India’s Tata Group has rolled out its eCommerce “super app,” which will offer apparel, air tickets and other services, Reuters reported Thursday (April 7).
The app, called Tata Neu, has been in the works for a few years, with the report calling it a “single platform for the group’s brands.” Those include Westside fashion, Air Asia tickets, Croma electronics, Taj hotels, BigBasket online grocery and 1mg pharmacy.
This is part of a bid to get into the fast growing market of super apps, which sees some other contenders including Amazon and Walmart.
N. Chandrasekaran, the chairman of Tata, said the aim was “to make the lives of Indian consumers simpler and easier.” He added that its joint venture airline Vistara, along with the recently bought Air India, would soon be available on the app.
Tata Neu will also reportedly have a membership program and a cross-brand loyalty scheme, letting customers earn rewards by making purchases.
Tata also boasts an offline retail portfolio, which includes a joint venture with Starbucks. Its fashion and watch stores are “ubiquitous” on Indian high streets and it operates stores for Inditex’s fashion brand Zara, Reuters wrote.
While Tata also works in steelmaking, IT outsourcing and even making cars, it hasn’t been a big player in eCommerce, which is a burgeoning market from the pandemic and set to be worth $200 billion by 2026. According to the report, Tata Neu is the company’s way of trying to get in on that.
PYMNTS wrote that big Indian companies have been buying stakes in designer brands in order to boost their global status, which could lead to a future where the luxury retail market is more developed.
Read more: Reliance, Other Indian Conglomerates Invest in Country’s Fashion Houses
Tata CliQ Luxury Editor-in-Chief Nonita Kalra said international brands wouldn’t appeal to Indian audiences, so those looking for growth have to keep the specific tastes of that market in mind. The tastes include focusing on weddings and religious festivals — so things like bridal and ethnic fashions are important.