The Beta AI suite for DigiHaat streamlines the seller journey through three key features: Indian language cataloguing for localised communication, automated listing technology that generates descriptions and pricing from photos, and logistics intelligence to optimise last-mile delivery and minimise returns.
“Our premise is straightforward: A karigar (artist) in Moradabad or a kisan (farmer) in Vidarbha should not need a digital marketing team to compete effectively online. We believe AI must do that heavy lifting to bridge the digital divide,” says Rahul Vij, chief operating officer of DigiHaat. “These tools are designed to bridge the digital capability gap between large organised sellers and producers who are new to ecommerce.”
DigiHaat is a marketplace developed by Nirmit Bharat, a non-profit subsidiary of the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), that connects independent applications for buyers, sellers, and logistics. In addition to DigiHaat, Nirmit Bharat has launched mobility platforms Bharat Taxi and Namma Yatri, enabling over 100,000 sellers across more than 120 cities. It receives about 150,000 daily orders across more than 25 product categories.
Since its launch in October 2024, DigiHaat has gained significant traction by onboarding thousands of sellers from underserved regions — including women entrepreneurs and self-help groups — across sectors like handicrafts, agricultural produce, and lifestyle goods. While major ecommerce platforms charge commissions as high as 40 per cent, rendering them unprofitable for micro retailers, DigiHaat provides a viable digital alternative for those previously restricted to local offline sales.
By leveraging the ONDC protocol, DigiHaat decentralises the value chain into independent buyer, seller, and logistics modules. This architecture enables significantly lower commissions — 2 per cent to 3 per cent for seller apps and 2 per cent to 5 per cent for buyer apps — and incentivises small producers and retailers to join the platform.
These efforts have catalysed category-specific pilots, such as Jaipur’s block-print textiles, Bastar’s bronze castings, Kashmiri shawls, and Sikkim’s organic produce. By building geography-tied, brand-focused catalogues, these initiatives provide buyers with authentic access to India’s diverse heritage products.
AI-powered forecasting tools predict demand, optimise inventory, and streamline logistics. By analysing historical sales data and real-time trends, these tools prevent stockouts and reduce overstock — improving supply chain efficiency while lowering costs. Currently, AI chatbots resolve 70 per cent of inquiries, and 94 per cent of refunds are processed automatically. Upcoming developments include SahAI, a voice-enabled multilingual bot for seamless ordering, and AI-powered catalogues and design tools tailored for select One District One Product clusters.
Agentic AI in commerce will enable systems to autonomously make decisions and optimise experiences in real time. These systems manage personalised product flows, automate backend inventory, and continuously learn from outcomes — significantly reducing the need for human oversight. While major ecommerce brands currently leverage AI for smarter search and inventory optimisation, many platforms now offer tools for AI-driven upselling, cross-selling, and automated content generation without requiring technical expertise. DigiHaat aims to empower a new generation of small producers with these capabilities, ensuring they benefit from rapidly expanding online markets.
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