Meta partners with Indian govt-backed ONDC to support small businesses on WhatsApp

Social media giant Meta today announced it has partnered with the Indian government-backed Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to enable and educate small businesses in building seamless conversational buyer and seller experiences on WhatsApp through its business and technical solution providers. 

As part of the partnership, ONDC will help these business solution providers become seller apps, bringing the businesses they service onto the ONDC network and helping them drive commerce.

Upskilling 500K+ MSMEs

Meta said it will digitally upskill five lakh MSMEs through the Meta Small Business Academy over the next two years. 

The development is part of its goal 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 its apps.

Helping MSME build digital visibility 

“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. S partnership with Meta will not only digitally upskill these businesses but will also enable them to connect with a customer base far and wide” – 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.” – Sandhya Devanathan, Vice President, Meta in India

Providing Sahayak's support

It will also support Sahayak, ONDC’s WhatsApp chatbot, in enhancing the services offered on the bot as the single point of seller communication and customer communication for ONDC.

Earlier this year, Meta launched the ‘WhatsApp Se Wyapaar’ program to upskill 10 million traders across 29 states in 11 Indian languages on the WhatsApp Business app. The company claims that it has more than 200 million users of the WhatsApp Business app worldwide, and more than 60% of people on WhatsApp in India message a business account.

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