ONDC – An e-commerce portal backed by the government | Fusion - WeRIndia

The Indian government’s Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is emerging as a tough competitor to food delivery tech platforms like Zomato and Swiggy.

Developed to democratize e-commerce, ONDC allows restaurants to sell food directly to consumers without a third party.

Since its launch in September 2022, ONDC has gained popularity. It recently surpassed the 10,000 daily order mark.

Many customers are finding ONDC to be relatively cheaper compared to other platforms like Zomato and Swiggy. So, it became a preferred choice for ordering food for many.

To use ONDC, customers can access it via the UPI platform Paytm and type ‘ONDC’ in the search bar. It provides a range of options. They include groceries, cleaning essentials, and many more.

Customers can search for their desired product. Also, they can explore nearby local stores and retailers based on their location. In addition, they can compare prices and place an order.

Apart from food, ONDC enables buyers to explore and buy a wide range of products across categories. These include beauty and personal care, home decor, electronics, and fashion.

This network benefits small retailers and stores by making them visible to customers across the country. So, they can compete with e-commerce giants like Flipkart and Amazon.

Buyers and sellers can interact with each other without the need for a third-party application.

The significance of ONDC lies in its aim to make the e-commerce space more inclusive and accessible to customers. They can shop for anything from their preferred local business or any other retailer.

It also aims to standardize operations like order management, cataloguing, order fulfilment, and inventory management.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal believes ONDC will help small retailers survive the onslaught of large tech-based e-commerce companies.

He says that it will help democratize the benefits of e-commerce, just like UPI helped democratize payment systems.

ONDC provides a convenient and cost-effective way for customers to purchase products.

Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pxhere (Free for commercial use / CC0 Public Domain)

Image Reference: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1583291