"Ten years ago, there were only 8 million MSMEs connected with e-commerce. Now, a shift in consumer behavior has driven 22 million MSMEs to enter the digital ecosystem," he highlighted at an event held to mark the 2023 National MSME Day in Surakarta, Central Java, on Saturday.
The COVID-19 pandemic, to a certain degree, turned out to be a beneficial period for the digital market in the country, Minister Masduki noted adding that pandemic-induced restrictions led a significant number of people to opt for online shopping.
Furthermore, he expressed optimism that the government will be able to achieve the target of transforming 30 million MSMEs by encouraging them to optimize the use of digital technology.
"I hope that the government's digitization efforts will enable local entrepreneurs to further expand their markets, so they can reach more potential buyers. Let us love, purchase, and consume local products," he said.
At the event, the minister also promoted a number of Surakarta-produced products, including baby equipment and cosmetics.
On the same occasion, Surakarta Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka extended his gratitude to the minister for designating the city as the host of the National MSME Day event, which was held with support from the government and Tokopedia, a local e-commerce platform.
"We will continue encouraging and guiding MSMEs to ascend to the next level," he remarked.
Meanwhile, Melissa Siska Juminto, the CEO of Tokopedia, said that her company has devised a technological innovation called Tokopedia PLAY, an online live streaming and live shopping platform, to help promote the products of MSMEs.
"During the first semester (first six months) of 2023, Medan, Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya, and Sidoarjo were recorded as the regions with the highest number of viewers on Tokopedia PLAY," she informed.
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Translator: Aris Wasita, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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