In line with Indonesia's promising e-commerce market - supported by rising Internet penetration, rising smartphone penetration and per capita GDP growth in Southeast Asia's largest economy - online shopping site MatahariMall.com has grown strongly since its launch a year ago. The online retailer, which celebrated its 1-year anniversary on Friday (09/09), sees its turnover grow by an average of 10 percent each month and already entered the top five of biggest e-commerce players in Indonesia (in the business-to-consumer category). However, exact (turnover) figures were not mentioned.

Read more ›

Google Inc. and Temasek Holdings Pte released joint research that signals Southeast Asia's digital economy (which includes e-commerce, online games, advertising and other economic activities related to the Internet) will surge to USD $200 billion by 2025. Indonesia's digital market will account for 40.5 percent - or USD $81 billion - of this total market. With an estimated USD $46 billion, Indonesia's e-commerce sector will contribute most to the total.

Read more ›

Indonesia managed to enter the top five in the Global Retail Development Index, reflecting the strength and potential of the nation's retail sector. In the 2016 edition of the index, compiled by global consulting company AT Kearney, Indonesia jumped to fifth position (from 12th in the 2015 edition). The Global Retail Development Index measures the attractiveness of the retail sector in 30 developing economies as well as identifying investment opportunities in these markets. China remains number one in the ranking, followed by India, Malaysia and Kazakhstan.

Read more ›

Soon foreign investors will be allowed to control a full 100 percent stake in electronic commerce (e-commerce) businesses in Indonesia. Currently, the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) is completing a new regulation that streamlines the latest regulatory changes in this industry (this regulation is expected to be completed in June 2016). Earlier this year, Indonesian President Joko Widodo signed a decree that opens (more wider) foreign ownership in various industries, including Indonesia's e-commerce industry.

Read more ›

The move of the Indonesian government to relax foreign ownership rules regarding e-commerce businesses in Indonesia has also given rise to expectation that the country's major e-commerce players (including foreign ones) will be interested to list their companies on the Indonesia Stock Exchange through an initial public offering (IPO). Generally an IPO improves a company's transparency and corporate/financial management. E-commerce businesses are particularly in need of consumers' trust and confidence and therefore an IPO is considered a good corporate move.

Read more ›

The Indonesian government announced it plans to allow 100 percent foreign ownership of cold storage businesses, sugar factories, rubber manufacturing companies, and the e-commerce business by revising Presidential Regulation No. 39/2014 on the Negative Investment List. The Negative Investment List (in Indonesian: Daftar Negatif Investasi) lists the sectors that are either fully or partially closed to foreign investment. Meanwhile, the government is studying whether other sectors can also be opened (or opened up wider) to foreign investors.

Read more ›

The e-commerce industry of Indonesia is expected to grow sharply in 2016 on the back of the continued expansion of Internet and smartphone penetration. The Indonesian E-Commerce Association (idEA) estimates that the number of Indonesian online shoppers will hit 10 million in 2016. As such, earnings in Indonesia's e-commerce industry is estimated to more than double to IDR 20 million (approx. USD $1.5 billion) next year from an estimated IDR 9 trillion in 2015.

Read more ›

Based on a recent survey conducted by Google, online transactions in Indonesia continue to rise (particularly the purchase of goods through mobile gadgets) despite the nation’s economic slowdown and weak rupiah (which makes imported products more expensive). Henky Prihatna, Google’s Country Head for Indonesia, said the survey shows that Indonesian consumers are increasingly using Internet to purchase consumer goods.

Read more ›

eBay Inc, a US-based global commerce platform and digital payments leader, plans to raise its stake in Indonesian e-commerce firm Metra Plasa from 40 percent to 49 percent. Currently, 60 percent of Metra Plasa is owned by Indonesia's largest telecommunication and network provider Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom). Telkom’s stake will thus decline to 51 percent. In 2012, eBay and Telkom (through Telkom’s subsidiary Multimedia Nusantara) established a joint venture to operate Metra Plasa.

Read more ›

Indonesia's e-commerce industry (online shopping) is expected to continue its rapid growth in the years ahead as more and more Indonesians have access to Internet amid the country's rising per capita GDP (resulting in a rapidly expanding middle class). Indonesians' purchasing power has expanded quickly and in combination with the popularity of the smartphone, people are increasingly purchasing consumer goods online. This was one of the conclusions drawn in an online business insight discussion organized by Google and Blibli.com in Jakarta.

Read more ›

After the closing of several Ramayana Department Stores and Matahari Department Stores, as well as the (planned) closing of all remaining Lotus Department Stores (per 26 October 2017) in Indonesia, Indonesia's conventional department store industry needs to come up with a new strategy or shopping concept to survive amid increasingly fierce competition from domestic and global e-commerce platforms.

Read more ›

E-commerce company Kioson Komersial Indonesia became the nation's first e-commerce startup to go public on the Indonesia Stock Exchange on Thursday (05/10). There was plenty of interest for the company during its trading debut as its shares rose 50 percent to IDR 450 a piece. The offering was more than 10 times oversubscribed. Local brokerage Sinarmas Sekuritas was the sole underwriter for the IPO.

Read more ›

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba founder Jack Ma having been appointed as special advisor to the Indonesian government for the development of Indonesia's e-commerce sector has led to some concern whether it puts China's richest man in a position of conflict of interest. Ma's Alibaba Group owns big stakes in Singapore-based e-commerce giant Lazada (which operates across Southeast Asia) and Indonesian online shopping facilitator Tokopedia.

Read more ›

Rumors are that China's e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd is interested to expand its business in Indonesia, attracted by the nation's per capita GDP growth as well as rising smartphone and Internet penetration. Alibaba may invest in Indonesian online shopping facilitator Tokopedia. Tokopedia, established in 2009 by William Tanuwijaya and Leontinus Alpha Edison, is one of Indonesia's biggest online marketplaces.

Read more ›

A new study conducted by the Better Than Cash Alliance, a partnership consisting of governments, companies, and international organizations, shows Indonesia has now become the world's fastest-growing mobile-commerce market (m-commerce). Growth of online shopping in Southeast Asia's largest economy is attributed to the rising spending power of Indonesia's middle class as well as expanding Internet and smartphone penetration. According to the study, Indonesia's m-commerce market surged 155 percent in 2016.

Read more ›

The number of smartphone users in Indonesia is rising rapidly in line with growing per capita GDP and widening Internet penetration across the Archipelago. Based on data from research institute eMarketer there were 69.4 million smartphone users in Indonesia at the end of 2016. Moreover, the number of Indonesian smartphone users is expected to grow to 103 million by 2018, which would make Indonesia the fourth-largest smartphone market worldwide after China, India and the United States.

Read more ›

The USD $1 billion acquisition of Southeast Asia-based e-commerce platform Lazada Group SA by China's e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd may give rise to a larger flow of Chinese products into Indonesia. Lazada is an e-commerce platform that operates in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Southeast Asia is an interesting market for Alibaba as only 3 percent of retail sales are conducted online in this region, implying huge growth opportunities. Meanwhile, Alibaba has been eager to expand abroad as growth in China has been slowing.

Read more ›

During Indonesian President Joko Widodo's visit to Googleplex, Silicon Valley (California) - headquarters of Google, Facebook, Twitter and Plug and Play - he emphasized that the government of Indonesia is committed to push for the development of the digital economy, aiming to make it the largest in Southeast Asia, worth USD $130 billion by 2020 (including the emergence of 1,000 Indonesian technopreneurs). In this context, Widodo also requested the assistance of Google, Facebook and Plug and Play in the form of IT development education.

Read more ›