Could TikTok and Tokopedia’s partnership be a game-changer for Indonesia’s e-commerce market?
Bytedance’s TikTok is seeking to re-enter Indonesia’s e-commerce sector by acquiring a majority stake in GoTo’s Tokopedia for around $840 million.
The video sharing app was forced to shut its social commerce service, TikTok Shop, in October after the Indonesian government banned online shopping on social media platforms. Two months later, Indonesia’s trade minister announced that TikTok and Tokopedia will be piloting an e-commerce partnership over the next few months, in close consultation with government regulators who will assess its impact on small businesses following the trial period.
But how popular is Tokopedia among Indonesia’s online shoppers – in comparison to other e-commerce platforms – and among TikTok Shop users before operations were ceased?
Latest data from YouGov Profiles shows that two in five (39%) consumers in Indonesia shop on Tokopedia – making it the second most popular e-commerce platform after Shopee, where close to three in four (73%) consumers have recently made purchases.
Lazada has the third highest share of consumers, at over one in five (22%), and is followed at a distance by Bukalapak (6%), Blibli (5%) and Zalora (2%).
Among frequent online shoppers – consumers who make multiple e-commerce purchases every month – Shopee (77%) remains the most popular e-commerce platform, ahead of Tokopedia (43%) and Lazada (24%), followed by Bukalapak (7%), Blibli (6%) and Zalora (3%).
Which e-commerce platforms were most popular with TikTok shop users?
Data from YouGov Profiles also reveals that, prior to TikTok Shop’s shuttering in early October, Tokopedia had the second highest overlap in customer base among e-commerce platforms.
About one in three (32%) TikTok Shop users also shopped on Tokopedia – significantly lower compared to Shopee (71%), but higher than Lazada (23%).
With online shopping returning to the TikTok app under the auspices of Tokopedia, will the potential boost in Tokopedia’s customer base from TikTok users (who aren’t already on the e-commerce platform) produce a new leader in Indonesia’s burgeoning e-commerce space?
YouGov Profiles’ continuous tracking of all industry players will allow interested parties to see just how much – and how soon.
Methodology: YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Figures are based on a 52-week moving average. Profiles data is weighted by gender, age, socioeconomic class, city tier, to be representative of the adult online population in Indonesia (18 years or older), and reflect the latest Indonesian Bureau of Statistics (BPS) population estimates. Learn more about Profiles.