Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal chaired the Bharat Commerce Chintan Shivir, a high-level CEO Roundtable convened by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi. The roundtable brought together over 40 leaders from leading Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies to deliberate on a shared roadmap for strengthening and digitising India's General Trade ecosystem through ONDC DigiDukaan.
Speaking at the roundtable, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal said, “ONDC’s DigiDukaan shows that when open digital infrastructure is built around the needs of the small retailer, adoption follows. Let this become another case study where the world can learn from India. By making procurement simpler and more transparent while strengthening our distributors, we can help kiranas free up working capital and grow. I invite the FMCG industry to work together and take this to every corner of Bharat.”
Shri Amardeep Singh Bhatia, Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) said, “Open digital infrastructure has a critical role to play in accelerating the digitalisation of India’s retail ecosystem, particularly its vast network of kirana stores. ONDC’s DigiDukaan is an important step in this direction, demonstrating how an open, interoperable network can enable neighbourhood retailers to access digital procurement opportunities and participate more effectively in the evolving digital economy. By bringing together retailers, FMCG companies and distributors on a common network, DPIIT along with ONDC is helping build a more connected and efficient General Trade ecosystem, creating a pathway for digitalisation to reach kiranas at scale.”
The discussions focused on strengthening and re-empowering the General Trade ecosystem, which remains central to India's retail economy and supports the livelihoods of millions of neighbourhood retailers. Participants emphasised the need for greater institutional commitment from FMCG companies, distributors and industry stakeholders to accelerate digital procurement, improve supply-chain efficiency and enhance the competitiveness of kirana stores. The initiative seeks to bring industry stakeholders together through common digital infrastructure, shared services and commercially sustainable models.
Senior representatives from Hindustan Unilever (HUL), Coca-Cola India, ITC, P&G, Marico, CavinKare, Pidilite, Britannia, Adani Wilmar, LT Foods, Anmol Industries, Haldiram's, Emami, Veeba and Nilon's participated in the roundtable, along with representatives from logistics providers, technology partners and ONDC network participants.
ONDC DigiDukaan addresses procurement by digitising kiranas as buyers. Through a single digital interface, retailers can discover and order products across multiple brands, distributors and wholesalers, with greater visibility into pricing, trade schemes and product availability. The initiative is designed to strengthen existing distribution relationships rather than replace them, while creating a common digital foundation through which retailers can eventually access shared logistics, formal credit and other services. This approach seeks to reduce the complexity and cost of participation across the General Trade value chain.
The roundtable deliberated on five key areas for strengthening the General Trade ecosystem. These included developing a common digital identity for kirana retailers to enable seamless engagement with multiple brands, distributors and service providers; creating shared logistics and micro-warehousing infrastructure to improve distributor reach and facilitate reliable next-day replenishment, including in areas beyond existing delivery routes; and expanding access to formal credit through financing solutions linked to digital procurement and transaction activity to improve access to working capital and reduce dependence on informal distributor credit.
Discussions also focused on simplifying technology integration through plug-and-play Distributor Management System (DMS) connectors, standardised catalogues and common digital interfaces to reduce onboarding complexity and encourage wider industry participation. Participants further deliberated on realigning commercial incentives for FMCG companies, sales teams, distributors and channel partners to make digital ordering, wider retail coverage and sustained retailer adoption commercially beneficial across the value chain.
DigiDukaan has connected over 21,000 retailers with more than 450 brands across Hyderabad, Jaipur and Mumbai as of September 2026, compared with over 12,000 retailers in the previous quarter. In Hyderabad, more than 16,000 retailers have been onboarded, with monthly repeat ordering rates of 73–78%. An initial ONDC retailer study also found that 40% of surveyed retailers reported lower inventory holdings for products procured through DigiDukaan, indicating the potential for improved working capital efficiency.
The National Traders' Welfare Board (NTWB), under the chairmanship of Shri Sunil J. Singhi, has been working closely with ONDC to accelerate the adoption of DigiDukaan among kirana retailers. The collaboration focuses on mobilising local trade associations, strengthening retailer participation and enabling small businesses to benefit from digital procurement and more efficient distribution networks.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, ONDC, Shri Vibhor Jain, said, “Digital adoption for the distributor fraternity has been developing – billing, printing, order placement are largely online. But retailers, most of which are mom-and-pop shops, still run on pen, paper and memory. DigiDukaan is ONDC's effort to build digital infrastructure for India's General Trade ecosystem in retail. We are digitising kiranas as buyers, while strengthening the existing distributor network rather than replacing it.”
DigiDukaan is building an expanding network of FMCG brands, technology providers and logistics partners. Leading FMCG companies, including HUL, Marico, Colgate-Palmolive, Emami and Amul, are participating through their distribution networks, while ITC, Tata Consumer Products and Britannia are at various stages of integration or discussion. On the technology front, Paytm for Business, Qwipo and Mulltiply.ai are live on the network, while DMS and technology providers, including Bizom, Botree, QuIDPe and ENS, are progressing towards integration. Logistics and warehousing partners, including ElasticRun, Shiprocket, India Post and Moeving, are also part of the expanding ecosystem, supporting seamless procurement, wider distributor reach and faster replenishment for kirana retailers.
As part of its next phase, ONDC is focusing on deepening brand and distributor participation in Mumbai, particularly North Mumbai, while strengthening operations across existing markets.
The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is building open digital commerce infrastructure in India through a network model aimed at reducing entry barriers and improving access for businesses. The network has enabled over 500 million transactions to date, with retail as its core focus area. It seeks to create digital networks that improve efficiency, lower costs and unlock opportunities for businesses, gig workers, small retailers and consumers.
ONDC-enabled retail initiatives include DigiDukaan, which has onboarded over 21,000 retailers for business-to-business (B2B) procurement digitisation, and Amazing India, which focuses on enabling products from kisans, karigars, cooperatives and other micro-producers to become e-commerce-ready and reach wider markets.
Other initiatives include public transport services, facilitating over 5 lakh metro and bus journeys daily through more than 40 consumer applications; logistics infrastructure used by over 80,000 merchants and 30+ small and micro fleet operators; and more than 1,000 tourism experiences, including 170 Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) monuments and 29 museums, available on the network. ONDC has also enabled low-ticket investment and credit solutions aimed at expanding financial access, with a majority of investors coming from Tier-2 cities and beyond.
Abhishek Dayal/C N Abhijith Narayanan/Anushka Pandey