In India, over 12 million sellers rely on selling or reselling products and services, yet only 15,000 (0.125 per cent) have tapped into e-commerce. According to the latest National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) data, only 24 per cent of rural Indian households have access to the internet, compared to a 66 per cent penetration in cities. This leaves many, particularly those in small towns and rural areas, without access to online retail. Giving space to Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), which aims to boost ecommerce penetration from the current 4.3 per cent to its full potential by facilitating the widespread inclusion of sellers of all types and sizes.
In a recent interview with BW Businessworld, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Adya, Shayak Mazumdar, drew a vision of how his company is helping to leverage technology to penetrate inclusivity. He explained the AI potential through which Adya aims to make digital commerce more accessible and inclusive by providing tools that simplify the process for businesses and consumers.
Bridging The Digital Divide
Traditional ecommerce platforms, charge hefty commissions—averaging 35-50 per cent and allegedly do not give a fair chance to be shown at the top of these platforms. Less penetration of digital education has toughened the job for individuals to avail and run their platform.
However, ONDC aims to reduce costs significantly, enabling sellers to retain a larger share of their revenues and democratising the buyer and seller ecosystem. Adya CEO said that the company is positioning itself as a key player in this ecosystem by developing a platform called Atma, which facilitates the rapid creation of various applications tailored to specific industries, such as retail and education. This platform promises to eliminate the lengthy development cycles that typically take 12-18 months, allowing businesses to launch their applications within an hour.
He said, “16,000 companies are trying to create their applications on the protocol. But they are finding it very difficult to build. We built Atmanirbhar Technology Marketplace (Atma) on ONDC. One goes there and says, I want a retail buyer app and within an hour, it becomes an app for you.”
Empowering Businesses With AI
The CEO highlighted Adya’s dual approach to integrating AI into digital commerce. Through a second platform named Vanage, businesses can easily create AI-driven solutions without extensive technical expertise. This includes optimising graphics processing unit (GPU) resources in collaboration with major tech firms like Nvidia and Microsoft, ensuring that applications run efficiently.
Furthermore, Mazumdar said that Adya is developing its large language models designed to significantly lower operational costs compared to existing solutions like OpenAI and Gemini. By doing so, it aims to democratise access to advanced AI technologies, making it feasible for smaller businesses to harness the power of AI without breaking the bank.
Looking To The Future
The CEO of Adya emphasised the transformative trends shaping the future of digital commerce, particularly the emergence of AI. Highlighting the shift from traditional servers to GPU-based infrastructure, the CEO noted that AI is redefining operating systems and applications. Major players like Meta and Apple are introducing AI-driven operating systems that adapt to user needs in real-time. This evolution allows applications to generate their interfaces and logic on the fly, enhancing user experience.
He said, “Earlier, operating systems used to be hard-coded. Now, operating systems are understanding what you want and creating that on the fly. The applications generate the screen, generating the logic, code, and everything, on the fly. So that the end user will come and say, I want to do this and it will be ready there. So, how do we create these kinds of applications which have conversational capabilities, that is what we are shipping.”
As India seeks to enhance ecommerce accessibility for its vast network of sellers, Adya is actively contributing to this digital transformation, through platforms like Atma and Vanag. With ONDC's objective to increase ecommerce penetration, Adya's focus on fostering inclusivity and streamlining digital commerce could provide new opportunities for sellers, especially in underserved regions.
