Government’s Amazon & Flipkart alternative ONDC Launched in Bangalore!

The Open Network for Digital Commerce i.e. ONDC is now launched by the Indian government. It is currently started in Bangalore for grocery and restaurant orders. Mobility, hotel booking, electronics, and travel will follow.

ONDC plans to be an online shopping marketplace just like Amazon and Flipkart. Thus, will give an alternative option to online shoppers in India.

People in Bangalore can shop via ONDC buyer apps. Currently, Paytm, Mystore, and Spicemoney are the active ONDC buyer apps.

The government has got ONGC to boost up small retailers (local shops in your area). Also, it will give buyers another shopping option as currently only 2 major online marketplaces are live in Amazon and Flipkart.

Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said,

“It is democratic, cost-effective and empowers buyers and small businesses”

Let’s see if it stays true to this or not when it starts rolling out for major cities.

ONDC’s pilot project was started in April 2022 in Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Shillong and Coimbatore. Around 20 national organizations including State Bank of India, UCO Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and Bank of Baroda have invested approx ₹255 Crores in ONDC.

ONDC is a set of standards for voluntary adoption by sellers or logistics providers or payment gateways. Thus, if you are running any 1 of these then you can also be a part of the ONDC network.

If Amazon and Flipkart come onto the ONDC network then all Amazon products can be searched on Flipkart and vice-versa. Therefore, this seems unlikely to happen.

Currently, ONDC is active on 16 Bangalore pin codes. As of now, you can order via Paytm app, Mystore website, and Spice Money app. You can buy and sell on ONDC on Mystore website by requesting for it via email ([email protected]) as it is in closed Beta phase. After approval you can login via email id & password or gmail. On the Spice Money app, create an account and find the ONDC banner to place an order.