India gears up for DigiDukaan expansion to transform General Trade

India is preparing for DigiDukaan's expansion to digitally transform its General Trade ecosystem. Hosted by DPIIT and ONDC, a roundtable discussed empowering 1.4 crore kirana stores and addressing inefficiencies in the FMCG value chain.

India is gearing up for DigiDukaan's expansion as industry participants discuss digital transformation of India's General Trade ecosystem, as per a statement by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

According to the release, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), collaborating with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), hosted the CPG Roundtable - Bharat Commerce Chintan Shivir on Friday. "The roundtable brought together leaders from leading consumer goods companies, distributor networks, technology providers and logistics partners to discuss the digital transformation of India's General Trade ecosystem," the release added.

The Current State of General Trade

Currently, India's General Trade ecosystem, encompassing over 1.4 crore kirana stores, contributes nearly 75-80 per cent of FMCG sales. Yet, a large part of this network still relies on fragmented ordering systems, limited inventory visibility, and manual sales processes, leading to inefficiencies for retailers, distributors, and brands alike.

Benefits of DigiDukaan

DigiDukaan helps kirana stores boost margins by enabling direct procurement, offering greater visibility into schemes, better fill rates, and improved working capital management. For distributors, it expands market reach without extra field costs through digitised orders and collections, while enhancing retailer coverage. Brands benefit from direct access to retailer demand signals, shop-level data, and more efficient deployment and tracking of promotional schemes.

Early Success and Expansion Roadmap

According to the release DigiDukaan has gained early traction in Hyderabad, where more than 10,000 retailers and over 35 brands have been onboarded through Qwipo. DigiDukaan is scheduled to launch in Jaipur on 19 June 2026 through Salescode, with expansion planned across Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi-NCR in the coming months, as per release.

Addressing Ecosystem Challenges

As per the release, industry leaders discussed key challenges facing the General Trade ecosystem, including fragmented retailer engagement, rising sales-force costs, inventory inefficiencies, limited visibility into secondary sales and increasing competition from digital-first retail models. "Participants also explored how open digital infrastructure can improve retailer access, distributor productivity, demand planning and scheme effectiveness across the FMCG value chain," it added. (ANI)

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