Digital SME Confidence Index 1st Half of 2021

Looking beyond the current crisis, SMEs are gearing up to prosper in the Post-Covid world.

At the beginning of 2021, the business has seen an increase compared to the sales in the 2nd Half of 2020, which decreased by 33.2%.

As the pandemic has not shown any sign to leave anytime soon, the world has begun to settle into the “new normal” life.

Business owners have found formulas and business channels not only to survive but thrive during a pandemic.

Digitalization is essential to facilitate access to finance, markets, and trends in people’s consumption patterns to digital.

Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs of the Republic of Indonesia, Hanung Harimba Rachman admitted it

On the other hand, the help from various parties is like a breath of fresh air in unfavorable conditions.

Report Summary

The survey was conducted on 1.376 business owners consisting of various industrial sectors across 34 provinces in Indonesia.
We conduct an online survey using online questionnaires held in the period March to July 2021, before the second Java-Bali curb.
Compared to the second half of the 2020 digital SME Confidence Index, the index shows an increase in the first half of 2021 by 4.9%, indicating an increase in digital SME optimism as the index converges to normal conditions (index 3.0).

As many as 20% of businesses have shifted their sales channels from offline to online during the pandemic and 89% of businesses use online channels to sell their products/services.
As technological advancement plays an essential role in supporting SMEs in new normal conditions, a new problem has appeared among business owners: fierce competition.
The Digital SME Ecosystem emerged because collaboration between business owners and the companies was needed in order to thrive in these new normal circumstances.
One’s ability to thrive in this pandemic is reflected in how strong one’s brand image is and how loyal one’s customers are, as it is found in our research that carrying out various promotions, discounts, and participating in events such as Harbolnas does not bring significant results unless your business already has its market.
Encouraging post-pandemic needs can be implemented by building comprehensive systems that enable businesses to maintain stability during recovery

Let’s help the digital SME flourish, and be part of the ecosystem.