New Delhi, December 16 (IANS). Small and local shopkeepers in the country are increasingly joining the government digital platform Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). Till date (December 9), more than 1.16 lakh retailers from more than 630 cities and towns across the country have joined the platform. The government shared this information on Tuesday.
ONDC facilitates entry into digital business for small and micro businesses. It connects different buyer and seller apps, giving even small shopkeepers an opportunity to compete with big platforms. This increases healthy competition in digital commerce.
Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasad told the Lok Sabha that when similar products are available on multiple platforms, it brings transparency in prices. Additionally, when vendors from different locations and sizes are available on the same network, customers get more choices and are able to make better decisions.
ONDC is different from traditional e-commerce platforms because it operates on an open network. In this, sellers are not bound by the terms of any one platform and can reach customers on multiple platforms simultaneously.
According to the government, ONDC ensures that small traders, local shopkeepers and MSMEs are not left out of the digital world. Open technical regulations provide equal treatment to all vendors, regardless of their size or technical know-how.
Seller apps on ONDC make their entire product catalog available to all buyer apps. Whereas buyer apps explain how search results are shown. This helps sellers understand and improve their rankings and avoid discriminatory or biased listings.
Small vendors are being supported to connect with ONDC under the Trade Empowerment and Marketing (TEAM) scheme of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (Ministry of MSME). This includes Self Help Groups (SHGs), Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), artisans, rural entrepreneurs and local shopkeepers.
The minister said that under this scheme, sellers are provided assistance in digital education, awareness, product listing and connecting to the platform.
–IANS
Durgesh Bahadur/ABS
