SIRCLO recorded a consistent increase in demand for household products from February 2020 onwards. Five brands shared how moving online helped them achieve stronger sales during the pandemic.
JAKARTA, 30 November 2020 – During the COVID-19 pandemic, Indonesians spent significantly more time at home. In this period of Adaptasi Kebiasaan Baru (AKB), or adaptation to new habits, people became increasingly accustomed to doing more from home through digital channels, from working and studying to cooking, entertainment, and hobbies. This gave rise to a new retail trend, with more consumers renovating and decorating their homes to create more comfortable living spaces.
This trend was reflected in research by SIRCLO Insights, which showed a consistent increase in demand for household products from February 2020 onwards. Marketplace Tokopedia also recorded that transactions in the furniture category nearly doubled during the pandemic.
Websites Become a Key Driver of Transaction Growth for Local Brands
Transaction growth was also recorded among local furniture brands that had established their own business websites. Here are five brands that shared how moving online helped increase their sales during the pandemic.
Mendekor
Brian Karno Jan, Founder dan Direktur Mendekor, mengaku bahwa strategi online Mendekor sangat terbantu dengan adanya website resmi. “Awalnya, kami sempat mencoba membuat website sendiri, tapi ternyata sangat rumit karena harga yang mahal, kustomisasi yang ribet, hingga banyak bug”, jelasnya. “Kami akhirnya memutuskan untuk menggunakan layanan SIRCLO Store, dimana kami bisa membuat website, mengelola pesanan dengan lebih mudah dan menyelesaikan transaksi dengan aman. Website yang dibuat kami gunakan hingga sekarang untuk membangun portofolio produk, branding perusahaan, hingga kegiatan dan promo terbaru,” ungkapnya.
Mendekor is a local furniture brand built around the values of sociopreneurship, empowering dozens of local craftspeople across nine cities in Indonesia. During the pandemic, the brand recorded significant growth, with online sales increasing by up to 100%. Brian Karno Jan, Founder and Director of Mendekor, said the company’s online strategy benefited greatly from having an official website. “At first, we tried building our own website, but it turned out to be quite complicated, from the high cost and difficult customisation process to frequent technical issues,” he explained. “We eventually decided to use SIRCLO Store, which allowed us to build a website, manage orders more easily, and complete transactions securely. We continue to use the website today to showcase our product portfolio, strengthen the brand, and share our latest activities and promotions,” he added.
Megallery Homegoods
Megallery Homegoods, a Bandung-based brand, also enhanced its website with more comprehensive features. Initially used only as a product catalogue, the website was upgraded that year to support online transactions, making it easier for customers to browse and purchase home décor products, including Bohemian- and farmhouse-inspired rugs.
“Since then, we have seen an increase in sales, particularly because we are now able to organise our various product categories more effectively. SIRCLO has also made the website easy to edit and ensured that it remains responsive when accessed via smartphone,” said Mega, Founder and CEO of Megallery Homegoods.
Studio Dapur
Beyond building their own websites, some brands also began integrating other platforms, such as WhatsApp and marketplaces, to maximise sales. Studio Dapur is a B2B furniture brand focused on producing quality bamboo products while empowering local bamboo craftspeople. The brand uses its website primarily as a catalogue and company profile, while most B2B transactions are handled through WhatsApp. Studio Dapur also operates online stores on marketplaces such as Shopee and Tokopedia.
Retota
Retota is an artisanal woven textile brand from Central Java. One of its biggest challenges when moving online was a lack of technological expertise. “At first, we were quite hesitant because we did not feel confident managing technology-based products. However, by working with an e-commerce enabler such as SIRCLO, it became much easier for us to automate the buying and selling process through our website. Sales also increased, supported by features such as special coupons that allow Retota to offer various promotions to our customers,” said Relly Saryanto, Director of Retota.
SOHO.ID
SOHO.ID also experienced the benefits and flexibility of selling through its own website. Before launching its website, SOHO.ID relied on physical stores and WhatsApp for sales. However, this approach was less efficient, as administrators had to send product photos and descriptions individually to every customer who made an enquiry. With a website built through SIRCLO Store, both customers and SOHO.ID employees gained greater convenience. Customers could browse the product catalogue and access complete information anytime and from anywhere. A simpler purchasing process also helped encourage more transactions.
SIRCLO Supports the Growth of Online Furniture Brands with Comprehensive Solutions
The five furniture brands above did not build their websites from scratch. Their websites were developed using SIRCLO Store, an online store solution with an integrated payment system and connectivity to Facebook advertising features. These built-in capabilities helped the brands strengthen their online presence, including through Instagram Shopping, which had recently entered Indonesia’s e-commerce landscape at the time. Mendekor, Studio Dapur, and SOHO.ID were able to use this feature to direct consumers from Instagram straight to their websites to shop.
“Given the positive momentum in Indonesia’s furniture industry, we want to help more local brands reach their markets more effectively. With access to websites, marketplaces, and automated chat features through WhatsApp, business owners can now manage their operations more efficiently while saving both time and costs,” said Brian Marshal, Founder and CEO of SIRCLO.
Recognising the significant potential of online sales for local businesses, SIRCLO launched the #MulaiSekarang initiative, a programme designed to support SMEs and local brands in selling online across multiple platforms: online store websites through SIRCLO Store, marketplaces through SIRCLO Connexi, and WhatsApp through SIRCLO Chat. Through these three platforms, SIRCLO aimed to help SMEs and local brands struggling to sustain their offline businesses during the pandemic enter the e-commerce market more quickly and at an affordable cost.
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About SIRCLO
Founded in 2013, SIRCLO is an e-commerce enabler that offers four business solutions to help brands sell online: SIRCLO Store, SIRCLO Connexi, SIRCLO Chat, and SIRCLO Commerce. SIRCLO Store is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform that enables local businesses and brands to build template-based online stores. SIRCLO Connexi provides an interactive dashboard for managing sales across multiple e-commerce platforms in Indonesia. Meanwhile, SIRCLO Chat offers a conversational commerce platform through an interactive dashboard integrated with the WhatsApp Business API. Through its end-to-end channel management solution, SIRCLO Commerce supports enterprise brands in expanding into online distribution channels.
In May 2020, SIRCLO officially merged with ICUBE, a Magento Premier Solutions Partner in Indonesia, strengthening its e-commerce technology development capabilities and adding SWIFT, an omnichannel e-commerce builder, to its portfolio. SIRCLO Store had powered more than 100,000 websites and helped 3,000 brands grow their businesses online, including ATS The Label, Benscrub, Evete Naturals, Namaste Organic, This Is April, and Heytimmy Kidswear. SIRCLO was also trusted by dozens of clients representing more than 300 leading brands, including Unilever, Reckitt Benckiser, KAO, L’Oréal, Eiger, and Levi’s.