Gupshup launches India’s first conversational shopping app on government-backed ONDC

Gupshup, the world’s leading conversation cloud, has launched what it claims is India’s first Conversational Buyer App on the Open Digital Commerce Network (ONDC).

The announcement was made at the Conversations 2024 event in Delhi. The app allows shoppers to use a WhatsApp-based conversational interface to discover, browse and purchase products from sellers on the ONDC network without having to download additional mobile apps.

What does the app offer?

The app allows users to share their location in chat, browse nearby vendors, order food and make payments directly via WhatsApp.

Initially, the app is in beta and offers limited availability, mainly for ordering food and drinks such as biryani. According to Gupshup, support for additional conversation channels such as Google RCS and Voice will be added soon.

The company says the feature will also be extended to Gupshup enterprise customers who want to integrate conversational commerce with their chatbots.

Addressing the diverse needs of the Indian population

The Conversational Buyer app aims to meet the diverse needs of the Indian population who use different mobile tools, languages ​​and have different levels of technological knowledge.

Beerud Sheth, CEO, Gupshup, said, “India’s diverse population uses different mobile tools, different languages ​​and has different levels of technology literacy. However, everyone knows how to talk on WhatsApp. The only solution is to provide conversation capabilities through messaging applications. a way to reach everyone. Gupshup’s Buyer app on ONDC quickly and easily provides users across the country with a vast trading network that can be used in any language. This will truly transform digital commerce on a population scale in India.

Compliance with ONDC objectives

The ONDC initiative, launched by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Government of India, aims to foster an open and inclusive e-commerce ecosystem in India.

Since its official launch in January 2023, ONDC has processed over 49.79 million transactions, with transportation services and food and beverage categories seeing high demand. The Gupshup app is in line with ONDC’s mission by making digital commerce accessible to more people through a familiar platform like WhatsApp.

Plans to further expand the offer

Gupshup is a global leader in conversational engagement solutions, enabling over 45,000 brands across geographies to improve customer experience and increase revenue.

Gaurav Kachhawa, Chief Product Officer at Gupshup, highlighted: “Gupshup Conversation Cloud makes it easier for businesses to create rich, conversational commerce experiences with AI-powered natural language interactions, in any language, via text and voice, with deep personalization across the board. customer life cycle. This ONDC Buyer app is a great demonstration of the significant impact of conversational experiences and the unique capabilities of the Gupshup platform to enable them.

The company plans to further expand its offering, making it easier for companies to participate in the ONDC eCommerce ecosystem.