Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal has urged major FMCG companies to increase their participation in ONDC’s DigiDukaan initiative. Under this initiative, more than 21,000 kirana retailers across Hyderabad, Jaipur, and Mumbai have been connected with over 450 brands.
Goyal made these remarks on October 30 during the ‘Bharat Commerce Chintan Shivir’ held at Vanijya Bhawan in New Delhi. More than 40 industry representatives participated in this high-level CEO roundtable, which was organized by the DPIIT and the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
The meeting brought together over 40 industry leaders to discuss ways to strengthen and accelerate the digitalisation of India’s general trade ecosystem. Goyal stated that a digital procurement process would enhance transparency in business, simplify purchasing and assist small retailers in better managing their working capital. This would also strengthen the existing distributor network.
Five Key Areas for Strengthening General Trade
The roundtable identified five key priorities: A unified digital identity for grocery retailers, shared logistics and micro-warehousing, improved access to formal credit, simplified technology adoption, and commercially sustainable incentives for brands, distributors and sales teams.
Participants also learned about plug-and-play Distributor Management System (DMS) connectors, standardized product catalogs and financing solutions for digital procurement. These were discussed as priorities for future development rather than as measures that have already been implemented.
DigiDukaan Expands Its Kirana Retailer Network
As of September 2026, ONDC’s DigiDukaan had onboarded more than 21,000 kirana retailers across three cities, up from over 12,000 in the previous quarter. Hyderabad accounted for the largest share, with more than 16,000 retailers and a monthly repeat-ordering rate of 73–78%. DigiDukaan enables kirana stores to procure products from multiple brands and distributors through a single platform, offering greater transparency in pricing and availability. An ONDC study found that 40% of surveyed retailers reported lower inventory holdings.
DPIIT Secretary Amardeep Singh Bhatia said open digital infrastructure would help digitise kirana stores by connecting retailers, FMCG companies and distributors through a common network.
FMCG, Technology and Logistics Partners
Hindustan Unilever, Marico, Colgate-Palmolive, Emami and Amul are participating through their respective distribution networks. ITC, Tata Consumer Products and Britannia are at various stages of integration or discussion.
ONDC CEO Vibhor Jain said DigiDukaan aims to digitise kiranas as buyers while strengthening, rather than replacing, existing distributor networks.
In the technology sector, Paytm for Business, Qwipo and Multiply.ai are active on the network, while integration is underway with Bizom, Botree, QuIDPe and ENS. The logistics network includes ElasticRun, Shiprocket, India Post, and Moeving.
The National Traders Welfare Board (NTWB), chaired by Sunil J. Singhi, is working in collaboration with local trade associations to onboard grocery retailers onto the ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) platform and increase their participation. Meanwhile, the next phase of ONDC will focus on boosting the involvement of brands and distributors in Mumbai, particularly in North Mumbai. The extensive ONDC network has enabled over 500 million transactions across sectors including retail, logistics, public transport and tourism, as well as other services.
(PIB)
