Indonesia-based online marketplace Tokopedia recorded a surge in merchant numbers to more than 11 million as of June 2021 from 7.3 million in February 2020. This is not the only growth witnessed by the e-commerce company.

Tokopedia Head of Category Development (Fashion) Falah Fakhriyah said that, “A research by LPEM FEB UI in 2020 revealed that the number of women small business owners who started their business from scratch on Tokopedia during the pandemic was nearly 1.5 times higher than their male counterparts.”

In the Food and Beverage segment, there are Prima Hayuningputri and Anika Miranti, the owners of Mad Bagel. Their profits were reportedly quadrupled thanks to their participation in Tokopedia Nyam, a Tokopedia programme to market small food businesses. 

Dakara Indonesia, VIVIZUBEDI, Ederra Indonesia and NRHxNabilia are women-owned small businesses that drive Tokopedia’s Fashion segment. The owners said they are benefitting from the convenience of using the digital platform to market their products. 

Dakara Indonesia saw its transactions doubled after taking part in the Bangga Buatan Indonesia campaign. Meanwhile, VIVIZUBEDI’s turnover tripled since the brand joined Tokopedia. Ederra Indonesia reported a nine-fold growth in transaction volume in Q2/2021 compared to that in the same period two years ago. NRHxNabilia reported ten-fold sales growth. 

Falah added that, “Tokopedia’s Beauty and Fashion category was one of the fastest growing categories in Q2/2021 compared to that in the same period last year.” This is believed to be the fruit of the online marketplace’s commitment to helping as many women small business owners as possible through various offline events going online, such as Market & Museum at Home and OH! Beauty Festival. 

In terms of popularity, the most sought-after fashion items in the marketplace are plain tees and shorts, while the most popular fashion items are hijab, pashmina and embroidered mukena. In the Beauty category, facial serum, night cream and local toner are the most popular products.

Tokopedia claimed that it is not only committed to women small business owners, but also to creating space for women digital talents to contribute to the country. To show its commitment, the company holds START Summit Extension: Women in Tech by Tokopedia Academy, a programme that will be held periodically to accommodate women digital talents to develop their skills as well as to inspire many other women to start their career in the STEM field.