The FDN 2020 is a collaborative event organized by the State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Ministry and several SOEs that opened on Dec. 16 and runs through Dec. 31.

One of the biggest trade events in the country, the festival is intended to boost public interest in affordable, high-quality local products from 5,000 conventional vendors, 211,000 MSMEs, 65 e-commerce partners, four banks, 24 SOEs and affiliates, and 5 e-money operators. It also offers a variety of attractive discounts, such as special prices and cashback programs.

FDN steering committee head Loto S. Ginting expressed the hope that the festival would help revive the MSME sector so it could contribute to recovering the Indonesian economy.

"[In] Promoting the event under the theme ‘Buy One, Grow a Thousand’, we want to open up people's minds that each of their shopping transactions at FDN will produce a huge snowball effect because it will support the business sustainability of more than one MSME, especially in difficult circumstances like today’s," said Lotto, who is a Finance and MSME Development expert staffer at the SOEs Ministry

Festivalgoers can view information on participating MSMEs, vendors and SOEs, as well as product information and discounts at www.festivaldiskonnasional.com, and can purchase their selected products both online and offline.

The festival also aims to increase transactions by raising consumer awareness about local merchants and traders.

To boost consumer participation while offering a unique and enjoyable shopping experience, the FDN has several highlighted events and activities, including a talk show, workshops, fashion showcase, flash sales, live shopping, an auction and a virtual concert. The pre-festival promotional events started with the National Online Shopping Day (Harbolnas) on Dec. 11-12 in collaboration with the Indonesian E-Commerce Association (idEA).

FDN 2020 is the last of a series of events the government has held in its #BanggaBuatanIndonesia (BBI; Made in Indonesia Proud) campaign. Overseen by the Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister and the SOEs Ministry, as well as a group of SOEs coordinated by Bank Mandiri, the BBI campaign is an interministerial synergy that seeks to increase the consumption of domestic products and mitigate the adverse economic effects of the ongoing pandemic.

The FDN is being held simultaneously with the Indonesian Discount Shopping Day (HBDI), which was organized in cooperation with the Indonesian Commercial Tenants Association (HIPPINDO).

"We are also working with the National Handicraft Council [Dekranas] to hold the Millennial Bazaar. In addition, we are also collaborating with Rumah BUMN [SOEs House] and PaDi UMKM [Pasar Digital UMKM; MSME digital market] to get MSMEs with real potential and quality to participate in the event,” said Bank Mandiri network and retail banking director Aquarius Rudianto, who is on the FDN steering committee.

The FDN 2020 has grouped participating merchants into seven categories: Fashion, Craft, F&B (Food And Beverage), Health & Beauty, Hobby & Lifestyle, Tourism and Telco (telecommunications). The festival categories were decided according to the level of public interest and response in the products of those sectors.

"Hopefully, these products can attract public interest in this event, because they suit [consumer] needs and can be had for relatively affordable prices," Aquarius added.

Detailed information on FDN 2020, its events and activities is available at www.festivaldiskonnasional.com, as well as the festival’s official accounts on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok (@festivaldiskonnasional) and Twitter (@FestivalDiskon).

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