![Mitra Bukalapak Bridges Financial Access Gaps and Drives Indonesia's Digital Economy](/img/files/20230313/iq6f669375e1e0880b4b0b584d8946caaf.jpg)
Mitra Bukalapak, an online-to-offline (o2o) player and the subsidiary of Indonesian tech company Bukalapak ("IDX:BUKA''), was established in 2018 to transform warungs into modern retailers through digitalization. Warungs are family-run small stalls that sell groceries. They can be found everywhere in the country. This is why a lot of Indonesians rely on warungs to shop, representing up to 70% of sales in the nation. Unfortunately, many warung owners are restrained in their ability to grow due to financial, infrastructure and access issues.
This is where Mitra Bukalapak steps in. From just one app, warungs are able to shop for stocks of goods and have them delivered to their doorstep. They can also sell over 42 types of virtual products and services, including prepaid phone credits, electricity tokens, and money transfers.
Currently, over 15 million warungs and other small enterprises in more than 200 cities in Indonesia are registered with Mitra Bukalapak. Upon utilizing the app, the users have successfully increased their income by 3 times (on average) and hired up to 3 employees. Mitra Bukalapak is a key driver of Bukalapak's overall business, contributing 53% in Q3 2022, an increase from 43% in the previous year.
Nationwide, Mitra Bukalapak is the leader of o2o market with a 56% penetration to those warungs and prepaid phone credit kiosks using an o2o app, according to a 2022 survey by Nielsen.
Powering Community-Driven Inclusion
The impact brought by Mitra Bukalapak to the MSMEs has helped digital inclusion reach parts of Indonesia that were previously deemed too remote. Access to virtual and financial products enabled by Mitra Bukalapak allows everyone to be better served - especially those customers in rural communities who really struggle for quality digital services.
"By equipping warungs with the capability to provide these services to their community members, we empower them into becoming local agents of financial inclusion", said Howard Gani, CEO Mitra Bukalapak.
Mitra Bukalapak also builds out educational programs, so that the users know how to get the maximum benefit from the app, as well as gaining basic business knowledge. The programs are primarily designed for Juwara, a community of Mitra Bukalapak users from across Indonesia. On a regular basis, members of the community join educational sessions on a wide range of topics, from tech tips to financial management.
For more information, visit mitra.bukalapak.com.
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2031223/Foto_SKJ_Semarang___Juragan_Tia.jpg