The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) has announced the launch of Saarthi, a reference application designed to empower businesses in creating their own customized buyer-side apps.
Developed in collaboration with Bhashini, an advanced AI-driven language translation tool, Saarthi leverages a voice-first approach to offer a more inclusive and accessible digital commerce experience.
Saarthi serves as a robust framework for Network Participants, facilitating seamless integration with ONDC while providing cutting-edge multilingual capabilities.
Initially, the application supports five languages—Hindi, English, Marathi, Bangla, and Tamil—with plans to expand to all 22 languages supported by Bhashini.
This extensive language support aims to help businesses deliver personalized and localized shopping experiences, effectively bridging language barriers and enhancing accessibility across India.
Key features of Saarthi include real-time translation, transliteration, and voice recognition, which collectively enable businesses to reach new markets and boost customer acquisition.
By offering personalized user experiences, Saarthi not only increases customer engagement and loyalty but also potentially leads to higher conversion rates and reduced support costs.
This is particularly advantageous for businesses targeting underserved regions where language barriers have previously limited e-commerce adoption.
Designed for scalability and ease of integration, Saarthi ensures that businesses can benefit from continuous updates and the latest security enhancements without additional development effort.
The application’s reliability is backed by extensive testing and expertise, making it a dependable solution for diverse business needs.
T Koshy, MD & CEO of ONDC, highlighted the significance of Saarthi: “The launch of Saarthi is a pivotal development in our journey towards a more inclusive digital commerce landscape. By providing a reference application that enables businesses to create multilingual buyer apps, we are breaking down language barriers and opening up new avenues for engagement and growth. This initiative aligns with our commitment to democratize access to e-commerce, ensuring that businesses of all sizes can connect with customers across India’s diverse linguistic spectrum.”
Amitabh Nag, CEO of Bhashini, emphasized the impact of the collaboration: “Collaborating with ONDC on Saarthi underscores Bhashini’s dedication to overcoming language barriers in digital commerce.At Bhashini, our aim is to make multilingual voice communication a universal medium, breaking language barriers across various domains beyond text and images.Our advanced language technology is designed to empower businesses to build applications that reflect the rich linguistic diversity of India. Through this collaboration, we are not only enhancing e-commerce accessibility but also setting a new standard for inclusivity in the digital marketplace.”
The launch of Saarthi also coincides with the recent Bhashini Sprint—a hackathon focused on advancing language technology and digital inclusion.
This event has sparked discussions on addressing linguistic challenges and supports the broader goals of Saarthi by fostering innovation and improving digital accessibility.
About ONDC:
The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), established on December 31, 2021, is an initiative of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.
ONDC is designed to foster open, unbundled, and interoperable Open Networks to revolutionize digital commerce and expand retail e-commerce penetration in India.
About Bhashini:
Launched by Honourable Prime Minister of India in July 2022, Bhashini aims to bridge language and digital divides by providing technology translation services in 22 Indian languages.
Bhashini offers a range of services including Speech to Speech, Text to Text, and Speech to Text translations, along with a dataset repository and crowd-sourcing platform Bhasha Daan.
