Someone has told you to “get on ONDC”. Maybe it was a supplier, a trade association, or a seller-app salesperson who called the shop. You already sell through your own website, or a marketplace, or WhatsApp, and you are trying to work out whether this is another app to join or something different.
It is something different, and it helps to understand how it works before you sign up with anyone. This guide explains what ONDC is, what you need ready before you list, how it sits alongside your own store, and who it suits.
What ONDC actually is
ONDC stands for the Open Network for Digital Commerce. It is a Government of India initiative, and the important word is network. ONDC is not a shopping app. You cannot download “the ONDC app” and browse products, and you do not open a seller account with ONDC itself.
Instead, ONDC is a shared set of rules that lets different apps talk to each other. There are three main kinds of participant:
- Buyer apps, where shoppers search for and order products. A shopper on one buyer app can see sellers from many different seller apps.
- Seller apps (also called seller-side platforms), which sellers join to put their catalogue on the network and receive orders.
- Logistics providers, which can pick up and deliver orders placed on the network.
So as a seller, your real relationship is with the seller app you choose. That app handles your onboarding, your catalogue, your orders and, usually, the money. The network carries your products to whichever buyer apps are connected to it. More detail on the network itself is on the official ONDC website.
How it differs from a single marketplace
On a single marketplace, one company runs everything: the app the shopper uses, the search results, the seller rules, the payments and often the delivery. Your products are visible only to that marketplace’s shoppers, and you play by that one company’s rules.
On ONDC, those jobs are split between different participants. The practical differences for you:
| Single marketplace | ONDC | |
|---|---|---|
| Who you sign up with | The marketplace | A seller app of your choice |
| Where shoppers see you | That marketplace’s app and site only | Any buyer app on the network |
| Who sets your terms | The marketplace | Your seller app, within network rules |
| Delivery | Often the marketplace’s own service | Your own delivery or a network logistics provider, depending on your seller app |
Ask every seller app you are considering what it charges, how and when it pays you, and how it handles returns and disputes. Terms differ between seller apps, so compare them in writing rather than relying on a sales call.
What you need ready before you list
Most of the work is not on ONDC at all. It is getting your own business information in order, because a buyer app will only show what your seller app sends it.
Business and tax details
Have your GST registration, PAN, business address, bank account details and a contact person ready. Your seller app will tell you exactly which documents it needs. If your GST details on your website invoices are already set up properly, as covered in our guide to WooCommerce GST invoice setup, you will find this part easier.
A clean product catalogue
This is where most sellers struggle. On a buyer app, a shopper sees your product next to products from many other sellers. A blurry photo or a title like “Item 23 blue” will lose to a clear listing every time. For each product, have:
- A clear, specific title that says what the product is
- Good photos on a plain background
- Size, weight, material, colour and any other details a buyer would ask about
- Variants (sizes, colours) set up properly, not as separate random listings
- The right category, and the HSN code and GST rate where your seller app asks for them
If you already sell online, start from your website’s product data, and improve it there first.
Pricing you can stand behind
Work out your price after the seller app’s charges, packaging, delivery and the cost of returns. Decide whether your ONDC price will match your website price. Different prices on different channels are allowed, but customers do compare, so have a reason for any difference.
Delivery and logistics
Decide whether you will deliver yourself (common for local shops and food businesses within a small area) or use a logistics provider through your seller app. Know your serviceable pin codes, your packing process and how quickly you can hand over an order.
Returns and cancellations policy
Write down what can be returned, within how long, in what condition, and who pays for the return pickup. Use the same policy on your website. Vague policies lead to disputes.
Someone to handle orders
Orders arrive through the seller app’s dashboard or app. Someone has to check it, accept orders, pack them and update their status, every working day. If nobody owns this job, orders get missed and cancelled, which hurts your standing with the seller app and with shoppers.
How ONDC fits with your own website or WooCommerce store
ONDC does not replace your own website. It is another sales channel, like a marketplace listing or a WhatsApp catalogue. Your website is still the one place you fully control: your brand, your customer list, your content and your terms.
The real risk with running both is stock and prices drifting apart. You sell the last unit on your website, and an hour later an ONDC order comes in for the same item. Or you raise a price on the website and forget the seller app. A few things help:
- Choose one master record. Usually your WooCommerce or Shopify store holds the true stock count and price, and everything else follows it.
- Ask whether your seller app can sync. Some seller apps offer integrations with WooCommerce, Shopify or common inventory tools. Ask how stock updates move, in which direction, and how often.
- If there is no sync, keep a buffer. List slightly less stock on ONDC than you hold, and update both channels at a fixed time each day.
If you do not have your own store yet, our guide on how to start an online store in India covers the basics, and what an ecommerce website costs in India explains what goes into the budget.
The honest pros and cons
What is good about it
- Wider reach from one listing. Your catalogue can appear on several buyer apps without signing up to each one.
- Choice of partner. If one seller app does not suit you, you can move to another and stay on the same network.
- Local selling. It suits shops that can deliver nearby, because buyers can find sellers close to them.
What to be careful about
- Your experience depends on your seller app. Onboarding, support, payouts and dispute handling vary from one to another.
- Visibility is not automatic. Being on the network does not mean shoppers will find you. Product data, price and reliability still decide that.
- Another dashboard to run. Orders, stock, returns and customer questions now come from one more place.
- Less control over the shopper’s experience. The buyer app decides how your products look and how they are searched, not you.
Who it suits
ONDC tends to make sense if you already have tidy product data, can fulfil orders reliably, and want another channel without depending on one marketplace. Local retailers, grocery and food businesses that deliver nearby, and small brands with a defined product range are natural fits.
It is a weaker fit if your catalogue is messy, nobody has time to check orders daily, or your products need a lot of explanation before someone buys. In those cases, getting your own website and stock handling right first will do more for you. For where this sits among other things a business website now needs, see our guide to what business websites need now.
If you are thinking about it
We do not offer a fixed ONDC package. What we can help with is the website side: cleaning up your WooCommerce catalogue, fixing stock and GST settings, and checking whether your store can sync with the seller app you choose. If that is where you are stuck, tell us what you need and we will say honestly whether we can help.
Next in this series: AI Tools for a Business Website: Search, Copy, Support
