India, June 15 -- India's neighbourhood kirana stores form the backbone of the country's retail economy. More than 1.4 Cr kirana stores account for nearly 75-80% of FMCG sales, making general trade the dominant channel for consumer goods distribution.

Yet, despite their scale, most kirana stores continue to rely on fragmented ordering systems, manual sales processes and limited inventory visibility. Orders are often placed through distributor sales representatives, over phone calls or via informal channels, leaving retailers with little visibility into stock availability, promotional schemes or delivery timelines.

Now, the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), along with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (D...