Meta and the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) announced a partnership on Tuesday to help small businesses unleash the power of digital commerce.
The partnership aims to help and educate small business operators to drive conversational buyer and seller experiences on WhatsApp through Meta’s ecosystem of business and technology solution providers.
ONDC will help these business solution providers become application sellers, bring the businesses they serve into the ONDC network and help them drive business development.
In the next two years, 500,000 small, medium and micro enterprises will also receive digital skills upgrades through the Meta Small Business Academy.
In line with Meta’s plan to upskill 10 million small businesses across the country, the Meta Small Business Academy offers a certification that enables entrepreneurs and marketers to gain digital marketing skills to grow on the Meta app.
Sandhya Devanathan, vice president of Meta India, noted that the country’s digital story is at a turning point.
“Our partnership with ONDC builds on supporting the government’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) vision and furthers our ongoing commitment to skills training for small businesses and aiding the country’s rapid digital transformation and growth,” she said.
Under the partnership, Meta will also support ONDC’s WhatApp chatbot Sahayak, enhancing the services provided by the bot as ONDC’s single point of communication for sellers and customers.
ONDC CEO T Koshy noted that for the growth of any business, marketing oneself and reaching out to a wider audience is crucial.
“Our partnership with Meta will not only improve the digital skills of these companies, but also allow them to connect with a broader customer base,” Koshy said. Growth.
