One Catalogue, Many Shop Windows: What ONDC Offers a Small Seller

Headline and Overview

In a reply in the Lok Sabha, reported by IANS on 16 December 2025, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada said that more than 1.16 lakh retail sellers were live on the Open Network for Digital Commerce, or ONDC, as of 9 December 2025. They came from more than 630 cities and towns. The government said the network lowers entry barriers for small and micro businesses by letting them reach buyers across multiple apps, and that sellers are not restricted by platform-specific terms in the way they are on traditional, siloed e-commerce platforms.

How it is meant to work

According to the same report, seller-side apps make their full catalogues discoverable to all buyer-side apps. Buyer-side apps disclose the parameters they use to sort or list search results, so that sellers can understand and improve their ranking. Common open specifications are intended to curb opaque or biased listing practices. In the minister's words, consumers gain a wider choice "as sellers of different sizes and from diverse geographies become accessible on the network".

For a small seller the practical meaning is this. On a closed marketplace, you build your listings, reviews and customer relationships inside one company's system, and the company sets the rules for fees, ranking and disputes. On an open network, you list through a seller app once and your products can appear in several buyer apps. The design reduces dependence on any single platform, but it does not remove the need to do the ordinary work of selling well.

“As sellers of different sizes and from diverse geographies become accessible on the network.”

What the government statement does not tell you

It does not say how many of the 1.16 lakh sellers receive orders regularly, how much they sell, or what they pay in fees. A count of live sellers is a measure of registration, not of business. We also have no figures in this source on returns, complaints or settlement times. A careful seller should ask the seller app for that information before signing up.

A practical checklist: our guidance

1. Choose a seller app deliberately. Seller apps differ in fees, onboarding help, catalogue tools and payment settlement. Ask for a written fee schedule and the settlement period.

2. Prepare your catalogue properly. Clear photos, accurate descriptions, weights, sizes and prices reduce returns. Because your catalogue is visible across apps, mistakes spread widely.

3. Check the ranking rules. Since buyer apps are meant to disclose how they sort results, read the disclosures and note what you can influence: price, availability, delivery time, ratings.

4. Plan fulfilment. Being discoverable is not the same as being able to deliver. Decide in advance how you will pack, ship and handle returns, and what order volume you can manage.

5. Keep your own customer list. Even on an open network, collect repeat customers' details where rules permit, and encourage direct orders through a channel you control.

6. Start small. List a limited range of items that you can supply reliably, and expand after a month of data.

Who benefits most

The government statement emphasised small and micro businesses and diverse geographies. Sellers who have a distinctive product but no marketing budget, such as artisans, regional food producers and specialist retailers, have the most to gain from reaching buyers outside their locality. Sellers with thin margins and a commodity product may find that price competition across many apps is harder than it looks.

Questions worth asking before you join

What does the seller app charge, and for what? Who handles customer complaints? What happens to your data if you switch apps? How are returns and refunds settled? What support is available in your language? Are there category restrictions or quality checks?

A balanced view

The open-network idea is attractive because it gives sellers bargaining power and portability. Its success depends on buyers actually using the apps that list ONDC products, on logistics partners being reliable and on seller apps competing fairly. The number of sellers is a start; the test is repeat business.

For founders and advisers

If you advise small firms, treat ONDC as one channel among several. Compare it with your own website, social media selling, local marketplaces and direct wholesale, and track the cost of acquiring a customer in each.