Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) said on Wednesday that more than 35,000 retail merchants are on board now compared to just 800 in January. At the same time, the number of daily orders crossed the 25,000-mark in the past week.
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The statement from ONDC added that as a network enabler it has systematically worked to add more network participants, merchants, cities and transactions (orders per day) .
In April 2022, the government-backed ONDC had commenced its alpha testing. It began its beta testing with grocery and food delivery in Bengaluru at September-end last year. Currently, it is beta-testing in Bengaluru and Meerut and alpha-testing in 236 cities.
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“The network has grown steadily with quantum leaps especially in the last few months. For example, the number of retail merchants increased from 800+ in Jan’23 to 35,000+ as of now, while the number of orders increased from 50 per day in January to peaking at 25,000+ orders per day in the last week. ONDC has expanded its geographic footprint, with the number of cities with merchants present, having increased from 85 in Jan to 230+ now,” the statement said.
It added mobility in Kochi in January and in Bengaluru in April, which has seen a jump to over 35,000 rides a day in these two cities. “At the same time, other domains like Fashion, Beauty & Personal Care, Electronics & Appliances were added since January this year, and are gradually expanding — 600+ merchants in these domains and 1,300+ transactions have been completed since these domains have recently gone live. Most of these orders have been intercity, with major intercity logistics providers like ShipRocket, Delhivery, Loadshare etc. being live as part of the network,” the statement added.
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Meanwhile, ONDC’s network participants increased from 26 in January 2023 to 46. These include PhonePe’s Pincode and Airpay, companies such as HUL and ITC, as well as many startups.
“Despite the recent surge in volumes, the network has maintained key performance indicators such as order fill rate and delivery timelines that are consistent with current industry standards. Product-related complaints through ONDC have been negligible. Any issues that have arisen have been promptly and effectively addressed or are being addressed, with users receiving refunds wherever applicable,” it added.
It has also established a user council with industry leaders as members to provide feedback and insights, it added.