Transactions on the Rise Ahead of Ramadhan

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

A photographer takes photos of products to be sold online at the Alfamart e-commerce photo studio in Blok B, Tanah Abang Market, Jakarta, Tuesday (23/5). The internet has become an alternative way for traders in Tanah Abang to expand their sales network.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — E-commerce has become an increasingly important market platform for people to shop for Ramadhan and for the Idul Fitri holidays. In addition to being practical, consumers consider buying goods and products online as fast and find the quality to be good, too.

Google Indonesia country head Henky Prihatna said in Jakarta on Tuesday that the use of e-commerce platforms had increased sharply about two weeks before the Muslim fasting month.

He said that indication was based on an analysis of the data search behavior of Google services users in Indonesia during Ramadhan and Idul Fitri, or Lebaran, in 2016.

Google searches for information about products during Ramadan increased by 28 percent in 2016 compared to 2015. The types of items sought include clothing, household appliances and cell phones.

By the end of Ramadhan in 2016, there were 2.8 times as many searches for clothing items as at the end of Ramadhan in 2015. Searches for household appliances doubled and searches for cellular phones multiplied by 1.8.

"The search for information about goods was followed by credit promotion search. In 2016, tracking of credit installments was 1.6 times as high as in 2015, " he said.

The e-commerce transactions conducted before Ramadhan included buying train tickets. Google Indonesia noted a jump in tracking of railway ticket purchases through online platforms with a 2.1-fold increase over the three months before Ramadhan last year.

Blanja.com CEO Aulia Marinto confirmed the results of Google\'s analysis. Blanja.com booked twice as much revenue during Ramadhan and Lebaran 2016 as on normal days. Aulia expects to earn more revenue this year.

"Our experience [is that the] e-market platform is widely used by citizens just before and during Ramadhan. When approaching Lebaran, people choose to spend at physical outlets," Aulia added.

Commodities

Commodities are also sold through e-commerce platforms, such as Brambang.com, which sells onions.

Brambang.com CEO Dustin Haliman said in Jakarta on Tuesday that the trade volume of onions in Jabodetabek, or Greater Jakarta, was  estimated to reach between 600 tons and 700 tons per day. National onion production is estimated at 1.4 million tons per year. With an assumed onion price of Rp 20,000 per kilogram, full-year onion trading could amount to Rp 28 trillion.

(MED/FER)