Research Results Show That Digital Transactions In Indonesia Are More Comprehensive

Webinar launching the Kredivo 2022 e-commerce report (photo: Screenshot of Zoom/Dinda Buana Putri/VOI)

JAKARTA - The digital economy in Indonesia continues to show positive growth and the e-commerce industry continues to drive its growth. This growth is also driven by people who are increasingly accustomed to digital transactions through e-commerce and the active role of digital financial players in providing access to increasingly innovative digital services.

In order to find out the behavior of e-commerce consumers and the growing use of digital transactions, Kredivo and the Katadata Insight Center again launched their annual research entitled Indonesian E-Commerce Consumer Behavior.

In its third year, this research utilizes primary data with 16 million samples of payment transactions originating from 1.5 million samples of Kredivo users in the five largest e-commerce sites in Indonesia during 2021 and surveys with more than 3 thousand respondents from various parts of Indonesia.

Kredivo's VP of Marketing & Communications, Indina Andamari revealed that the results of Kredivo's research with the Katadata Insight Center are expected to be a reference for e-commerce players and related ecosystem support actors so that they can set the best strategy for the growth of the e-commerce industry and furthermore, digital economy growth.

"We are optimistic that going forward, flexible, affordable, and secure digital credit services can contribute to the growth of the country's e-commerce industry while encouraging an inclusive and sustainable digital economy in Indonesia," he continued.

There are several other interesting findings from the research conducted by Kredivo including:

1. The results of the research show that online shopping trends are increasingly becoming a preference for Indonesians, with an increasingly inclusive reach, especially in areas with lower populations.
2. The inclusiveness of digital services can also be seen from the increase in transactions among older consumers, consumers aged 36-55 years experiencing an increase in the number of online shopping transactions, with consumers aged 36-45 years increasing from 19 percent in 2020 to 23 percent in 2021. Whereas the consumers 46-55 years old increased from 3 percent in 2020 to 5 percent in 2021.
3. Due to high digital activity during the pandemic, the number of credit transactions and data packages increased from 14 percent in 2020 to 23 percent in 2021. Meanwhile, gadgets and accessories became a category product with the highest transaction value and increased by 66 percent compared to the previous year.
4. Men still dominate transactions in e-commerce. In addition, when shopping online, male consumers make more transactions and spend more money than female consumers.
5. There are differences in preferences for goods purchased by male and female consumers, both in terms of the number and value of transactions. Male consumers make almost twice as many transactions for the automotive and electronics categories while women make more transactions for food, health, and beauty needs, as well as fashion. Based on transaction value, female consumers tend to spend more money than male consumers on higher-priced products such as computers, gadgets, and electronics.
6. The online shopping festival (Harbolnas) is still an effective strategy to add new users and increase the number of transactions up to 2 times the average daily transaction.

Furthermore, the Head of Katadata Insight Center, Adek M. Roza explained, several research findings this year increasingly indicated the inclusiveness of digital services in the country. In addition, some patterns of consumer behavior in the pandemic version are still visible and increasing, such as the need for pulses and gadgets.

"We also see that consumers are increasingly comfortable and confident in using digital financial services to transact in e-commerce, one of which is through Paylater, which has increased significantly compared to the previous year," continued Adek.

Adek also hopes that this annual research can be a guide for digital industry players and relevant government agencies, to strengthen digital infrastructure so that e-commerce reach and services are more inclusive and accessible throughout Indonesia.

Paylater usage increases, industry growth is predicted to continue to grow As one of the digital payment methods in e-commerce, Paylater is experiencing growth in terms of usage, with 38 percent of consumers using Paylater when shopping on e-commerce in the past year, an increase compared to the previous year, namely by 28 percent (2021).

People are also increasingly familiar with the Paylater payment method to shop online.

The advantages of Paylater as a regular payment method and easy access to digital credit for consumers are also factors that can increase the number of Paylater users.

"In the midst of accelerating digitalization in Indonesia, the role of e-commerce and digital financial services such as Paylater is able to encourage wider penetration of digital services," said Director of CELIOS (Center of Economic and Law Studies) and Economist, Bhima Yudhistira.

Bhima admitted that this is a positive signal for the growth of the digital economy in Indonesia, which currently has great potential.

"In the future, I see that if this positive trend continues to grow, economic equity in various parts of Indonesia can be realized faster, supported by the use of the digital ecosystem," close Bhima.