Indonesia, March 8, 2021 – To commemorate International Women’s Day, Tokopedia shares a couple of inspirational stories of two female local entrepreneurs, Winarti Handayani and Eveline Wirawan, who persevered in maintaining their business in the midst of a pandemic through the use of technology.
Head of Category Development Tokopedia, Falah Fakhriyah said, “Tokopedia is committed to always making it available and possible in providing a stage for local businesses, including female MSMEs in the local fashion sector, to continue to adapt even in the midst of a pandemic.”
Falah added, “Given that MSMEs contribute more than 60% of Indonesia’s GDP, it is believed that they hold the key to encourage Indonesian economic recovery.”
Winarti Handayani-Kamalika Artprints, Rises Again with Tokopedia
Winarti Handayani (42) started her career as a painter and illustrator for children’s books until she founded Kamalika Artprints in 2013. Through her business, she sells various products including greeting cards, stationery and hand-painted bags.
At the beginning of the pandemic, Winarti had to face the harsh reality. All of her offline shops were forced to close until the turnover fell quite drastically. Winarti immediately adapted quickly by utilizing digital platforms such as Tokopedia in April 2020.
“My team and I have finally started to make product innovations that are more relevant to the community needs in the midst of the pandemic. Apart from greeting cards, now Kamalika Artprints also sells cloth masks, aprons, outerwear, skirts and home decor products,” she added.
Kamalika Artprints sales gradually improved—even the number of employees also increased. “Now 100% of transactions are made through Tokopedia. Our store transactions increased by more than 30x in December 2020 when compared to the first month that the store opened on Tokopedia (April 2020). Even our products have reached Kalimantan and Sulawesi,” said Winarti.
Winarti also shared tips with female entrepreneurs who are building their businesses, “Work diligently and continue to innovate according to market developments. This is the key to surviving the pandemic,” said Winarti.
Eveline Wirawan-Kitakita Pajamas, Uses Tokopedia to Maintain Business Operations
Starting from her love for sleepwear, Eveline Wirawan (26) started the Kitakita pajama business in 2018. Currently, Eveline employs 8 employees from the surrounding community who help from production to packaging process.
Eveline admitted that Tokopedia’s presence really helped her business process become easier and more efficient. “Since joining in March 2020, almost 100% of Kitakita’s sales have come from Tokopedia. Our monthly turnover has also doubled,” added Eveline.
She also often makes product innovations to maintain their relevance with the market. “We have worked with fabric craftsmen from Bali for a collection of tiedye motif pajamas. Besides being able to help local craftsmen, this collaboration also created products with Kitakita’s signature motifs,” explained Eveline.
In running her business, Eveline doesn’t forget to remain aware of the environment. “We started using environmentally friendly packaging. We were also involved in the donation action with one of the environmental organizations,” she explained.
Eveline shows hope for local businesses, especially female MSMEs. “In the current technology era, everyone has the same opportunity to build a business. Women must have the courage to start and be observant in seeing business opportunities even in the midst of the pandemic,” she concluded.
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