Tata gets bullish on e-commerce just as rules threaten to transform market

NEW DELHI: The Tata Group is taking a more vocal interest in rules shaping online marketplaces, hinting at ambitions as it reappraises its retail strategy just as e-commerce reform threatens to muddy plans.

The $106 billion conglomerate yet e-commerce minnow was far more vociferous in discussions than market leader Amazon.com Inc at a July 3 meeting with government officials about proposals such as the prohibition of sales of own-brand or affiliates’ goods, attendees said.

The rules would greatly increase the compliance burden of a conglomerate’s numerous entities and interests, and hurt them far more than smaller rivals, Tata vice president Poornima Sampath told the online gathering, according to two attendees.