Gupshup Rolls Out India’s First Conversational Buyer App On ONDC

Conversational engagement platform Gupshup has rolled out India’s first conversational buyer app on the government-backed Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), aimed at boosting ecommerce inclusivity nationwide.

This app will enable buyers to discover, browse and buy products on the ONDC network via WhatsApp. It provides a shopping experience directly within the Meta-owned messaging platform, eliminating the need to download any additional apps.

Besides, Gupshup plans to soon offer enterprises to use this conversational commerce feature in their chatbots, making shopping easier for their customers.

The app is currently in Beta mode, meaning it is available to a limited group of users. At this stage, users can order food and beverages. They can share their location in a WhatsApp chat, browse nearby sellers, and make payments directly through WhatsApp.

Soon, users will also be able to use additional messaging services like Google RCS and voice commands to order. 

“India’s diverse population uses different mobile tools, varied languages, and possesses different levels of tech-savvy. But they all know how to chat via WhatsApp. Delivering conversational experiences via the messaging app is the only way to reach everyone,” said Gupshup’s CEO and founder Beerud Sheth.

“Gupshup’s Buyer App on ONDC brings the vast commerce network to users nationwide, usable in any language, quickly and easily. This will truly transform digital commerce on a population scale in India,” Sheth added.

Founded in 2004 by Sheth, Gupshup enables businesses to advertise, communicate, and converse with their customers by leveraging AI and CPaaS. It serves over 45,000 brands across the globe to deliver better customer experience, and increased revenue while saving costs. 

Its notable clients include Citibank, AkzoNobel, Khan Academy, Unilever, Dream11, Netflix, Flipkart, and Ola. With total funding of $486 Mn, it counts Tiger Global, Fidelity Management and Research Co. LLC, among others as its investors.

This comes as the latest addition to ONDC’s Buyer App portfolio with the likes of  Paytm, MagicPin, Pincode, Meesho, and Mystore already making the list. 

Notably, ONDC enables businesses to function as buyer apps and seller apps on its network. Buyer apps help sellers make their products discoverable to potential consumers nationwide.

Launched in 2021 under the aegis of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), ONDC is an open protocol-based network to enable local commerce across multiple segments, including grocery and mobility among others. 

Meanwhile, ONDC is expanding its services by entering new segments and onboarding new participants. Notably, it clocked a 23% month-on-month increase in the transactions on the platform in May. It posted a record 89 Lakh transactions across retail and ride-hailing segments in the same period. 

Startups in the likes of Paytm, Ola, PhonePe, Shiprocket, Delhivery, Dainik Jagran, Uber, IDFC Bank, Kotak, Dunzo, and Tata Neu have already integrated some of their services with the ONDC.

At the heart of all these is the burgeoning ecommerce landscape in India, expected to reach a size of $400 Bn by the end of 2030