
• Photo evidence in object storage, tied to each capture for later audit: over 10 million photographs collected.
• Dynamic forms: create, plan and schedule execution surveys per retail chain and route.
• Role-based access control and versioning, to operate with large, distributed teams.
• Inventory and traceability: control of product movement across the operation’s nodes, with end-to-end visibility.
• Real-time analytics, so trade marketing can react the same day.

Benefits for the field force

• Works with no signal. Reps capture and photograph inside the store even without coverage; the app syncs on its own once they leave.
• Leaves with the route already loaded. Itinerary preloading removes the need for connectivity just to know which stores to visit.
• Less rework. Structured capture replaces paper and double entry into spreadsheets.

Benefits for the business

• Measured real coverage: over 1.5 million point-of-sale visits logged across the country.
• Auditable evidence of what happened on every shelf: over 10 million photographs tied to their capture.
• Same-day visibility into execution, not weeks later: over 5 million surveys processed.
• An operation that doesn’t fall over in peak season: sustained peaks of 400,000 to 500,000 daily records.
• More than 700 days of continuous operation with over 500 daily active users. Not a pilot: sustained production.

Client anonymized for confidentiality. Figures refer to cumulative operational volume and capture peaks.