Meesho, on Wednesday, announced its integration with the government’s Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to help connect buyers with hyperlocal sellers and support India’s vision of creating an inclusive e-commerce ecosystem.
“In line with Meesho’s mission to democratise internet commerce for everyone, the integration will fuel the discoverability of products for consumers while creating a wider market for hyperlocal suppliers. The pilot will first be launched in Bangalore and gradually rolled out in other locations over the coming months,” the company said in a statement.
Meesho also added that 80 percent of its 14 crore annual transacting customers come from Tier 2+ cities, and that the company has been instrumental in boosting access for underserved users across the country. More than eight lakh sellers are currently registered on the platform, of which about 40 percent are from Tier 2 cities and beyond.
Meesho works on making e-commerce more inclusive and believes that the integration with ONDC will amplify the company’s efforts in that direction. Vidit Aatrey, Founder and CEO, Meesho, said, “With a shared goal to empower small sellers and give a fillip to hyperlocal businesses, the integration will boost our efforts to democratize internet commerce for everyone. ONDC will also play an important role in expanding India’s e-commerce sector by bringing more consumers online. We have been working closely with ONDC to ensure that the integration is smooth and the user experience remains seamless.”
T Koshy, Chief Executive Officer at Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) commented, “At ONDC, our aim is to create an open e-commerce ecosystem that caters to one and all. We are pleased to onboard Meesho as its deep capabilities in small towns will set the network flywheel in motion and take ONDC closer to our goals. E-commerce is still small in India and new-age platforms like Meesho will be strong network participants for ONDC in this journey.”
