India's digital commerce landscape is changing rapidly. While marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart continue to dominate online retail, the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is creating a new model where sellers can reach customers through multiple buyer applications instead of relying on a single marketplace.

However, simply joining ONDC does not guarantee sales.

Thousands of sellers have already listed their products on the network, yet only a small percentage consistently appear at the top of buyer app search results. The difference lies in visibility optimization.

This guide explains how ONDC buyer apps rank products, the factors that influence visibility, and practical strategies businesses can implement to generate more orders.

The Growth of ONDC and B2B Commerce: Key Statistics

The opportunity is significant.

Global Digital Commerce

• Global B2B e-commerce market exceeds US$20 trillion
• B2B accounts for approximately 82–85% of global e-commerce by value
• Global B2C e-commerce is valued at around US$5 trillion
• B2B commerce is nearly 4–5 times larger than consumer e-commerce

India's Digital Commerce Opportunity

• India's e-commerce market is expected to grow from US$125 billion (2024) to US$345 billion by 2030
• India's B2B e-commerce opportunity is projected to exceed US$200 billion by 2030
• India has more than 6.3 crore MSMEs, creating one of the world's largest digital seller ecosystems
• India's retail market is valued at over US$1 trillion

ONDC Growth

The ONDC ecosystem has expanded rapidly since its launch.

The growing adoption of ONDC presents a major opportunity for manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, D2C brands, retailers, and local businesses.

What Is ONDC?

The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is a Government of India initiative designed to create an open, interoperable digital commerce network.

Unlike traditional marketplaces, ONDC does not own buyers or sellers.

Instead, it connects multiple buyer applications, seller platforms, logistics providers, and payment providers through common protocols.

Think of ONDC as UPI for e-commerce.

Just as any UPI app can send money to another bank, any ONDC buyer app can discover products listed through any ONDC seller platform.

This gives businesses access to a much larger customer base without maintaining separate catalogs on multiple marketplaces.

Understanding the ONDC Ecosystem

The ONDC ecosystem consists of four key participants:

• Buyer Apps
• Seller Platforms
• Logistics Partners
• Payment Networks

A buyer searching for "Organic Turmeric Powder" on Paytm may purchase from a seller using Costbo, while logistics are handled by Shadowfax and payments are settled digitally.

The seller does not need to manage separate integrations for every buyer application.

Major ONDC Buyer Apps

Several buyer applications are already active on the network.

Each buyer application uses its own ranking algorithm.

That means your visibility depends on how well your listings are optimized.

How ONDC Buyer Apps Rank Products

Most sellers assume ONDC itself decides rankings.

It doesn't.

Each buyer application determines which products appear first.

The ranking algorithm typically evaluates:

• Product relevance
• Catalog quality
• Product titles
• Images
• Pricing
• Ratings
• Delivery speed
• Inventory availability
• Seller performance
• Customer experience

Improving these signals increases your chances of appearing higher in search results.

The 10 Factors That Drive ONDC Visibility

Ranking Factor

Importance

Product Title

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Product Images

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Product Attributes

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Product Description

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pricing

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Seller Ratings

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Order Fulfilment

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Delivery Speed

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Inventory Accuracy

⭐⭐⭐

Promotions & Loyalty

⭐⭐⭐

1. Product Titles: Your Biggest Ranking Factor

Your title is the first field indexed by buyer apps.

Instead of:

Turmeric Powder

Use:

Organic India Turmeric Powder 200g – Certified Organic

A good title should include:

• Brand
• Product
• Size
• Primary keyword
• Benefit

Recommended length:

60–100 characters

2. High-Quality Product Images

Research across e-commerce platforms shows listings with five or more product images convert 40–60% better than listings with a single image.

Every product should include:

• White background image
• Lifestyle image
• Close-up
• Size chart
• Certification
• Packaging image

3. Complete Product Attributes

Many sellers ignore optional attributes.

These attributes help buyer apps filter products.

Examples include:

• Material
• Color
• Ingredients
• Organic
• Vegan
• Size
• Weight
• Warranty
• Shelf Life

The more complete your catalog, the better your discoverability.

4. Write Better Product Descriptions

Avoid simply listing specifications.

Instead answer:

• What problem does the product solve?
• Why should buyers trust it?
• How is it different?

A simple structure:

• Benefit
• Features
• Usage
• What's Included
• Certifications

5. Smart Pricing Strategy

The lowest price doesn't always win.

Buyer apps evaluate value.

Recommended pricing strategies include:

• Psychological pricing (₹299 instead of ₹300)
• Bundle offers
• Launch discounts
• First-order coupons
• Festival promotions

6. Seller Ratings Matter

Ratings directly influence buyer trust.

Aim for:

KPI

Target

Seller Rating

4.5+

Order Fulfilment

95%+

Cancellation Rate

Below 3%

Dispatch Time

Within 24 Hours

Respond to every customer review.

Good customer support often converts unhappy customers into repeat buyers.

7. Faster Delivery Wins More Orders

Delivery speed has become one of the strongest ranking signals.

Buyer expectations continue to increase.

Recommended delivery standards:

Delivery Type

Best Use

Same Day

Grocery

Next Day

FMCG

2 Days

Fashion

3–5 Days

Furniture

Connecting multiple logistics partners helps maintain high fulfilment rates.

