Tokotalk: Moving Businesses Online Amid the Covid-19 Pandemic

JAKARTA,Indonesia,June 29,2020 -- Going online is a must.TokoTalk,an e-commerce website builder,revealed that the number of sales in shops using its platform has increased recently.

Example display of CKL Looks online shop website created using e-commerce website builder TokoTalk.

With the closure of stores and the imposition of social distancing,it is natural that e-commerce will develop more rapidly. The growth is experienced by the sales of daily necessities which has jumped since the Covid-19 pandemic in March as consumers avoid shopping at supermarkets and traditional markets.

Various e-commerce companies have carefully utilized this opportunity,Bukalapak,for example,has partnered with several brands of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). Likewise,Tokopedia noted that sales of personal care and health products tripled in March and the number of sellers in that category got doubled in the same month.

Based on TokoTalk data,the increase in sales of products such as groceries,frozen foods,as well as fruits and vegetables experienced the highest growth,also followed by health products and supplements. KlikDokter,one of the TokoTalk merchants that sells these two products,revealed that the surge in purchases continued until June.

Pasar Larangan Sidoarjo,a TokoTalk merchant who also sells daily necessities and fresh produce,revealed that they made the right decision by switching to online during this crisis.

"If we didn't shift to online,the pandemic will inevitably hit our business even harder. Luckily we found the right solution. So far,using TokoTalk e-commerce website builder is the best step we have taken to overcome losses," said Syuhadak Ismail,Community Leader of Pasar Larangan Sidoarjo.

In the end,it would be survival of the fittest. Businesses who are fast and carefully adapting to the situations will survive amid this pandemic.

"With cashless payment methods,contactless delivery,and easily accessible websites,people feel safer and more comfortable shopping online. People who may have never shopped online before will inevitably have to try because this is the best alternative during the pandemic. On the other hand,business owners must also be able to adapt to these changes if they do not want to be left behind and then fail to survive," said Kemas Yunus Antonius,Head of Business Development at TokoTalk.

Transitioning to online

The Covid-19 pandemic has indeed disrupted all business sectors in all parts of the world. However,there is a positive impact experienced by the e-commerce sector thanks to the "new normal" that is forming new online shopping habits as well.

The trend of online transition -- in this case to e-commerce -- is not a new story. Amazon has dominated e-commerce in the US since 1994,while Tokopedia already had a head start in the Indonesian e-commerce sector in 2009. Both of these marketplaces have become the top of mind for everything related to e-commerce. However,there are still many who do not know that there are options other than the marketplace,namely e-commerce website builder.

Indonesia has several platforms whose names have begun to reverberate in the online business world,one of which is TokoTalk. These platforms have begun to successfully gather users,both those who have just started to transition to digital and also ex-marketplace sellers.

Business owners use e-commerce website builders like TokoTalk because of their practicality and convenience. Building a personal website is no longer complicated and time-consuming. The two platforms above are arguably a fast track -- if not instant -- to owning a website.

With this ready-made platform,online businesses don't need to spend money to hire developers because they can do each step on their own. E-commerce website builders give users access to building websites with minimal costs and effort. When compared to creating a website from scratch that requires many setups and specific expertise (coding,design,and many more),of course,platforms like TokoTalk feel like the right choice.

There are many reasons why online sellers start thinking about having their website to sell their products. Marketplaces are currently very crowded by online sellers,thousands of whom sell similar or even identical products. Like it or not,the seller has to go into a price war which then causes the profit margins to get smaller. Meanwhile,with a personal platform,they can determine the selling price without having to mind competitors.

Besides,based on testimonials gathered from online sellers at TokoTalk,by selling on a personal website plus integrating it into social media,they feel closer to potential customers. It is different from selling in the marketplace,which is perceived to create distance from the customer.

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