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‘It’s simpler’: Online sellers prefer social media over e-commerce platforms
Selling goods online has become increasingly common and appealing in the era when 83 million people around the nation own a smartphone.
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A user views his Instagram account at an office in Malang, East Java, on May 23. (JP/Aman Rochman)
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“There were a lot of breastfeeding breaks in between my work,” said Gina, who cofounded Moong Booster, a mung bean milk company, with two other mothers and her sister. They sought to capture the attention of netizens via the testimonies of Instagram users to whom they delivered free samples.
More than a year has passed, and today Gina still attends meetings and completes her work while taking care of her 2-year-old son, Joachim, while Moong Booster sells 2,000 to 2,500 bottles a month to consumers across Indonesia, all thanks to the digital reach that would have been impossible to achieve with a sole brick-and-mortar shop.
Selling goods online has become increasingly common and appealing in the era when 83 million people around the nation own a smartphone.
Another entrepreneur, Fadlia Hifzia, who owns a modest fashion line called Zaidanwear, has been marketing her clothes through Instagram since 2017.
"Selling my clothes online is cheaper and more effective compared to maintaining a physical shop," she said, adding that she would need to hire permanent staff if she had a store.
Having an online store enables her to gain revenue by working at home while taking care of her daughter. It was only last year that a customer asked her to open the boutique on Shopee, as the online marketplace had begun offering free shipping.
