Popular Product Categories Available on the ONDC Platform (2026 Edition)

 


The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is built as a horizontal, open digital commerce network, very similar in spirit to UPI—but for e-commerce. Instead of one dominant marketplace controlling buyers, sellers, pricing, and visibility, ONDC unbundles commerce into buyer apps, seller apps, logistics, and payments—allowing each to compete independently.

Why this matters (some real ecosystem context)

  • Cumulative Milestone: ONDC hit over 20.4 crore total transactions by March 2025, with 1.6 crore orders processed that month alone
  • Over 70% of current demand comes from non-metro and Tier 2–3 cities
  • Seller Expansion: Over 7.6 lakh sellers and service providers joined by March 2025, with 85% small businesses across 1,200+ cities
  • The fastest adoption is seen in grocery, food, and daily-need categories
  • MSMEs, kirana stores, restaurants, and D2C brands are the biggest beneficiaries

Below is a category-wise, data-rich breakdown of popular product categories on ONDC, along with active buyer apps and seller apps enabling commerce in each segment.

1. Grocery & Daily Essentials

This is the largest and fastest-scaling category on ONDC, contributing a significant share of total orders.

What sells here

  • Rice, atta, pulses, cooking oils
  • Fruits & vegetables
  • Milk, curd, bread, dairy products
  • Packaged foods & beverages
  • Cleaning & household essentials

Why grocery works exceptionally well on ONDC

  • 60–70% of orders are fulfilled within a 5–7 km radius
  • Hyperlocal discovery strongly favors nearby kirana stores
  • Faster delivery (often same-day or under 2 hours)
  • Lower commissions improve kirana profitability

👥 Ideal sellers: Kirana stores, local grocery chains, FMCG distributors

Buyer Apps

  • Paytm – Strong Tier 2–3 penetration, high UPI-driven grocery discovery
  • PhonePe – Deep hyperlocal mapping and store discovery
  • Pincode (by PhonePe) – Grocery-first buyer experience

ONDC Seller Platforms

  • ShopClues (ONDC-enabled) – For value-driven sellers
  • eSamudaay – Assisted commerce and community-led sellers
  • GoFrugal SellerApp – POS-integrated grocery stores

2. Food & Beverage (Restaurants & Cloud Kitchens)

ONDC food ordering is growing rapidly as restaurants look for alternatives to high-commission food aggregators.

Includes

  • Restaurants & cafés
  • Cloud kitchens
  • Bakeries & sweet shops
  • Ready-to-eat and meal boxes

Category data points

  • Restaurants save 8–15% per order compared to legacy aggregators
  • Local restaurants see higher repeat rates due to proximity
  • Commission sensitivity is extremely high in this segment

🍽️ Ideal sellers: Restaurants, QSRs, home chefs, cloud kitchens

Buyer Apps

  • Paytm – High repeat food-order behaviour
  • Magicpin – Strong local restaurant discovery
  • PhonePe – Growing food aggregation use case

Seller Platforms

  • Magicpin – Multi-outlet and hyperlocal food sellers
  • Uengage – Popular with QSRs and branded restaurants
  • Restroworks / Thrive (ONDC-enabled) – POS-driven kitchens

3. Fashion & Apparel

ONDC is emerging as a strong discovery channel for regional, ethnic, and D2C fashion brands.

Includes

  • Men’s, women’s & kids’ apparel
  • Ethnic wear and regional textiles
  • Footwear
  • Accessories (bags, scarves, belts)

Key insights

  • Ethnic and regional brands outperform fast fashion
  • Sellers are not forced into discount-led sales
  • Handcrafted and artisan products get better visibility

👗 Ideal sellers: Boutiques, D2C brands, manufacturers, artisan collectives

Buyer Apps

  • Paytm – Strong non-metro apparel demand
  • Amazon (ONDC pilots) – Limited but expanding exposure
  • Emerging social & value-focused buyer apps

Seller Platforms

  • Costbo – MSME and D2C fashion sellers
  • Unicommerce (ONDC-ready) – Structured apparel brands
  • SellerSetu – Apparel and accessories-focused sellers

4. Electronics & Consumer Appliances

A high-AOV but lower-frequency category that is steadily expanding on ONDC.

Includes

  • Mobile phones & accessories
  • Laptops, tablets, peripherals
  • Home appliances (fans, mixers, TVs)
  • Small electronic gadgets

Category behaviour

  • Higher average order value
  • Buyer trust, ratings, and seller credibility matter more than discounts

🔌 Ideal sellers: Electronics retailers, distributors, refurb sellers

Buyer Apps

  • Paytm – Entry-level electronics & accessories
  • PhonePe – Local electronics store discovery

Seller Platforms

  • Costbo – Electronics retailers and distributors
  • Shiprocket (ONDC seller integrations) – Logistics-heavy electronics sellers
  • StoreHippo (ONDC) – Mid-size electronics brands

5. Beauty, Personal Care & Wellness

This category benefits from repeat purchases and strong D2C adoption.

Includes

  • Skincare & haircare products
  • Cosmetics & grooming items
  • Ayurvedic & herbal products
  • Personal hygiene products

Market insight

  • Indie and Ayurveda brands perform strongly
  • Repeat purchase rates are steadily increasing

💄 Ideal sellers: Beauty brands, wellness startups, Ayurveda sellers

Buyer Apps

  • Paytm – Mass-market wellness discovery
  • PhonePe – Local and Ayurveda-focused discovery

Seller Platforms

  • Costbo – Indie and Ayurveda brands
  • Zoho – Vikra (ONDC) – Structured D2C sellers
  • ChattyBao Technologies Pvt. Ltd. – Emerging wellness sellers

6. Health, Pharmacy & Medical Supplies

A compliance-driven and trust-sensitive category on ONDC.

Includes

  • OTC medicines
  • Prescription medicines (as permitted)
  • Medical devices
  • Health supplements

Category traits

  • Hyperlocal pharmacy discovery is critical
  • Faster fulfillment improves customer trust

🩺 Ideal sellers: Local pharmacies, medical stores, healthcare sellers

Buyer Apps

  • Paytm – OTC and wellness products
  • Banking buyer apps (pilot healthcare flows)

Seller Platforms

  • Costbo – Local pharmacy onboarding
  • Easy Pay Pvt. Ltd. (ONDC) – Health and essential sellers
  • Health-focused ONDC seller platforms (pilot)

7. Home & Kitchen

A broad lifestyle category with steady demand across metros and non-metros.

Includes

  • Cookware & kitchen tools
  • Home décor
  • Small to mid-size furniture
  • Storage & organization products

🏠 Ideal sellers: Manufacturers, wholesalers, lifestyle brands

Buyer Apps

  • Paytm
  • PhonePe

Seller Platforms

  • Costbo – Manufacturers and wholesalers
  • SellerSetu – Home & lifestyle sellers

8. Books, Stationery & Office Supplies

A stable category driven by education and institutional demand.

Seller Platforms

  • Costbo
  • GoFrugal SellerApp

9. Toys, Kids & Baby Products

Strong alignment with Made-in-India and regional manufacturing.

Seller Platforms

  • Costbo
  • Unicommerce (ONDC)

10. B2B & Wholesale Commerce

ONDC is increasingly relevant for GST-driven, bulk transactions.

Seller Platforms

  • Costbo – Wholesalers & distributors
  • SellerSetu – B2B-first sellers
  • Mystore (ONDC)
  • UdyamWell (ONDC) – MSME-focused sellers

11. Services (Emerging Category)

  • Mobility
  • Logistics
  • Local professional services (pilot stage)

Disclaimer :

The content of this blog was originally published on https://www.costbo.com/

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