Tokopedia Or Shopee, Who Will Be The E-Commerce Champion In Indonesia In 2021?

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. KANTAR)

JAKARTA - In the midst of the ongoing pandemic, e-commerce is experiencing significant growth, especially in Indonesia. The ease of access offered to the lack of necessary contacts is the main alternative for the community in meeting their main and supporting needs.

The end of year period is momentum for e-commerce players to add competitive value by presenting a series of innovations and interesting features to provide the best online shopping experience for consumers. Seeing this growth and competition, KANTAR released the latest research results related to e-commerce.

Seeing this development, KANTAR conducted a study related to the "Map of Online Shopping Competition in Indonesia" in September 2021. This research involved a total of 870 respondents who were surveyed using an online survey to respondents from the age of 20-35 years and over.

This research was conducted not only in Tier 1 cities such as Jakarta and other big cities, which serve as a barometer, but also in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities which have the potential to become the backbone of Indonesia's growth in the future.

Of the 4 main e-commerce players in Indonesia, Shopee is still the Champion by ranking first on all assessment indicators. Based on the results of research conducted by KANTAR, there are 54 percent of respondents answered Shopee is the brand that consumers remember the most or Top Of Mind. The next ranks are Tokopedia (25 percent), Lazada (6 percent), and Bukalapak (1 percent).

"Shopee's position on the first rank in the e-commerce growth map is not only seen from 1 indicator. Based on our research, 3 other main indicators are the highest number of users in the last 6 months, BUMO - Brand Use Most Often and the largest average monthly transaction value also shows Shopee ranks first in all of these indicators," said Darren Cheng, Senior Client Development Director, Kantar, in a written statement, quoted Friday, November 26.

KANTAR's research results are in line with the Map of E-commerce in Indonesia report published by iPrice in the second quarter of 2021. The report shows that according to application rankings, both in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, Shopee ranks first.

In the Apple App Store, Shopee is in the first place, followed by Tokopedia, which is in second place. Similar results were also found in the Google Play Store application ranking, where Shopee was still ranked first, while Tokopedia was ranked fourth.

Data from App Annie also shows similar results, wherefrom the beginning to the middle of 2021, Shopee was listed as the number 1 online shopping platform in Indonesia with the highest total number of downloads either on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Shopee is also the number 1 online shopping platform in the number of monthly active users.

KANTAR's research results are also further strengthened by data from SimilarWeb for App Performance on e-commerce applications in Indonesia. In this data, Shopee has the number of daily active users (DAU) or daily active visitors that exceeds Tokopedia by more than three times. In August 2021, the number of daily active visitors for the Shopee application reached 28.35 million, while the Tokopedia application stood at 8.43 million.

In addition to the 4 main indicators, this research is also aimed at seeing how the supporting aspects that complement the consumer's online shopping experience become the basis for choosing an e-commerce platform that has complete services and answers user needs.

In reference to usage in the selection of online shopping platforms, discount offers or promos are not the only aspects considered by consumers. The ease of use and the completeness of an application play an important role which is the added value of a brand.

In the Ecommerce Image indicator, Shopee leads from the aspect of Price & Product, Logistics, After Sales Service, and Emotional Benefit. In Price & Products (90 percent) respondents chose Shopee with consideration of a complete product selection, products according to preferences, good quality, product authenticity, best prices and promos, and a range of brand choices offered.

The next ranks are Tokopedia (85 percent), Lazada (70 percent), and BukaLapak (57 percent). For shipping and logistics, Shopee is ranked number 1 with 91 percent of respondents feeling Shopee is an e-commerce platform that offers Free Shipping, Flexible Shipping Options, real-time order tracking, on time and packages that arrive in good condition. This position is followed by Tokopedia (85 percent), Lazada (75 percent), and Bukalapak (66 percent).

Not only that, it seems that aspects according to preferences and handling after the goods arrive at the place are important. Where 89 percent of respondents choose Shopee for After Sales Service with the consideration that it offers convenience for the return and exchange system, good customer service, and attractive rewards programs.

Shopee's position in the first rank is also obtained from the experience of consumers who can find out the latest trends through the Shopee application, often recommended by Public Figures to get happiness and entertainment from the games presented.

"Shopee's success in ranking first on 4 main indicators, namely the brand that consumers remember the most, the most number of users, the brand that is most often used, and the largest average monthly transaction value shows effective communication to users. This is proven by supporting indicators, where every aspect that complements consumers to get the best online shopping experience gets the highest choice from respondents," said Darren Cheng.

"With the increasing trend of online shopping and business actors joining forces to strengthen their strategy in the digital or online realm, it is important for us to see how and what aspects and supporting factors make people choose an e-commerce platform for shopping," concluded Darren Cheng.