Listing Guidelines & Sorting Order Policy

Version 0.3

Effective Date- 25 Sept, 2023

This version supersedes the earlier draft with changes as inline with ONDC Network Policies support.

Full version is published herewith for reference and version control for future modifications.

Version History

1. Basic Guidelines & Best Practices for Sellers to list their products on Paytm via ONDC
2. Network Health Monitoring & Routine Performance Checks
3. Sorting Order for Sellers & Products
4. Frequently Asked Questions

1. Basic Guidelines & Best Practices for Sellers to list their products on Paytm via ONDC

These guidelines are applicable across all categories, including but not limited to- Food & Beverages, Grocery, Home & Kitchen, Pharmacy, Electronics, Fashion and Beauty & Personal Care. These rules may be extended to other categories depending on the category dynamics as they get launched on the network. Below are some General Guidelines & Best Practices expected to be followed by Seller Network partners:

1. Follow general guidelines & policies defined by ONDC for listing of products
2. Be active on the most recent API contract version as specified by ONDC
3. Have necessary and scalable tech infrastructure in place for Cataloging, Order Acceptance & fulfillment, Logistics Assignment (on Network or Off network), Customer Support etc. to be able to cater to current and future scale of orders
4. Ensure that all listed products have been mapped to correct categories with clear images through which a product is clearly visible and all mandatory criteria as defined in the API contract. Recommended size for images is 500x500 pixels for appropriate visibility on display screens however lower image sizes may also be accepted as long as product and relevant information is clearly visible. 
5. Tech integration with the ONDC network & API certification by ONDC either directly or through a certified Seller Network Partner
6. Have inventory, Pricing & other required details pertaining to products & listings updated through the API Response
7. Set up Store operational timings & holiday information configured through API response
8. Maintain Operational performance standards - Pricing, Logistics, Customer Support & Catalog Update in line with Market practices

Once you fulfill the above criteria, your catalog qualifies the basic requirements for listings on the Paytm-ONDC Store and you may get in touch with your respective Seller App representative to list your products on Paytm

2. Network Health Monitoring & Routine Performance Checks

To maintain network health & ensuring that Seller Apps & Sellers are constantly delivering remarkable standards of service, Paytm routinely reviews seller performance and takes necessary actions. The factors taken into considerations for reviewing the performance are - Catalog Quality, API performance, Customer Service standards & Operational performance. Based on the above criteria, Paytm Buyer App may take certain actions to ensure a good experience for the Buyers. 

The Actions may include:

1. Temporary block on a sellers catalog
   1. With cooling off period - the seller may be temporarily be shown as unavailable for order or de-listed for a specified period of time 
   2. With need for rectification from Seller/ Seller App for unblocking. Once the issue highlighted has been rectified, the Seller App will send a confirmation on the same along with the corrective actions taken to ensure that such issues do not recur and request Paytm for a re-evaluation. 
2. Blacklisting/ Permanent Block 

Below table highlights the nature of issues which warrant an action from Paytm. Sellers can take necessary corrective steps to request for re-evaluation or wait for automatic reactivation after a cooling off period. The Redressal mechanism depends on the nature & gravity of default.

Please note that the release of any temporary or permanent block will be at the sole discretion of Paytm. Given the early stage of the network the thresholds of the parameters may change dynamically and therefore, are not predefined. 

Notes:

1. Minimum threshold for orders for enforcing temporary or permanent hold on sellers is 10 orders across all categories
2. For any action initiated on Customer Support tickets; Minimum threshold would be 10 Tickets
3. Certain conditions may apply specifically to seller and/or seller Apps. These conditions are updated against relevant sections in the document
4. Certain relaxations may be given to Large merchants and merchants sponsored by Govt bodies and agencies. These relaxations may be given for a stipulated period of time and applicable on a case to case basis.

3. Sorting Order for Sellers & Products

Paytm follows an objective criteria to create a sort logic on the default category landing pages basis customers’ expectations, needs & requests. These inputs are derived on the basis of:

1. Industry Experience
2. Customer Search Keywords
3. API Feedback
4. Natural Selection

The parameters defined for each category may differ as per nuances of each category and are defined below:

These metrics are reviewed at the end of each calendar month for all sellers and the score is assigned for the subsequent month. It is expected that these metrics will become a part of a machine learning model in the near future and scoring will happen via algorithms on trailing 30 day performance i.e Scoring to be revised automatically each day basis seller’s performance history

Sellers are advised to track performance metrics against each parameter carefully and boost their chance of featuring on top of the ranking algorithm.

Note:

1. For any seller listed across categories, 10 (Ten) orders is considered as a minimum threshold for qualification under the Sorting order policy. Till the minimum threshold, sellers are assigned a Default score on ‘On time Delivery %’ metrics. 
2. For any new Seller NPs onboarded or the Overall order volume is  < 10 orders, the algorithm assigns an average value to the seller NP and is passed on to all Sellers operating through the respective seller NP on Operational parameters.
3. Paytm accepts and acknowledges that the network is ever evolving with new use cases being tested and implemented by both Buyer and Seller Apps. Therefore, there may be overrides to the policy under below conditions:

4. Frequently Asked Questions

Q- I have completed the certification process but My store is not visible on Paytm?

A- There may be a few reasons why a store may not be visible on Paytm

• If you are a new seller- You may want to check the catalog for mandatory attributes on the catalog. If the products do not have mandatory attributes such as Minimum number of images, FSSAI details etc. the catalog will not be displayed on the front end. A store without any items is not displayed 
• If you are an existing seller- You may want to review your order API response log or fulfillment history. Check if adverse spike in API Errors or Fulfillment metrics or OTD performance has led to a temporary or permanent hold on the catalog.

 In case of an auto review, the catalog would be made live after a cooling off period while in other cases, you may need to reach out to the respective Paytm SPOC to submit the corrective actions taken in order for the catalog to be enabled again.

Q- My Stores are not showing on the top on the default category page?

A- The sorting order is a combination of several factors as described in the Sorting order parameters. You may want to check the Key Metrics as described to find out reasons for ascribing a lower score on the sort order page. Improvement in Key Metrics will automatically boost seller’s position in the periodic review cycle

Q- My Catalog was put under Temporary Hold, what should I do to get my listings back?

A- Poor Quality catalog is a key reason for listings to be taken down. The detailed reasons are available in the catalog guidelines. You may evaluate and improve the quality of your listings by providing high pixel images, Upload content with mandatory & optional parameters (wherever possible) to create the best display possible for the customers.

Once these changes are available on the network, Please reach out to your Paytm SPOC for review and subsequent removal of Hold on the catalog.

Q- I had issues with the supply chain due to which I had several customer complaints post-delivery, I have taken corrective steps to ensure this does not happen again. How do I get my listings back up again?

A- Customer Experience is of utmost importance & we will enforce stringent actions on sellers who display a poor track record in our periodic reviews. Sellers may connect with the Paytm SPOC to provide a detailed RCA of issues leading to complaints along with corrective actions. Repeated issues may lead to blacklisting of the sellers.

Any decision taken by Paytm with regards to blocking or unblocking of catalog will be final and binding on sellers.

Q- My store does not show up on the ‘Popularity’ feature on the Paytm app even when a customer is trying to place an order for a nearby location?

A- We have defined popularity as a measure of your store or Brands coverage of pin codes within a given city. Example- If you are an outlet with a single store located in Pin Code 110001 and you only service 1 pin code, you will have a lower attributed score compared to a seller serving 5 pin codes. Therefore, a geographical coverage over multiple pin codes or Multi warehouse setup under a single brand name is a good way to feature on top in the ‘sort by popular’ segment.