What is ONDC?
- The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), a Government of India initiative, aims to transform India’s e-commerce landscape. It creates a single, open network where buyers and sellers can connect with each other regardless of the app they use. This fosters interoperability among different platforms and paves the way for seamless transactions across various apps within the network.
How does it work?
- ONDC itself is not a separate app but rather an underlying network and protocol that connects different buyer and seller apps. Think of it as a kind of bridge or highway that allows different e-commerce platforms to communicate and interact with each other seamlessly.
- A person can access ONDC through various ONDC-compliant apps, like Paytm, Mystore, or Magicpin. It is similar to how you can access email through different email clients like Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo.
- When you select ONDC in an app, it not only displays items from that app but also fetches products from other apps, allowing you to compare prices and choose the best deal. This saves time and eliminates the need to jump between different apps to find what you want.
Benefits:
- ONDC prevents the monopoly of e-commerce platforms and allows small businesses and Kirana stores to compete with large e-commerce giants. This fosters a market that is more inclusive and fair for all players.
- It enhances the visibility and discoverability of the sellers for the buyers, who might not have found them on a single e-commerce platform.
- Buyers enjoy more choices, flexibility, and convenience with the ability to compare prices, offerings, and reviews from different sellers across various apps within a single interface. This simplifies decision-making for personalized shopping experiences.
- The open network protocol promotes interoperability among different e-commerce platforms, allowing for seamless transactions across various apps. This enhances flexibility and convenience for both buyers and sellers.
- Sellers benefit from low-cost access to the complete value chain, as they only need to register once through any app on the network. This streamlines operations and potentially reduces the financial barriers for sellers.
Challenges:
- Though progress has been made, widespread adoption among both buyers and sellers remains a challenge. Building awareness and educating the public about ONDC’s benefits is crucial.
- Big players like Flipkart and Amazon are taking too much time to fully integrate with ONDC because ONDC’s open network model challenges the control these giants have over their platforms. They might be hesitant to lose control over data, pricing, and customer relationships.
- With giants like Flipkart and Amazon dominating the Indian e-commerce market, ONDC faces challenges in attracting buyers and sellers. The established networks and user bases of these platforms pose significant barriers to ONDC’s entry into the market.
- The open nature of the network raises concerns about the data security and privacy of the users.
- ONDC is still struggling to come up with a monetization plan. It needs to make money to keep running, but it can’t charge too much or lock anyone out. It needs to find the perfect balance between earning enough to stay open and keeping the playing field fair for everyone.
Conclusion:
ONDC, though still in its early stages, holds immense potential to transform e-commerce in India. It empowers small businesses, fosters a level playing field, and offers users a more convenient and personalized shopping experience.
However, ONDC faces its fair share of challenges, including slow adoption, resistance from major players, and the ongoing quest for a viable monetization plan. Despite these hurdles, the excitement surrounding ONDC lies in its potential to revolutionize India’s e-commerce landscape. With parallels to the transformative success of UPI in digital payments, ONDC could become the next revolutionary force in democratizing e-commerce, paving the way for a more inclusive and accessible marketplace in the future.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio
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