8. Promotions Increase Conversions

Good promotions include:

• Welcome Coupons
• Bundle Discounts
• Festival Offers
• Flash Sales
• Loyalty Rewards

Repeat customers cost significantly less than acquiring new customers.

Industry studies suggest retaining existing customers can cost up to five times less than acquiring a new one.

9. Optimize for Your Category

Different categories require different optimization.

Category

Important Factors

Grocery

FSSAI, Shelf Life

Fashion

Size Charts

Beauty

Ingredients

Electronics

Warranty

Furniture

Dimensions

10. Measure Everything

Track:

• Conversion Rate
• Orders
• Repeat Purchases
• Average Order Value
• Cancellation Rate
• Delivery Performance

Businesses that continuously optimize these metrics outperform competitors over time.

ONDC Seller Visibility Checklist

Before publishing a product:

✅ SEO-friendly title

✅ 5+ Images

✅ Detailed description

✅ Product attributes

✅ Correct pricing

✅ Certifications

✅ Stock updated

✅ Logistics configured

✅ Coupons enabled

✅ Ratings monitored

90-Day ONDC Growth Roadmap

Timeline

Action

Month 1

Optimize catalog

Month 2

Improve ratings and delivery

Month 3

Launch promotions and loyalty campaigns

How Costbo Helps Businesses Grow on ONDC

Managing an ONDC business involves much more than uploading products. Sellers need to keep catalogs updated, manage inventory across multiple locations, process orders quickly, coordinate logistics partners, and maintain a consistent customer experience across different buyer apps.

This is where Costbo simplifies the process.

Costbo is a comprehensive ONDC Seller Platform built for manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, and D2C brands. Instead of managing multiple tools, businesses can operate their entire ONDC business from a single dashboard.

Key capabilities include:

• One-click ONDC onboarding to start selling faster.
• Automatic catalog publishing across multiple ONDC buyer apps.
• Multi-warehouse and multi-store management for businesses operating in different cities.
• Distributor network integration to simplify inventory and order fulfilment.
• Hyperlocal and pan-India logistics with multiple delivery partners.
• Quick commerce support, enabling delivery options from 15 minutes to same-day service where available.
• Website + ONDC integration, allowing businesses to sell from their own website while also reaching ONDC buyers.
• Coupons, loyalty programs, and Share Cart features to improve customer retention and repeat purchases.
• Real-time analytics and business reports to monitor sales, inventory, and seller performance.
• Android and iOS apps for managing operations on the go.

By bringing commerce, logistics, inventory, promotions, and analytics together, Costbo helps businesses focus on growing sales rather than managing multiple systems.

Conclusion

Success on ONDC is not determined by simply listing products. It depends on how well those products are optimized for discovery, conversion, and fulfilment.

Businesses that invest in better catalogs, complete product information, competitive pricing, fast delivery, and excellent customer experience consistently achieve better visibility across ONDC buyer apps.

As ONDC continues to expand across India, early adopters who build strong seller performance today will be better positioned to benefit from the network's future growth.

For businesses looking to simplify ONDC operations, platforms like Costbo provide the technology needed to manage catalogues, orders, warehouses, logistics, websites, and customer engagement from one unified platform.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is an ONDC Buyer App?

An ONDC Buyer App is an application where customers search, compare, and purchase products available on the ONDC network. Examples include Paytm, Pincode, Magicpin, and Meesho.

2. How do ONDC Buyer Apps rank products?

Most buyer apps rank products using factors such as product relevance, catalog quality, pricing, ratings, seller performance, inventory availability, and delivery speed.

3. What is the most important ranking factor?

A well-optimized product catalog—including titles, descriptions, images, and attributes—is one of the strongest ranking signals.

4. Does ONDC charge commission?

ONDC itself does not charge a central marketplace commission. However, buyer apps and logistics providers may charge transaction or service fees.

5. How many images should a product have?

At least five high-quality images, including a white-background image, lifestyle image, close-up, size or dimension image, and certification or packaging image.

6. Why are seller ratings important?

Higher seller ratings improve buyer trust and increase the chances of ranking higher on buyer apps.

7. Can I sell on multiple buyer apps using one catalog?

Yes. Using an ONDC-enabled seller platform like Costbo allows a single catalog to be published across multiple connected buyer apps.

8. Is ONDC suitable for wholesalers and distributors?

Yes. ONDC supports B2B and B2C commerce, making it suitable for manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, and D2C brands.

9. How does Costbo help ONDC sellers?

Costbo simplifies ONDC onboarding, catalog management, inventory control, logistics integration, website integration, promotions, analytics, and multi-warehouse operations through a single platform.

10. How can I improve visibility on ONDC?

Focus on complete product information, SEO-friendly titles, high-quality images, competitive pricing, fast delivery, excellent customer ratings, and regular catalog optimization.

References

1. ONDC Official Website – https://ondc.org
2. ONDC Network Statistics – https://network.ondc.org
3. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) – https://dpiit.gov.in
4. India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF): E-commerce Industry Report – https://www.ibef.org/industry/ecommerce.aspx
5. Statista: Global B2B E-commerce Market – https://www.statista.com
6. Grand View Research: B2B E-commerce Market Size – https://www.grandviewresearch.com
7. Mordor Intelligence: India E-commerce Market Report – https://www.mordorintelligence.com
8. Inc42: ONDC and Digital Commerce Reports – https://inc42.com

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