Grocery shopping goes online in I'nesia

When they do grocery shopping, they are no longer selecting products in an aisle of a supermarket, but clicking their desired products on their smart-phones or personal computer. Meat? Click. Tomato? Click. Shampoo? Click.

Yuli Rahayuningtyas, a resident of Bintaro Jaya in Tangerang, has been using the service of a new online shop to buy fresh products such as vegetables and chicken.

“Both my husband and I work, so we are very busy and have little time to shop. The online shop offers fresh products at reasonable prices and a delivery service,” she said.

The 40-year-old says she works five days a week in a telecommunication company in South Jakarta and spends weekends taking care of her beauty salon in Bintaro. With a minimum purchase of 50,000 rupiah (Bt150) and a delivery fee of 10,000 rupiah for 10 kilograms of groceries, she can place an order one day before receiving the goods. 

However, the one thing she is dissatisfied about is that the online shop only covers limited areas, so she has to take delivery of her groceries at the office. “I hope the service could expand to where I live, so the maid can take delivery at home,” she said. 

A hectic work schedule is also the reason for Indra Bayu Permana, a journalist, to do his monthly shopping online through his smart phone. 

“There are times when I am very busy and I choose to buy groceries online. It’s practical and simple. When I am free, I go to a nearby supermarket,” said the man who lives in Cibubur, West Java.

Over the past two years, there has been a growing number of online grocery stores, including Sukamart.com owned by Japanese Sumitomo Corp; minmart chain Alfamart’s Alfaonline.com; as well as supermarket chains such as Carrefour. 

If you want fresh products, there is pasarminggu.co, which delivers in the east and south Jakarta areas; and  rumahsegar.com, which covers the 25-kilometre radius from their office in central Jakarta. 

Although e-commerce is still young, buyers are increasing. 

Alfaonline.com, for instance, has recorded 300 online transactions every day since it was launched on February 18. Meanwhile, co-founder of pasarminggu.co Elqee Ervan said the online shop that was set up on March 27 now has around 30 customers every day.

 “Most people who visit our website ask when we will serve the area they live in,” Elqee said.

Indonesia Retailers Association (Aprindo) deputy secretary-general Satria Hamid Ahmadi said his association has not recorded the value of online transactions in the country, but believes that online services will be the next “big trend” in the next five years.

“Consumer behaviour changes quickly in Jakarta. People are busy and the streets are congested. People need to go shopping, but they have limited time,” he said.

He added that the government should provide regulations that protect consumers when they do online transactions. “There should be some government regulation on online transactions, such as what can be done if the consumer gets bad-quality products. At present, we can’t be sure if the online stores really exist,” he said.