JAKARTA, 9 July 2021 – The COVID-19 pandemic became a multidimensional crisis with significant implications across many areas. Its impact was felt not only at the national level, but also by families as the smallest unit of society. Widespread job losses were among the effects of the pandemic that placed household economic resilience under increasing pressure.

However, as economic activity became increasingly centred around the home, opportunities for mothers to contribute to household income also grew. The crisis encouraged the emergence of small businesses started from home, many of them led by mothers. Alongside managing household responsibilities, mothers were able to pursue new opportunities by running their own businesses. Those taking on both roles are commonly referred to as mompreneurs.

“Over the years of building Orami’s community of mothers, we have seen their significant potential to contribute economically. They are also highly creative in identifying opportunities and comfortable with technology, opening up many possibilities that can all begin from home,” said Ferry Tenka, CMO of SIRCLO.

Ferry continued, “The same trend can be seen in the growing number of brand owners who are mothers, selling their products online with support from SIRCLO Store. Many of these brands are built around challenges they have personally experienced as mothers, giving them a more authentic, well-rounded, and credible perspective on the business.”

SIRCLO is an e-commerce enabler in Indonesia that helps brands sell online through a range of solutions, including SIRCLO Store. SIRCLO Store is an instant online store-building technology that enables brands to establish their own official websites, allowing customers to shop online.

Of the five most successful brands on SIRCLO Store at the time, three were owned by women. Maya Rosmalinda, owner of Mamayaya Project, was one of the mompreneurs who built her business from home. Alongside her daily responsibilities as a mother, Maya used her business as an opportunity to grow and develop her creativity by creating a range of products designed around the everyday needs of mothers, babies, and children.

“Starting as a home-based business, we now sell our products online through our official website and operate three offline outlets. Having a website has also strengthened our brand image, to the point that many customers are surprised to learn that we started as a home-based business,” Maya said.

Building their own brand is not the only path available to mothers looking to start a business. Another option is becoming a reseller, which allows mompreneurs to sell products sourced from suppliers within their local communities. This model also requires less capital and fewer resources, making it easier to start and put into practice.

A Kantar report noted that social media provides a space for mothers to connect with one another, creating significant opportunities for mompreneurs to expand the reach of their businesses. A study published in Forum Agribisnis also found that mompreneurs often use communities to broaden their marketing reach and strengthen their entrepreneurial networks.

Mothers could begin building businesses from home as marketing agents through IbuSibuk, an initiative by Orami. IbuSibuk is a digital economic empowerment programme designed for mothers interested in entrepreneurship. In addition to reselling products available on Orami, IbuSibuk members could also contribute by introducing and recommending Orami products within their local communities. Members also received access to a range of exclusive entrepreneurship training programmes to support their business activities.

Bangun Ambar Ekowati, an IbuSibuk member from Tangerang and a mother of one, shared why she decided to join the programme. “During the pandemic, I felt the need to be more productive. I realised that the mobile phone and internet data I already had could be used to earn additional income. The extra money can be saved or used for my child’s daily needs,” she said.

The growing number of brands founded by mothers, alongside expanding opportunities for them to run businesses from home, was a positive indication of increasingly equal access for women to develop their potential. It also highlighted the increasingly important role of mothers in Indonesia’s economy and society.

“Our hope is that, with the support of SIRCLO Store and Orami’s services, mothers across Indonesia can become empowered not only economically, but also socially by creating a positive impact within their communities,” Ferry concluded.

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About SIRCLO

Founded in 2013, SIRCLO is a leading e-commerce solutions company in Indonesia that helps brands sell online. SIRCLO’s solutions are divided into two main categories: Entrepreneur and Enterprise. Under the Entrepreneur category, SIRCLO offers SIRCLO Store, an online store management platform that enables SMEs to sell across three channels: websites, marketplaces, and chat commerce. For enterprise businesses, SIRCLO provides end-to-end e-commerce enablement through SIRCLO Commerce, as well as omnichannel technology development solutions through ICUBE by SIRCLO.

In April 2021, SIRCLO announced its acquisition of Orami, Indonesia’s first parenting platform to combine Commerce, Content, and Community within a single ecosystem. The acquisition brought together more than 100,000 brands supported in growing their businesses online. SIRCLO’s solutions were trusted by local brands including ATS The Label, Benscrub, Evete Naturals, Namaste Organic, This Is April, and Heytimmy Kidswear, as well as multinational brands such as Unilever, Reckitt Benckiser, KAO, L’Oréal, and Levi’s. At the time, SIRCLO was headquartered at Green Office Park 1, The Breeze, BSD, Serpong, and had 1,000 employees, with representatives based in Bandung, Yogyakarta, and Surabaya.

For more information about SIRCLO, visit www.sirclo.com.