Jakarta, 16 September 2020 – SVP of Product Tokopedia, Ramesh Gururaja, selalu percaya bahwa pemanfaatan teknologi dapat menjawab segala tantangan dan membantu kehidupan masyarakat, tidak terkecuali lebih dari 9 juta penjual di Tokopedia, yang hampir 100% UMKM bahkan 94%nya berskala ultra mikro.
Ketertarikan Ramesh kepada dunia teknologi sejak kecil mengantarkannya ke banyak pengalaman bekerja belasan tahun di sejumlah perusahaan teknologi terkemuka, seperti Microsoft dan Amazon.
“Saya tertarik dengan dunia teknologi sejak di bangku SD di India. Saat itu, ruang komputer baru saja dibangun di sekolah saya. Ruangan tersebut terlihat sangat asing sehingga terus membuat saya penasaran. Keingintahuan ini mendorong saya mengejar pendidikan di bidang ilmu komputer,” jelas Ramesh.
“Walau saya lahir dan tumbuh di lingkungan yang sederhana, saya selalu percaya bahwa pendidikan adalah satu-satunya pintu yang bisa membawa saya kemana pun,” tambahnya.
Kini Ramesh menerapkan ilmu yang ia miliki untuk membimbing dan berkolaborasi bersama sekitar 300 Nakama (sebutan karyawan Tokopedia) di Tim Product Tokopedia dengan harapan dapat memberikan dampak positif dalam keseharian jutaan masyarakat Indonesia melalui Tokopedia.
“Peluang industri teknologi di Indonesia masih sangat besar. Perkembangan teknologi yang semakin pesat berbanding lurus dengan kebutuhan talenta digital yang semakin tinggi. Hal ini mendorong saya meneruskan perjalanan karir di perusahaan teknologi Indonesia, Tokopedia. Saya ingin mengembangkan talenta digital yang bisa memberikan nilai tambah agar Indonesia dapat bersaing di pasar digital,” jelas Ramesh.
Kemampuan memahami kebutuhan konsumen di era digital, menurut Ramesh, menjadi salah satu kunci menciptakan produk yang bermanfaat di masa depan. Hal ini akan membawa Tokopedia lebih dekat dengan terwujudnya misi pemerataan ekonomi secara digital di Indonesia.
Pengguna adalah Poros Inovasi
Ramesh menekankan bahwa kebutuhan pengguna adalah poros dalam menciptakan inovasi produk. Hal ini demi menghadirkan pengalaman terbaik, berangkat dari salah satu nilai Tokopedia, yaitu Focus on Consumer. “Terlepas dari strategi apapun yang dilakukan, yang terpenting adalah apakah pengguna mendapatkan manfaat dari produk yang dihadirkan Tokopedia,” lanjut Ramesh.
Dari sisi penjual ia dan tim terus bekerja keras menyediakan berbagai tools untuk membantu para penjual memulai bisnis secara online, membantu penjual bertransisi dari offline ke online, menawarkan berbagai fitur praktis agar penjual dapat menjalankan bisnis dengan efisien dan memberikan berbagai rekomendasi untukmengembangkan bisnis.
“Kami menawarkan berbagai strategi dalam menentukan harga agar penjual tidak tergeser di pasar karena harga yang tidak tepat, memberikan rekomendasi mengenai persediaan produk apa dan dimana yang perlu dilakukan, serta kemampuan menceritakan dan mempromosikan penawaran dan brand para penjual sesuai dengan kebutuhan pelanggan,” tambah Ramesh.
Bahkan di tengah pandemi, Ramesh menghadirkan pengalaman onboarding sederhana, serta menghadirkan platform khusus, sehingga memungkinkan setiap masyarakat Indonesia untuk dapat memulai bisnis online dengan lebih mudah.
Dari sisi pembeli, Ramesh dan tim terus memastikan masyarakat mendapat kemudahan, mulai dari mencari produk, melihat ulasan, membeli produk hingga dikirim sampai ke depan pintu rumah. Misalnya, mulai dari halaman depan Tokopedia, pengguna dapat menemukan berbagai produk sesuai kebutuhan masing-masing. Tokopedia menghadirkan pengalaman yang terpersonalisasi.
