What Is ONDC? It’s Offering Food Cheaper Than Swiggy, Zomato

Internet users are sharing screenshots of getting cheaper foods ordered via ONDC as compared to Swiggy or Zomato. The ONDC, which is an open technology network based on an open protocol, is gaining popularity fast as it recently crossed the 5,000 daily orders mark in the retail category, mainly foods and beverages (F&B) and grocery.

Users on the internet have shared their orders in which they ordered burgers from both Swiggy/ Zomato and ONDC. They had a difference of about 60 per cent in prices. Swiggy/ Zomato offered a burger at about Rs 282, while ONDC offered the same burger at nearly Rs 109. Here’s what is ONDC and how to use it.

What Is ONDC?

It is an open technology network based on open protocol and will enable local commerce across segments, such as mobility, grocery, food order and delivery, hotel booking and travel, to be discovered and engaged by any network-enabled application.

The platform allows buyers and sellers to connect and transact with each other online, regardless of what other applications they use. The buyers and sellers do not have to use the same platform or same mobile app to have a transaction. They can use different applications and still do business transactions.

The foundations of ONDC are to be open protocols for all aspects of the entire chain of activities in the exchange of goods and services, similar to HTTP for information exchange over the internet, simple mail transfer protocol for the exchange of emails and unified payments interface for payments, according to the commerce ministry.

The benefits of ONDC include access to more buyers; better discoverability of products and cost; autonomy on terms because of multiple choices for being digitally visible; lower cost of doing business; and more options for value chain services like logistics and fulfilment.

According to a strategy paper by this ONDC entity published last year, there needs to be “a paradigm shift from an operator-driven monolithic platform-centric model to a facilitator-driven, interoperable decentralised network”.

The ONDC will not be owned or controlled by a single entity or platform and the idea behind it is to connect buyers, suppliers, payment, and logistics providers through open-source specifications and protocols.

How To Use ONDC?

Step 1: To place an order through ONDC, one needs to visit the ONDC website – https://ondc.org/.

Step 2: After visiting the website, click on ‘Shop on ONDC’ tab on the homepage.

Step 3: Select a platform through which you want to order and click on ‘Shop Now’. The currently available platforms are Paytm, Mystore, Craftsvilla, To Life Bani, Meesho, Pincode, and maginpin.

Step 4: Now, select the items you want and order as you do it on other platforms.

Step 5: Make payment. It’s done!

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