Google To Launch Accelerator Programme For ONDC

Google Cloud is launching an accelerator programme for the government-backed Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), said Ambarish Kenghe, vice president of Google Pay in a developer conference in Bengaluru on Wednesday (June 28).

Through this program, businesses will gain access to Google Cloud’s technology and expert guidance, enabling them to join the ONDC network and create good digital commerce experiences.

“We are launching an accelerator programme for ONDC to support the growth of India’s robust network of digital sellers,” said Kenghe while speaking about the way Google is enabling the growth of India’s digital ecosystem with its tech innovations and capabilities.

As a part of this accelerator program, Google Cloud will provide its core infrastructure application programming interfaces (APIs) to ONDC participants as an open source solution. The tech giant will also provide retail search and generative AI to help enhance buyer and seller experiences on the network.

Besides, Google Cloud is also introducing an ONDC startup credits program where the ONDC participants can apply for a grant of up to $25,000.

The US-based tech giant also promises better serviceability of ONDC orders via address descriptors on Google Maps.

Speaking on the development, T Koshy, MD and CEO at ONDC, said that the addition of Google Cloud’s accelerator program reinforces ONDC’s mission to revolutionise the ecommerce landscape, “ushering in a new era of efficiency, agility, and customer-centricity”. 

“By streamlining the onboarding process through efficient core APIs, this milestone addition to the open network empowers enterprises to focus on their core competencies,” Koshy added.

ONDC is a private non-profit company backed by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), which aims to democratise ecommerce and hence, increase its penetration in the country. In April last year, the government started a soft launch of ONDC in five cities including Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Shillong, and Coimbatore.

Later, in September, ONDC first opened the platform to the public in Bengaluru and gradually onboarded several key players to scale the network.

Recently, FMCG company Marico has also integrated its Saffola Store with the platform. The likes of Paytm, PhonePe, Delhivery, Shiprocket, Dunzo, and Snapdeal have also integrated their services with the ONDC.

Earlier this month, Koshy told Inc42 that the platform is likely to venture into the financial products and services segment in a few months.

Meanwhile, Inc42 had earlier reported that industry players were of the opinion that ONDC can throw potential competition to the duopoly of Swiggy and Zomato in the Indian food delivery market.

In fact, following that, several research analysts opined that while ONDC, at its current form does not pose a major threat to Zomato and Swiggy, its further scaling might be a risk in the long term.

ONDC claimed last month that it saw a 500X increase in its daily transactions, which had jumped from 50 in January this year to 25,000 orders in the first week of May.