Overview of Visibility Problems in the Indian E-Commerce Landscape

Visibility is a critical aspect of conducting business, particularly for retailers, buyers, sellers, and businesses in India. The ability to be seen by potential customers is the key to success in e-commerce, but unfortunately, the retail landscape in India presents several challenges that make it difficult for retailers to achieve the visibility they need. In this article, we will discuss the pain points faced by retailers and other stakeholders in India, the reasons behind these difficulties, and how online visibility on platforms like Amazon and Flipkart is influenced by advertising spending and inter-brand competition.

The Competitive and Evolving E-Commerce Landscape

The pain point faced by retailers in India is rooted in the highly competitive and rapidly evolving e-commerce landscape. With the rise of online shopping, retailers are facing increasing pressure to get their products in front of potential customers. This is particularly challenging in a market like India, where there is intense competition among retailers to capture consumer attention and where consumer preferences are constantly changing. As a result, retailers struggle to achieve the visibility they need to reach their target audience and drive sales.

The Level Playing Field in E-Commerce

Another challenge that retailers face in India is the level playing field that exists in the e-commerce space. In a highly competitive market, product offerings, location, and inventory can all impact online visibility. For example, a retailer with a large inventory of popular products may have an advantage over a retailer with a smaller inventory, while a retailer with a prime location may have better visibility than a retailer located in a less accessible area. These factors contribute to the difficulty faced by retailers in achieving the visibility they need to be successful in the online marketplace.

Dependence on Advertising Spending

Visibility on e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart is also dependent on money spent on advertisements. These platforms are highly competitive, with many brands vying for consumer attention. To achieve visibility, retailers must engage in advertising campaigns, which can be expensive and often require a significant investment. This creates an environment where the visibility of a retailer is largely dependent on the amount of money they are willing to spend on advertising. Brands with larger budgets have a greater advantage, as they can reach a wider audience and be seen by more potential customers.

The Advantages of ONDC for Visibility

This is where the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) comes in as a solution.

Greater Chances of Discovery on ONDC

As a seller on the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), your chances of discovery are significantly greater. ONDC does not require sellers and buyers to use the same platform or application to be discovered by each other. 

Connecting with Customers on Multiple Platforms


So long as they use the same open network, they can be visible to each other. This means that as a business, you can have visibility among buyers and connect with customers on a variety of applications and platforms.

Hyper-local Deliveries for Direct Consumer Access

ONDC also enables hyper-local deliveries, allowing businesses to make direct deliveries to consumers in their area. With access to a larger consumer base, ONDC will make e-commerce more accessible to small retailers, new sellers, and other small businesses. This will level the playing field and make it easier for small businesses to compete with larger companies in terms of visibility and sales.

Search as a Service (SaaS) and Better Visibility on ONDC

The best Buyer apps on the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) use Search as a Service (SaaS) AI to help businesses achieve better and smarter visibility. Search requests are a critical component of the order processing operation in the ONDC network. In a decentralized network like ONDC, optimizing search requests is a unique challenge that requires an efficient algorithm.

The Efficient Algorithm for Optimizing Search Requests

Standard search requests can have several problems when it comes to optimizing them for local and global use cases. Some of these problems include language and cultural differences, location-specific results, regional variations, and a lack of personalization. To address these issues, Eunimart proposes a new order processing algorithm for ONDC networks that uses clustering based on the coupled birth-death process of different members of the system. This algorithm is called Dynamic Order Processing.

Dynamic Order Processing for Relevant and Accurate Results

Dynamic Order Processing ensures that search requests are optimized for local and global use cases by taking into account language and cultural differences, prioritizing location-specific results, considering regional variations, and incorporating personalization. This results in the most relevant, accurate, and top visibility of products upon search on ONDC.

Conclusion: ONDC is a Game-Changer for Indian E-Commerce Visibility.

In conclusion, the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) offers a solution to the visibility problem faced by retailers, buyers, sellers, and businesses in India. The visibility of businesses and products on e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart is dependent on the money spent on advertisements, which leads to inter-brand competition. However, ONDC removes this barrier and offers a level playing field where businesses and products can be discovered without the need to spend money on advertisements. ONDC operates on a decentralized network, enabling sellers and buyers to connect with each other through a variety of platforms and applications, regardless of whether they use the same platform or not. This can help businesses reach a larger consumer base and improve their online visibility.

Moreover, ONDC offers Search as a Service (SaaS) that helps with better and smarter visibility by optimizing search requests. This optimization is crucial for order processing in the ONDC network and ensures that the search results are relevant, accurate, and top-visibility products. The new order processing algorithm, Dynamic Order Processing, uses clustering based on the coupled birth-death process of different members of the system and addresses the problems faced by standard search requests, such as language and cultural differences, location-specific results, regional variations, and personalization.