Sheena Suparman (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta ●
Fri, November 11, 2022
Indonesia’s National Heroes Day falls annually on November 10 as a day to commemorate the sacrifices made by those who came before us and who contributed to the country’s success today. However, many fail to recognize that heroes do not necessarily mean those whose names are written in history books, on street signs, monuments or statues. More often than not, heroes are the people on the sidewalks, classrooms and homes.
As the country is striving to achieve economic recovery, the eyes of the nation fall on the sector that shows the most promise: the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) industry. According to Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartanto, Indonesian MSMEs contribute over 61 percent of Indonesia’s total gross domestic product (GDP). These factors are leading Indonesia to the top of the world.
To commemorate the unsung heroes, many Indonesian-based companies are happy to step up to the plate to give MSMEs a wider stage. Tokopedia, the country’s top e-commerce platform, through the hyperlocal initiative seeks to help around 12 million business activists in Indonesia, almost 100 percent of whom are local MSMEs, to become economic heroes.
The hyperlocal initiative was started with the intention to give MSMEs throughout Indonesia the same opportunity to grow and develop, regardless of whether they are in rural areas or urban cities. Moreover, buyers can get a wider variety of products that they need faster and more efficiently.
“The hyperlocal initiative has various examples of manifestations, such as fulfillment services served by Tokopedia, Kumpulan Toko Pilihan (KTP), the PASTI (one-day package delivery) campaign and many more that can be utilized by local activists,” said Rizky Juanita Azuz,Regional External Communications Senior Lead at Tokopedia.
Data revealed that the initiative has benefitted Tokopedia users greatly. The number of sellers who use Tokopedia’s services increased more than 50 percent during the third quarter of 2022, compared with the third quarter of 2021. The increase has doubled the number of buyers who transacted with sellers on Tokopedia’s platform.
The revenue of Bakso Damas increased when they started selling through Tokopedia and it is able to keep employing 30 staff members, most of whom are the breadwinner in their families. (./.)
On National Heroes Day, Tokopedia gives spotlight to three MSME owners who deserve to be hailed as economic heroes because of the way they empower their surrounding community. They are Devina Amelia, owner of Tea Heaven in Sukabumi, Angga Setyawan of Bakso Damas in Malang and Madu Bantal’s Chairu Mufti in Banjarbaru.
Since joining Tokopedia, Tea Heaven has continued to make various innovations, one of which is by adding product variations. Tea Heaven currently has 100 tea variants on Tokopedia, however their mission remains the same; to introduce premium organic local tea, without added chemicals, to help people live a healthier lifestyle.
“We empower hundreds of tea farmers in more than 20 plantations throughout Indonesia, including Bantul, Garut, Ciwidey, Padang, Bali and many more,” said Devina about her business. Tea Heaven Indonesia also empowers bamboo craftsmen affected by the pandemic to make quality bamboo packaging.
The benefits are also evident for Bakso Damas in Malang, run by Angga Setyawan. The store was first opened as a mobile meatball business in 1993 by his father, Aryo Damas, who used to sell the products using his motorcycle. It became an outlet in 1995 due to its popularity and high demand.
Angga revealed that the family business suffered a decline of 60 percent in revenues at the start of the pandemic, in which Tokopedia helped improve the store’s online turnover. Some of his buyers are not located in Malang but are able to make orders because of Bakso Damas’s participation in various Tokopedia campaigns, such as KTP.
In addition to keeping the family business alive, Angga realized how important it is to retain about 30 of his employees during and after the pandemic, as most were breadwinners of the family.
Madu Pillow collaborates with a number of traditional South Kalimantan purun craftsmen to make honey packaging, supporting local communities and crafts. (./.)
Meanwhile, the owner of Madu Bantal, Chairul Mufti, empowers five families who are local honey farmers. Madu Bantal sells honey from the forests of Kalimantan, such as bee honey, kelulut/klanceng honey, bee pollen and block propolis.
He also collaborates with a number of South Kalimantan traditional purun craftsmen to make honey packaging. Purun is a type of plant of which its leaves are used to manufacture bags; a traditional craft in Indonesian culture. Not only does he help the family of breeders, he is also keeping tradition alive.
Like Angga, Chairul takes advantage of various features on Tokopedia, ranging from the TopAds advertising feature, Free Shipping and even Store Vouchers.
“Now 70 percent of Madu Pillow’s turnover comes from sales at Tokopedia, with an average sale per month reaching tens of millions of rupiah,” concluded Chairul.
By keeping their businesses alive, they are also giving back to their community by empowering their local communities; from tea harvesters to bee breeders. Tokopedia has become a vessel to help these unsung economic heroes sustain their businesses by broadening their consumer base in Indonesia.
