Tata group chairman N Chandrasekaran has started a new venture — Tata Digital – which he hopes will make a splash in online retailing. With this, the Tatas plan to take on established players such as Amazon, Flipkart and Reliance Retail. Tata Digital will sell every product made by the Tata group and its rivals, including financial services products, air tickets and groceries. It is worth noting that Bharti Airtel and the Aditya Birla group also tried their luck at online retailing but failed to make a mark.

Chandra has to show some success stories to the Tata Sons board in order to get a second term starting February next year. If not for TCS’s dividends, the group would have been in deep financial trouble by now. This was a warning given even by former chairman Cyrus Mistry. Another group company, Tata Steel, has made a comeback of sorts as steel prices shot up and saved it from near-collapse. If Chandra wants to leave a mark in the Tata group, Tata Digital will have to be a success. Hence, the focus on making online retailing a success.