Under Cyrus Mistry’s watch, Tata Group began to increase focus on the consumer

In the brief period that he helmed the Tata Group, Cyrus Mistry launched a series of actions to dramatically alter the manner the salt-to-software conglomerate approached consumers.

Under his watch, the Tatas looked to find new ways to understand consumers and address their grievances. The renewed attempts at sharpening the consumer focus have come under the direction of Tata group chairman Cyrus Mistry, Harish Bhat, a member of the Tata Sons group executive council, a body of young leaders that provides strategic direction to the conglomerate, told The Economic Times in an interview in 2015.

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“Consumer trends are top of his (Mistry’s) mind today,” Bhat, who was in charge of the task, had told the newspaper.

Mistry, who passed away on Sunday in a car accident, nudged CEOs of Tata companies to read Decoding the New Consumer Mind, a book written by award-winning consumer psychologist Kit Yarrow, the paper reported. The book offers fresh insights into the new motivations and behaviours of shoppers.

The Tata Group has long been dominated by B2B (business-to-business) more than B2C (business-to-consumer) companies. It was then inevitable that the businesses would heed to organizational changes and technological shifts rather than focussing on consumer insights.

But as B2C businesses dotted the Tata landscape, a cultural shift to focus on consumer behaviour became vital. Mistry, who was ousted as Tata Sons chairman in October 2016, laid the foundation stone for this change.