Jakarta. E-commerce platform Tokopedia announced that the sales of rice and dry food products had grown by more than sixfold in the first quarter of 2023.

The statistics show that many Indonesians have been shopping for daily needs such as food and beverages online.

“Transactions [on Tokopedia] for meat and seafood have increased more than three times. Breakfast foods also saw an increase of more than fourfold. Transactions of rice and dry foods [such as shirataki and almonds] jumped by more than six times," Ekhel Chandra Wijaya, the Head of Corporate Affairs of Tokopedia, recently said.

According to Ekhel, throughout Q1-2023, food and beverages, cleaning supplies, as well as personal care and beauty products were the top sellers on Tokopedia. These categories posted an average increase of more than three times compared to the same period last year.

The e-commerce platform attributed the huge rise in food product sales to Tokopedia NOW! and Tokopedia Nyam!. Thanks to Tokopedia NOW!, customers can get fresh groceries delivered no later than 2 hours after payment without having to pay for shipping fees. At Tokopedia NYAM!, customers can enjoy discounts of up to 90 percent on a wide range of curated food and beverages.

Transactions for cleaning supplies rose by more than 3.5 times in Q1 2023 compared to the same period in the previous year. Dish soap, glass cleaners, and room fresheners became among the most sought-after cleaning supplies on the platform. The Waktu Indonesia Bersih campaign became a key driver to boost cleaning supplies transactions by offering discounts of up to 90 percent.

The demand for personal care and beauty products was also high. Transactions of shampoo, vitamins, and hair fragrances rose nearly twofold in Q1 2023, according to Ekhel. Users can also find flash sale promotions of up to 90 percent at Tokopedia Beauty.

Tokopedia reported that transactions of sellers using Dilayani Tokopedia grew almost sixfold. This program enables sellers to place their products in Tokopedia’s smart warehouses in high-demand areas.

Another hyperlocal initiative that Tokopedia launched was Kumpulan Toko Pilihan (KTP), a curated product page featuring sellers located nearest to the buyer's location. Karawang (West Java), Madiun (East Java), and Gianyar (Bali), saw the highest transaction increases among regions that ran this campaign in Q1-2023, with an average increase of more than 4 times.

Tokopedia’s Hyperlocal initiatives also contribute to promoting the democratization of commerce in Indonesia. 

“This is evident from Southwest Maluku (Maluku), Konawe Islands (Southeast Sulawesi), and North Lombok (West Nusa Tenggara) being among the regions with the highest transaction increases in Q1 2023, with an average increase of almost 2.5 times,” Ekhel said.

Southwest Maluku, Konawe Islands, and North Lombok are also among the regions with the highest inter-island transaction growth on Tokopedia during Q1 2023, with an average increase of almost 2.5 times.

Prabumulih (South Sumatra), Pandeglang (Banten), and Pemalang (Central Java) are also among the regions that posted the highest increase in transactions using same-day and instant delivery on Tokopedia during Q1 2023, with an average increase of more than 7.5 times.