Microsoft joins ONDC, to launch shopping app in India: All the details

Microsoft has joined the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) in India and plans to introduce social e-commerce in the country. ONDC is a government initiative to reimagine digital commerce in India and Microsoft is the first major tech company to join the government-backed project. A social commerce retail app is expected to be launched by the US tech giant. ONDC is gearing up to launch in Bengaluru this August. A report in June revealed that ONDC had begun aligning banks and other key players that needed to get ahead of the initiative.

Microsoft became the first tech giant to join ONDC, a government initiative to promote open networks for the exchange of digital goods and services. This is the government’s attempt to disrupt Amazon and Walmart’s dominate in the field of e-commerce. As mentioned earlier, Microsoft is expected to launch a social commerce retail app in India.

Again, ONDC is gearing up to launch in Bengaluru this month. As part of the launch, the project held a webinar explaining the features of ONDC including how it will affect the e-commerce space in India, in-person transactions will work like how and why people should choose ONDC for their business, among others.

One report in June revealed that ONDC had begun aligning the banks and other key players that needed to move the initial step forward. Some of the country’s biggest banks are discussing setting up a “buyer platform” to allow their customers to order goods and services on ONDC, launched by the government in April.

ONDC is expected to provide equal access to all online sellers and buyers in India, regardless of their size. Policymakers in other countries are also looking for ways they can rein in the dominance of big tech companies in online purchases.