ONDC: The future of inclusive e-commerce in India:- www.deekpay.com

ONDC, or Open Network Digital Commerce, is a private not-for-profit company established in April 2022 by the Department of Industry and Intra-Trade Promotion, Government of India. It is an open network of open protocols. Similar to the Unified Payment Interface (UPI), ONDC enables sellers and buyers to be part of a larger network, accessible through their preferred e-commerce applications and platforms. Any seller on a platform registered with ONDC will be visible to buyers on other ONDC platforms.

Here are details about ONDC and Vansh's experience in the network.

Vansh is a 32-year-old small business owner. His arts and crafts shop is very popular amongst the young people in the community. People often come to his shop from other parts of the city to buy handmade party props and beautiful decorative items. Many even suggested he take his business online. When Vansh learnt about ONDC, he quickly joined the e-commerce network and received numerous orders through different platforms.

ONDC's goal:

- Enabling interoperability and enhancing inclusiveness and healthy competition by sharing data across all registered platforms

- Promotion of e-commerce supported by minimal public digital infrastructure

- Achieving scalability considering India's growing population

- Ensure data localisation in India to safeguard sellers' and buyers' data

- Making digital commerce more accessible to small businesses across the country

- Enhance the buyer experience and improve decision-making by increasing choice and pricing options

- Promoting innovation in digital commerce

The network allows local goods and service providers from any sector, such as logistics, travel, catering, grocery and fashion, to fulfil buyers' needs quickly and transparently. In Vansh's case, when his local buyers place an order, he is able to deliver it the same day. This improves customer satisfaction as buyers don't have to wait for days to receive their orders.

ONDC aims to unify all digital commerce platforms and buyers, rather than compete with them directly. However, interconnectivity and decentralisation will help counter the monopoly of large players in specific market segments. It will also level the playing field for smaller players and platforms in the Indian e-commerce ecosystem.

How to register your business with ONDC?

ONDC is already present in more than 270 cities including Delhi, Bangalore and Coimbatore and will soon cover the rest of the country. There is no specific ONDC app yet, but there is an ONDC website. Any business, big or small, can join ONDC and harness the power of e-commerce for its growth. Here is the 10-step process to join ONDC:

1. Understanding ONDC and how it works

2. Select your role in the network

3. Complete and share your participation form

4. Planning for implementation after completion of the NP Personal Information Form (PIF)

5. Initiation of implementation upon completion of boarding formalities

6. Commencement of the test rehearsal environment

7. Completion of validation and certification

8. Completion of technical development and compliance into a pre-production environment

9. Meet all technical, operational and regulatory compliance checklists to enter the production environment

10. Going online

Click here to learn more about the ONDC registration process.

Why Join ONDC Benefits for Sellers and Buyers

Advances in e-commerce technology have revolutionised the way goods and services are sold and purchased. It has also provided space for a host of other stakeholders, such as e-commerce platforms and payment aggregators, to make commerce and purchases easier and seamless.ONDC allows all these players to interact on an open, decentralised network, making e-commerce in India more robust.

Here are the wider benefits of joining ONDC for both sellers and buyers:

Seller:

- Bring your business online with minimal setup costs

- Be seen by more buyers

- Increased product discovery rate

- Reducing operating costs while expanding operations

- Access to additional business service options such as software tools, logistics, packaging, etc.

Let's go back to the Vansh example. One day delivery within the same city is now a standard expectation. But what if the order comes from outside your business location?Vansh had the foresight to establish a relationship with a logistics partner found through ONDC. Now, he is able to offer fast and reliable delivery even outside of the city. Buyers can track their orders and get timely alerts, increasing customer trust and loyalty.

Buyers:

- Discover more sellers and their products and increase your choices.

- Quick access to quality products and services through local sellers

- Better customer experience as a result of improved service delivery and transparency

Transforming E-Commerce in India

ONDC is an important step in addressing the gaps and challenges in e-commerce models beyond those based on open web systems. As mentioned earlier, it establishes merchant-friendly practices and offers great opportunities for businesses of all sizes and types to benefit from digital commerce. It enables even the smallest businesses in the remotest parts of India to participate in the e-commerce revolution.