The Indonesian Express
Tokopedia and ShopTokopedia are all about helping entrepreneurs in Indonesia kickstart and grow their businesses while making it easier for people to access a variety of essential products. They leverage technology and collaboration to boost the country's digital economy. Entrepreneurs, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), are key partners for Tokopedia and ShopTokopedia. There are now over 21 million sellers on these platforms, with most being SMEs. Nationally, SMEs play a huge role in Indonesia's GDP, contributing over 60%. To enhance the impact of SMEs on the national economy, Tokopedia, along with various strategic partners, is rolling out initiatives like "Buy Local," according to Aditia Grasio Nelwan, Head of Communications for Tokopedia and ShopTokopedia. Thanks to the "Buy Local" campaign, transactions for SME products on these platforms have surged. Tokopedia and ShopTokopedia are teaming up with strategic partners to give Indonesian entrepreneurs, including SMEs, a bigger stage and make it easier for people to access local products. For instance, they collaborated with the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia to launch the "Buy Local" campaign and feature on the twin date in December 2023, creating a special showcase for local brands and encouraging more people to choose local products, Aditia explained. The "Buy Local" initiative has had a lot of positive effects. Several regions have seen a significant increase in transactions through the "Buy Local" campaign on Tokopedia, including Jepara (Central Java), Cirebon (West Java), and Ciamis (West Java), with average transaction numbers nearly doubling. Some products that saw the highest transaction increases through the "Buy Local" campaign include diapers, hampers, and camera accessories, with average transaction growth exceeding nine times. (Source: Tokopedia, First Half of 2024 compared to Second Half of 2023 - National/Indonesia Data). By joining the Buy Local campaign, sellers are seeing some great benefits. Take Hadinata Batik, for example, a local batik brand from Solo, Central Java, which saw its sales triple after participating in various initiatives from Tokopedia and ShopTokopedia, including the Buy Local program. They even managed to boost their revenue by ten times with Tokopedia's help. Hadinata Batik, which operates on Tokopedia and ShopTokopedia, was officially launched in 2019 in Solo, Central Java. This local brand offers a wide range of batik fabrics and ready-to-wear items like tops, bottoms, and dresses for women, men, and kids. They use a variety of batik fabric types, including printed, stamped, hand-drawn, and eco-printing, which features natural dyes from leaves. Their batik designs are both dynamic and modern. Albert Pratama, the director of Hadinata Batik, started his batik journey in 2013 as a reseller of products from sellers at Pasar Klewer and the Wholesale Center in Solo. He later took the plunge to create his own batik brand, officially named Batik Hadinata in 2019. "In our production process, we use 100% local raw materials from Central Java. We prioritize quality, using 100% cotton and ensuring neat stitching," Albert shared. To attract Millennials and Gen Z, Hadinata Batik has introduced trendy batik patterns through collaborations with ten local artists. They also empower several batik artisans in Laweyan to grow their businesses. As the founder and leader of Hadinata Batik, Albert is committed to building a sustainable business. Besides offering eco-printing batik that uses leaves for natural dyes, Batik Hadinata also embraces a zero-waste philosophy by transforming leftover fabric into handmade crafts like bracelets and wallets.