Social Media Is The Most MSMEs Selling Online, What About The Marketplace?

Illustration (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Mandiri Institute said that most micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are more active in marketing their commercial products on social media pages rather than on marketplace sites.

This was revealed when the think tank PT Bank Mandiri Tbk. it did a survey some time ago. It is stated that social media is still the platform of choice for MSME entrepreneurs in marketing and sales with a ratio of 40 percent.

Followed by instant messaging 38 percent, marketplace or e-commerce platforms 13 percent, and ride-hailing platforms (Gojek/Grab) 5 percent.

Head of the Mandiri Institute, Teguh Yudo Wicaksono, said that although many MSMEs have used online channels as a vehicle for doing business, the use of digital financial instruments is still considered minimal.

"The use of online sales channels is quite large, but not many MSMEs use digital payments for their business", he said in a written statement, Wednesday, June 30.

In his findings, Teguh revealed that only 24 percent of businesses use digital wallet services (e-wallet) in business transactions. The majority of businesses, amounting to 51 percent, do not use non-cash transaction channels, such as through e-wallet and EDC (electronic data capture).

Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the Mandiri Institute involved 505 respondents in March-April 2021. It is known that 53 percent of respondents have access to digital promotions and sales, the remaining 47 percent only do it offline.

Furthermore, Teguh explained that MSMEs need a minimum of two months to restart their business after being closed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The majority of businesses are optimistic that the economy will improve in 2021, but it will take at least six months to return to normal", he concluded.