During the Pandemic, Transactions of a number of Merchants at Tokopedia actually increased

The pandemic caused several sectors bisnis fell, but the opposite condition was shown in the retail sector where the Research Institute for Economic and Community Research, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia (LPEM FEB UI) found that 7 out of 10 business actors in Tokopedia actually recorded an increase in volume sales with a median of 133%.

Named “Surviving, Rising and Growing MSMEs in the Midst of a Pandemic through Digital Adoption”, this research is one proof that Tokopedia and the community can collaborate in making an impact on the country's economy which is feared to continue to weaken due to pandemic.

It is said that there are three provinces that experienced the highest sales increase in Tokopedia, 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 actors in Tokopedia during the pandemic were Bali (66,2%), Yogyakarta (42,2%), and DKI Jakarta (28,3%).

“The pandemic has accelerated digital transformation in various sectors. Digitalization and technology are no longer just added value, but have rapidly developed into a necessity to answer the challenges of the pandemic.”

"Tokopedia is committed to #AlwaysAdaSelalubisa to make it easier for people to meet their daily needs and create opportunities through the use of technology, especially in the midst of a pandemic," said Astri Wahyuni, Tokopedia's Director of Public Policy and Government Relations.

The head of LPEM FEB UI, Riatu Mariatul Qibthiyyah also stated, "68,6% of sellers who joined Tokopedia during the pandemic were the sole breadwinner in the family."

76,4% of sellers said the ease of managing their business was the main reason for joining Tokopedia. During the pandemic, there were 90% of micro-scale sellers on Tokopedia.

Astri on the other hand said, "From Tokopedia's internal data, there has been an increase in the number of sellers from 7,2 million before the January 2020 pandemic to more than 10 million sellers today."

An example of a business activist who experienced an increase in sales during the pandemic is Bali Alus. “Since the pandemic, 80% of our sales have come from Tokopedia. The increase in sales during the pandemic reached almost 3 times compared to the period before the pandemic," said Bali Alus owner, Ni Kadek Eka Citrawati.

People's Consumption Patterns Changed Since the Pandemic

Online shopping is increasingly being looked at by the Indonesian people in order to meet their needs while reducing the risk of exposure to the virus if they have to leave the house and meet many people. "The average monthly expenditure of consumers before and during the pandemic at Tokopedia increased by 71%," Riatu explained.

This research also found that health, hobby and billing products experienced an increase in transaction volume.

“Tokopedia's online shopping platform is increasingly being relied upon by various groups. New consumers from housewives, students, online application partners, self-employed entrepreneurs and freelancers are increasing during the pandemic," added Riatu.

Similar data is also shown by the number of monthly active users on Tokopedia, which was originally more than 90 million before the pandemic (January 2020) to more than 100 million today."

Tokopedia's Next Strategy

Tokopedia itself is committed to continuing to prioritize five main pillars in encouraging business development, namely (1) strengthening the foundation, (2) focusing on consumer needs, (3) expanding the use of data, (4) the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and (5) run a financially optimal framework.

"Indonesia, including more than 17 islands in it, will continue to be the main focus of Tokopedia. Therefore, Tokopedia is committed to being more relevant for Indonesia.” close Astri.