Tata Digital Working On Updates For Tata Neu After User Complaints

Tata Digital is working on Tata Neu after it received user complaints related to poor experience and payment issues.

Per an ET report that cited Tata Digital sources, the Neu Pass loyalty programme is being integrated directly into the brand payments so that users can make redemptions faster. It is to be noted that Tata Neu users have reported facing issues with redeeming NeuCoins as well, the app’s in-built reward points. 

After the integration is complete, Tata will relaunch Tata Payments in October.

Tata Neu, launched on April 7, integrates Tata-owned brands into one super app.

This includes Tata’s startup acquisitions 1mg and BigBasket, along with Tata brands such as Croma, CLiQ, Westside and others. Tata will soon be adding its big hitters to Tata Neu as well, including Titan, Tanishq, Tata Motors and the two airlines it owns – Air India and Vistara.

Tata Group executive chairman N Chandrasekaran said that Neu will be open for non-Tata brands in the near future as well, just days after the super app’s official launch. 

“Our aim is to ensure that Neu becomes a super app which simplifies the life of every consumer from a product, services and financial needs point of view. And for that, the offerings may come from the Tata table or it may come from outside,” he added.

Tata Digital made a call to integrate these brands using APIs to connect with the native web stores. While this allowed Neu to host all these brands in one place, APIs are the only glue that sticks Tata Neu together, which has resulted in multiple glitches and customer complaints.

While Tata Neu’s value proposition is solid – proven by the fact that major Indian companies are developing their own super apps – the execution could have been better. However, with the new updates, the app may provide a better overall experience.

A source cited by ET noted that Tata Digital has 20,000 points of feedback and that the company is addressing them right now. Inc42 noted that when a transaction failed at Tata Neu’s payment gateway, a customer support executive reached out to us to take feedback on the matter.

For now, Tata Digital is reformulating its execution and technology capabilities.

Krishnan Ramanujam, president and head of business and technology services, and group chief digital officer Arti Subramanian are part of the team to ensure an improved and seamless consumer experience.

However, Tata Neu’s move to improve its technology might have taken a hit as the CTO Sauvik Banerjjee quit in July. While the company is expected to fill the role with external hiring, Banerjjee was the founding CTO of Tata Neu and oversaw the super app’s launch during this year’s IPL season.

Tata Neu got off to a mixed start during its early days. While it averaged a million downloads a week during its first seven weeks, it also missed the first month’s gross sales target of $200 Mn. However, people at Tata Neu remain confident, having set the target for gross sales at around $2-$2.5 Bn.