Jakarta, March 24, 2021 – Research from the Institute for Economic and Social Research, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia (LPEM FEB UI) in 2020 reveals that 7 out of 10 business owners in Tokopedia experienced an increase in sales volume with a median of 133%.
The research entitled “MSMEs Survive, Grow and Thrive during the Pandemic through Digital Adoption” proved that the collaboration between Tokopedia and Indonesians had a major impact on the Indonesian economy during the pandemic.
The research revealed three provinces with the biggest increase in income during the pandemic, namely NTB (144.6%), Central Sulawesi (73.4%) and South Sulawesi (73.3%).
Meanwhile, the three provinces with the highest increase in the number of business owners in Tokopedia during the pandemic were Bali (66.2%), Yogyakarta (42.2%) and DKI Jakarta (28.3%).
Director of Public Policy and Government Relations Tokopedia, Astri Wahyuni, said, “The pandemic has accelerated digital transformation in various sectors. Digitalization and technology are no longer just added values, but have rapidly developed into a necessity to answer the challenges of the pandemic.”
“Tokopedia is committed to being #AlwaysAvailableAlwaysPossible (#SelaluAdaSelaluBisa) in making it easier for people to fulfill their daily needs to create opportunities through the use of technology, especially in the midst of the pandemic,” added Astri.
Head of LPEM FEB UI, Riatu Mariatul Qibthiyyah, explained, “68.6% of business owners who joined Tokopedia during the pandemic were the sole breadwinners in the family.”
76.4% of business owners said that having the ease to manage their business was the main reason for joining Tokopedia. During the pandemic, there were 90% of micro-scale business owners on Tokopedia.
Astri, on the other hand, said, “Based on Tokopedia’s internal data, there is an increase in the number of business owners from 7.2 million before the pandemic January 2020 to more than 10 million business owners today.”
Bali Alus is an example of a local MSME who experienced an increase in sales during the pandemic. “Since the pandemic, 80% of our sales come from Tokopedia. “Our sales also increased almost 3x compared to the period before the pandemic,” said Bali Alus owner, Ni Kadek Eka Citrawati.
Pandemic Changes Indonesians’ Consumption Patterns
Online shopping is increasingly becoming an alternative for people to meet their needs while reducing the risk of spreading the virus in crowded places. “The average monthly expenditure of consumers before and during the pandemic on Tokopedia had increased by 71%,” explained Riatu.
LPEM FEB UI’s research also revealed that Indonesians’ transactions to fulfill health needs, hobbies and bills increase during a pandemic.
“Tokopedia as an online shopping platform is increasingly relied on by various groups. These new consumers include housewives, students, online application partners, self-employed entrepreneurs and freelancers, which have increased during the pandemic,” added Riatu.
Astri also added, “Tokopedia saw a growth in the number of monthly active users from more than 90 million before the pandemic (January 2020) to more than 100 million today.”
Furthermore, LPEM FEB UI research noted that verified e-wallets and mobile/internet banking were the two most registered financial products during the pandemic. In addition, transactions via virtual accounts and e-wallets are also widely chosen during the pandemic.
Going Forward: Tokopedia’s Next Strategy
Tokopedia hopes that more parties will collaborate aggressively in helping business owners in Indonesia, especially local MSMEs, continue to contribute to restoring the economy. Given that MSMEs contribute more than 60% of Indonesia’s GDP.
Going forward, Tokopedia will continue to prioritize five main pillars in driving business development, namely (1) strengthening the foundation, (2) innovations focusing on consumer needs, (3) expanding data utilization, (4) using artificial intelligence (AI) technology and (5) implementing a framework that is financially optimal.
“Indonesia, which consists of more than 17 thousand islands, will continue to be the main focus of Tokopedia. Therefore, Tokopedia is committed to be more relevant for Indonesia,” closed Astri.
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About Tokopedia
Tokopedia, as an Indonesian technology company, has a mission to democratize commerce through technology. Tokopedia’s vision is to build a Super Ecosystem where anyone can start and discover anything. To this day, Tokopedia has empowered millions of merchants and users across the marketplace and digital goods, financial technology and payment, logistics and fulfillment, including Mitra Tokopedia.
Media Contact
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