India’s Tata launches “super app” in e-commerce challenge to Amazon, Walmart

MUMBAI : India’s Tata Group on Thursday launched its much-awaited e-commerce “super app” offering everything from apparel to air tickets in a renewed push for a slice of a fast growing market dominated by Amazon.com and Walmart’s Flipkart.

Tata Neu, which has been in the works for about two years, is a single platform for the group’s brands, including Westside fashion, Air Asia tickets, Croma electronics, the Taj group of hotels, BigBasket online grocery and 1mg online pharmacy.

“Our aim is to make the lives of Indian consumers simpler and easier,” Tata’s Chairman N Chandrasekaran said on LinkedIn, adding that its joint venture airline Vistara and recently acquired Air India, as well as watch brand Titan will be available on the app soon.

The 154-year-old group, which raked in $103 billion in revenue in 2020-21, is a leading player in steelmaking, IT outsourcing and utilities but arguably best known internationally as the owner of British luxury car brand Jaguar Land Rover. It also makes cars at home under its own brand.

Tata also has an expansive offline retail portfolio, including a joint venture with Starbucks Corp. Its fashion and watch stores are ubiquitous on Indian high streets and it operates stores for Inditex fashion brand Zara.

Despite launching the Tata CliQ online marketplace in 2016, the group has been a minnow in an e-commerce market widely projected to be worth $200 billion by 2026. With Tata Neu the group is determined to change that, sources told Reuters last year.

Tata Neu will offer a membership program and a cross-brand loyalty scheme where customers can earn and redeem rewards while making purchases on the app.

(Reporting by Abhirup Roy; Editing by Aditya Kalra, Kirsten Donovan)