JAKARTA, 22 October 2021 – E-commerce enabler SIRCLO, together with Katadata Insight Center (KIC), released a report examining the development of Indonesia’s e-commerce landscape. Titled “Navigating Indonesia’s E-Commerce: Omnichannel as the Future of Retail”, the report explored the evolving dynamics of the country’s digital commerce industry.

The report’s key finding was that the COVID-19 pandemic had accelerated the growth of Indonesia’s e-commerce industry and increased consumer spending across digital platforms.

The pandemic accelerated the shift of many essential needs and everyday activities towards digital services. As a result, consumers became increasingly reliant on products and services delivered through digital platforms, with shopping behaviour also shifting further towards online channels.

The research findings were explored further during the panel discussion “Supporting Digital Adaptation Through Omnichannel Strategies”, organised by SIRCLO and Katadata on Wednesday, 27 October. The discussion featured Brian Marshal, Founder and CEO of SIRCLO; Triawan Munaf, Commissioner of SIRCLO; Rizal Edwin Manansang, Assistant Deputy for Digital Economy at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs; and Adek Media Roza, Head of Katadata Insight Center.

“SIRCLO organised this panel discussion with the hope that all stakeholders connected to the digital economy, from e-commerce players and their supporting ecosystem to policymakers, could gain valuable insights to inform their business strategies. Omnichannel solutions represent the future of e-commerce, making it essential for all industry players to stay at the forefront of developments in this area,” said Brian Marshal, Founder and CEO of SIRCLO.

Research conducted by SIRCLO and Katadata Insight Center (KIC) found that the pandemic prompted 17.5% of previously offline consumers to start shopping online. Consumers used a range of online sales channels, including marketplaces, social media, and websites. The proportion of consumers who shopped exclusively online increased from 11% before the pandemic to 25.5% in early 2021. Notably, among consumers who continued to shop through both offline and online channels during the pandemic, 74.5% spent more through online channels.

As Indonesia’s e-commerce industry continued to grow and technology became increasingly advanced, businesses also needed to become more adaptive in applying different strategies. Consumers could now easily access detailed product information across a wide range of platforms, and this shift in behaviour inevitably had an impact on businesses, particularly those operating online.

This is where the role of omnichannel becomes increasingly important. Omnichannel, or a cross-channel business model, connects a brand’s online and offline operations within a single integrated ecosystem, enabling brands to deliver a more seamless shopping experience for consumers. This is because an omnichannel strategy focuses on the entire customer journey, rather than being limited to a single sales channel.

An omnichannel strategy can also help brands create stronger synergy across their sales channels, ultimately expanding their reach across multiple online touchpoints and increasing transaction traffic.Business owners interested in learning more about SIRCLO’s research findings and the benefits of omnichannel strategies for long-term business sustainability could watch the panel discussion via Zoom at https://tiny.cc/webinarsirclo_27okt or through the Katadata Indonesia YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/c/KatadataIndonesia.

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About SIRCLO

Founded in 2013, SIRCLO is a leading e-commerce solutions company in Indonesia that helps brands sell online. SIRCLO’s solutions are divided into two main categories: Entrepreneur and Enterprise. Under the Entrepreneur category, SIRCLO offers SIRCLO Store, an online store management dashboard that enables SMEs to sell across multiple platforms, including websites, marketplaces, and chat commerce; as well as IbuSibuk, a community empowerment solution that enables mothers to become Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), micro-influencers, and resellers. For enterprise businesses, SIRCLO provides e-commerce enablement services through SIRCLO Commerce; omnichannel technology development solutions through ICUBE by SIRCLO; Sooplai, a B2B2C platform that supplies mother and baby products to retail stores; and Orami, a parenting platform that combines Commerce, Content, and Community within a single ecosystem.

SIRCLO had supported more than 100,000 brands in growing their businesses online. Its solutions were trusted by local brands including ATS The Label, Evete Naturals, Namaste Organic, This Is April, and Heytimmy Kidswear, as well as multinational brands such as Unilever, Reckitt, KAO, L’Oréal, and Levi’s. At the time, SIRCLO was headquartered at Green Office Park 1, The Breeze, BSD, Serpong, and had 1,000 employees, with representatives based in Jakarta, Bekasi, Bandung, Yogyakarta, and Surabaya.

For more information about SIRCLO, visit www.sirclo.com.