“Tokopedia juga berkolaborasi dengan berbagai mitra strategis, seperti pemerintah, pegiat usaha lintas sektor dan mitra strategis lain, untuk terus memastikan masyarakat dapat memanfaatkan layanan Tokopedia seperti biasa dalam memenuhi kebutuhan sehari-hari tanpa harus keluar rumah. Hal ini juga dilakukan Tokopedia dalam rangka bertransformasi menjadi Super Ecosystem,” lanjut Ramesh.
***
Tentang Tokopedia
Tokopedia, perusahaan teknologi Indonesia, memiliki misi mencapai pemerataan ekonomi secara digital. Visi Tokopedia adalah membangun sebuah Super Ecosystem dimana siapa pun bisa memulai dan menemukan apa pun. Saat ini, Tokopedia memberdayakan jutaan penjual dan pengguna melalui marketplace dan produk digital, fintech dan pembayaran, logistik dan fulfillment, serta Mitra Tokopedia.
Kontak MediaTim PR Tokopedia | pr@tokopedia.com
ENGLISH VERSION
Ramesh Gururaja Focuses on Developing Indonesia’s Technology Ecosystem through Tokopedia
Jakarta, 16 September 2020 – SVP of Product Tokopedia, Ramesh Gururaja, always believes that technology can answer all challenges and help make people’s lives much more convenient. It includes more than 9 million sellers on Tokopedia, of which almost 100% are MSMEs, and 94% are ultra-micro.
Since childhood, Ramesh’s interest in technology led him to many decades of experience building his career at several world-class technology companies, such as Microsoft and Amazon.
“The world of technology has always intrigued me since I was in elementary school in India. At that time, one of the classrooms at my school had just received several new computers. The room looked so foreign that it triggered my curiosity. This prompted me to pursue an education in computer science,” explained Ramesh.
“Even though I was born and grew up in a simple environment, I always believed that education was the only door that could take me anywhere,” he added.
Now Ramesh has been applying that knowledge to mentor and collaborate with around 300 Nakama (nickname for Tokopedia employees) in the Tokopedia Product Team with the hopes of making an impact on the daily lives of millions of Indonesians through Tokopedia.
“There is still a very large potential for the technology industry to grow in Indonesia. The rapid development of technology is directly proportional to the increasing need for more digital talents. This encouraged me to continue my career path at the Indonesian technology company, Tokopedia. My goal is to nurture digital talents so that they can create value that helps Indonesians compete in the digital market,” explained Ramesh.
According to Ramesh, understanding digital-savvy customers and their needs is the key to creating products that will be resilient for the future. This will also bring Tokopedia closer to realizing its mission to democratize commerce in Indonesia through technology.
Consumers are the Axis of Innovation
Ramesh emphasized that consumer needs are the axis in creating product innovation to provide the best experience, departing from one of Tokopedia’s 3 DNA, namely Focus on Consumer. “Regardless of which strategy is undertaken, the most important thing is whether our consumers can benefit from the products experienced on Tokopedia,” continued Ramesh.
From the seller side, he and his team have been working hard to provide them with tools necessary to get started online, help them transition from offline to online, offer practical tools to operate their business efficiently, and provide recommendations to help them grow their business.
“We offer pricing strategies, so our sellers are not priced out of the market, recommendations on what and where to stock, story-telling ability, and promote their values and brands according to their customers’ needs,” Ramesh added.
Even in the midst of a pandemic, Ramesh helps sellers receive a simple and easy onboarding experience and receive a special platform, allowing any Indonesians to start an online business more easily.
From the buyer side, Ramesh and his team continuously ensure that Indonesians can experience all of the conveniences, from searching for products and seeing reviews to buy products and have it delivered at their doorsteps. For example, from the homepage, Tokopedia users can find almost everything tailored to their specific needs. Tokopedia offers a personalized experience.
“Tokopedia also collaborates with various strategic partners, such as the government, cross-sector business players, and other strategic partners, to continue to ensure that Indonesians can access Tokopedia’s services regularly to fulfill their daily needs without having to leave the house. These collaborations are also done for Tokopedia to transform into a Super Ecosystem,” continued Ramesh.
***
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.