Mariappan Ayyarrappan: Shop Online, Grab In-Store – The Tech Architecture Powering Omnichannel Retail At Scale

In today’s rapidly evolving retail environment, the convergence of online and offline customer journeys has become a defining feature for industry leaders. One of the notable transformations in this space has been the adoption and scaling of Buy Online, Pickup In-Store (BOPIS) systems—a feature that continues to change how consumers engage with brands.

At the core of this transition in Macy’s omnichannel operations is Mariappan Ayyarrappan, a product architect with expertise in full-stack retail systems and secure commerce infrastructure. With more than a decade of experience in architecting large-scale platforms, Ayyarrappan played a key role in conceptualizing and implementing Macy’s BOPIS framework.

“Modern consumers are no longer viewing online and offline shopping as separate experiences,” he noted. “Our objective was to unify these into a single, cohesive process by removing points of friction—from browsing to fulfillment.”

Working closely with cross-functional engineering teams, Ayyarrappan oversaw the development of a middleware layer that acted as a secure conduit between online inventory databases and physical store systems. This architecture leveraged technologies such as Node.js, MongoDB, Backbone.js, and RESTful APIs to enable real-time inventory checks and intelligent order routing.

According to internal reports, one of the measurable outcomes of this implementation was a 30% reduction in inventory-to-pickup confirmation times. The system also supported the introduction of advanced security protocols, including 3D Secure payment authentication and adaptive fraud detection, resulting in a reported 40% decrease in fraudulent orders.

Beyond customer-facing improvements, the system also contributed to operational efficiency. Ayyarrappan’s team developed intelligent routing algorithms that directed online orders to the most suitable fulfillment location based on store traffic and stock levels, helping balance workloads and reduce fulfillment delays.

Ayyarrappan acknowledges that one of the biggest technical issues was maintaining synchronization across Macy’s vast store network. “Achieving real-time accuracy in inventory across hundreds of physical outlets required distributed API structures, caching strategies, and robust load balancing,” he said.

His approach, rooted in both applied engineering and research, is detailed in his publication “Developing Buy Online, Pickup In-store Features for Retail Platforms,” featured in the IJLRP Journal. The paper outlines the core architecture and design principles that make such systems scalable and secure, and has gained traction among professionals in digital commerce engineering.

Colleagues in the industry also highlight the long-term impact of this work. Arulmozhi Kasthurirengan, a fellow technologist, described the BOPIS implementation as a standard in omnichannel retail architecture: “Mariappan’s system design was forward-looking. It wasn’t just about solving today’s problems but building infrastructure that could accommodate future retail dynamics.”

Looking ahead, Ayyarrappan sees the next frontier in retail technology as one driven by AI-enabled order management, decentralized micro-fulfillment centers, and automation in last-mile customer interactions. “The retail models of the future will depend on how well businesses can integrate AI, inventory visibility, and advanced security into real-time fulfillment processes,” he said.

Ayyarrappan’s contributions highlight the increasingly key role of technologists in developing modern commerce. As more retailers pursue similar transformation, his work at Macy’s serves as a case study in how strategic technology implementation can align customer expectations with enterprise capability.

The core of this omnichannel transformation is Mariappan Ayyarrappan, a product architect with over a decade of experience in building scalable retail systems. Recognized for his expertise in full-stack development, secure commerce infrastructure, and distributed API architectures, Ayyarrappan played a key role in designing Macy’s BOPIS framework. He designed the middleware that unified online and in-store operations and introduced intelligent routing, real-time inventory synchronization, and advanced fraud detection mechanisms. His work, detailed in multiple academic publications including a widely referenced paper in the IJLRP Journal, is recognized as a standard in modern retail technology. Ayyarrappan’s forward-looking approach continues to shape best practices for omnichannel commerce across the industry.

About Mariappan Ayyarrappan

Mariappan Ayyarrappan is a technology architect based in Bengaluru, Karnataka. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Anna University, Tamil Nadu. With over a decade of experience in the retail technology domain, he has worked with leading organizations to build scalable and secure commerce platforms.

Currently associated with Macy’s, he played a key role in designing and implementing the company's Buy Online, Pickup In-Store (BOPIS) system. His areas of focus include full-stack development, distributed systems, inventory architecture, and payment security.

He has also authored a technical paper titled “Developing Buy Online, Pickup In-store Features for Retail Platforms” published in the IJLRP Journal. Outside of work, he resides in Bengaluru and takes an active interest in research-driven product development and emerging retail technologies.