Today we announced our partnership with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to enable and educate small businesses in building seamless conversational buyer and seller experiences on WhatsApp through an ecosystem of our business and technical solution providers. As part of this collaboration, ONDC will help these business solution providers become seller apps, bringing the businesses they service onto the ONDC network and helping them drive commerce.
To kick-off the partnership, over the next two years, we will also digitally upskill five lakh MSMEs through the Meta Small Business Academy. Born out of our commitment to up-skill 10 million small businesses across the country, Meta Small Business Academy offers a certification to empower entrepreneurs and marketers to gain critical digital marketing skills to grow on our apps.
“At ONDC, we are committed to accelerating and democratizing the digital landscape and towards that, we aim to empower MSMEs, help them build digital visibility, and boost their businesses. Today, for any business to grow, it is critical for them to market themselves and reach a wider audience. Our partnership with Meta will not only digitally upskill these businesses but will also enable them to connect with a customer base far and wide. I am confident that our collaborative efforts will pave the way for millions of small businesses by providing them with the right impetus for growth.” – T Koshy, MD & CEO of ONDC
“India’s digital transformation story is unfolding at a revolutionary pace, and for this growth to continue, we need the right ecosystem and partnerships that enable millions of small businesses to build and deepen their digital presence. Meta has been a frontrunner in partnering with the government and the industry to advance digital inclusion, especially for MSMEs across India. Our partnership with ONDC builds on supporting the government’s vision for Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and furthering our ongoing commitment to skilling small businesses and aiding this rapid digital transformation and growth story in the country.” – Sandhya Devanathan, Vice President, Meta in India
As part of the partnership, we will also support Sahayak, ONDC’s WhatApp chatbot, in enhancing the services offered on the bot as the single point of seller communication and customer communication for ONDC.
Earlier this year, we launched ‘WhatsApp Se Wyapaar’ program to upskill 10 million traders across 29 states in 11 Indian languages on the WhatsApp Business app. Today, there are more than 200 million users of the WhatsApp Business app across the world, and more than 60% of people on WhatsApp in India message a business account.