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On September 30, government backed open protocol network, Open Network For Digital Commerce (ONDC) is set to launch in beta for public users in Bengaluru Urban. 

The app will be available across 16 pincodes in the district and will bring on a selection of kirana stores and supermarkets as well as food and beverage service providers. Multiple Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) brands which have an offline presence as well as some home decor brands are also part of the initial offering. 

In its beta phase, ONDC will offer its services across Domlur, Indiranagar, Murugeshpalya, BTM Layout, JP Nagar, Kammanahalli, Mysore Road, Bannerghatta Road, Hebbal, Koramangala and RR Nagar, among others. 

Here’s how it will work: Buyers on the app, like Paytm, MyStore and Spice Money can place orders on ONDC, while the seller side apps SellerApp, e-Samudaay, eVital, MyStore, Gofrugal, GrowthFalcons, nStore, Ushop, Uengage and Bizom can sell on the app.

The delivery will be managed by Loadshareand Dunzo, with other logistics partners likely to go live after testing. 

“We have on-boarded 48 kirana stores, mini and large supermarkets, D2C brands and five Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) brands for the beta launch,” said Dilip Vamanan, Co-founder at e-commerce enablement company, SellerApp which is a part of ONDC’s sell-side network that helps onboard kirana stores to the platform. 

He adds that the app has invested heavily in outreach and onboarding sellers on the ONDC network, including a dedicated team of five people across coding and outreach. The platform also plans on offering Inventory Management System and PoS (Point of Sale) services to its small seller partners for free, charging them a percentage commission on the overall order value. 

“We understand that if we can make a difference of 10% of our small seller’s revenue or bring them five orders a day consistently, we are making a difference to their business. If ONDC gains the scale of a UPI, the returns will be much higher than the investment,” he added.

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Similarly, StoreHippo’s MyStore app for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) allows the sellers to on-board for free on the ONDC network. The app charges a fixed commission on order value. MyStore will be going live in Bengaluru with 25 sellers across grocery, food and beverage as well as home decor. 

“Since we are going live in select pincodes, we have sellers or stores in these pincodes going live for now. ONDC will also be live on MyStore’s buyer app, allowing these customers to place orders online. The buyers can choose the seller depending on the timeline for delivery, pricing, and other criteria,” said Kriti Aggarwal, Co-founder at StoreHippo. 

According to reports, ONDC will also go live in one of the pilot cities within a month of the beta launch in Bengaluru.