Heaptalk, Jakarta — Indonesia’s Trade Minister Zulkifli ‘Zulhas’ Hasan visited Tanah Abang Markets to monitor the current condition of the market after TikTok Live ban in Indonesia. During his visit, Zulhas conveyed that the condition starts to revive gradually.
“When we see the sellers’ face, they start to ‘smile’ again. Tomorrow I will go to Makassar to monitor the wholesale market there,” said Zulhas at Tanah Abang Market, on Friday. (10/13)
Moreover, Zulhas conveyed that the same condition is reflected in Semarang. From his observation, the intensity of business activities in the city start to recover gradually. The escalation of business activities is inseparable with the Ministry’s measure to strengthen local market by leading e-commerce to be more prioritizing domestic product. As the result, Shopee Indonesia have restricted the selling of cross-border product in Indonesia.
“This moment open opportunities for local MSMEs to market their product. for this reason, I ask sellers and local MSMEs to optimize the presence of this platform. If you don’t start your online business yet, now you must. So, you have both online and offline stores and your product can get more attention from people,” said Minister Zulhas.
Regarding the issue about the Tiktok Shop, Zulhas conveyed that the government is open for businesses who want to obtain permission.
“Thus, if there is a company who wants to obtain e-commerce permission, such as F&B and pharmacies, they must bag BPOM permission first. For selling electronic devices, the platform should provide preloved services and warranty, etc. the point is, we will manage it through regulation. If they want to follow our regulation, we will help them,” stated Zulhas.
The regulation is created to promote the MSMEs’ development in Tanah Abang Market.
“In this meeting, we invite the business owner in Tanah Abang Market to open online store. We cannot avoid digitalization and the future trading will implement digitalization.
To drive digital transformation, the Ministry of Trade stated, “We will connect offline sellers with digital creator to train them about how to sell the product, create enticing packaging, and more.”
For more information, prior to this visit, Trade Minister Zulhas visited Tanah Abang Market to discuss the business owners’ complaint regarding the decrease of income affected by live shopping activities in social commerce, such as TikTok.
After the meeting, Zulhas released Trade Minister Regulation No 31 Year 2023 concerning the creation of equal, healthy, and beneficial competition. Releasing this policy, the Ministry has redefined the business model of social commerce and market place to monitor its activities.