JAKARTA, 11 September 2019 – Online retail sales in Indonesia were experiencing rapid growth. Data from McKinsey projected that the country’s e-commerce market would exceed US$65 billion (Rp924 trillion) within the next five years. According to Statista, by 2018, 11.6% of Indonesia’s population were already active online shoppers, generating US$8.59 billion (Rp117.7 trillion) in retail sales.

This highlights the significant potential of online sales for business owners and brands looking to enter the Indonesian market. SIRCLO, a homegrown technology company providing Channel Management Solutions, supports brands and businesses in managing their online sales more effectively and efficiently through its technology-driven services.

SIRCLO offers two technology solutions designed to support entrepreneurs and business owners. SIRCLO Store is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform that enables small and medium-sized local businesses to build their own online stores. To date, SIRCLO Store has powered the creation of more than 80,000 online stores, including WearingKlamby, HeyTimmy, Benscrub, ATS The Label, and Pattent Goods. 

Meanwhile, SIRCLO Commerce is a channel management solution designed to help enterprise brands expand into online distribution channels. Its technology enables sales to be synchronised across multiple marketplaces, including Tokopedia, Shopee, Lazada, and Bukalapak. At the time, SIRCLO Commerce was trusted by more than 120 leading brands, including Reckitt Benckiser, KAO, Arnott’s, Kellogg’s, L'Oréal Paris, Quaker Oats, and Minimal.

Leontius Adhika Pradhana: The CTO Behind SIRCLO’s Technology Development

During the first six months of 2019, SIRCLO facilitated up to US$4 million (Rp56 billion) in online retail transactions each month through its technology solutions. In the previous year, the company had facilitated a total of Rp500 billion in online retail transactions. Behind this technological progress is Leontius Adhika Pradhana, SIRCLO’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

“My role as CTO at SIRCLO is to lead the development and operation of our product and engineering functions. Product serves as the bridge between the business and engineering teams, while engineering provides the technical capabilities needed to support the product across different areas,” Leontius explained. “My main responsibility is to guide the team through a range of challenges that require strong strategic thinking, particularly when developing software features to support these processes.”

According to Leontius, there are two major challenges in developing Channel Management Solution technology in Indonesia. “First, as a local technology startup, SIRCLO needs to continuously deepen its understanding of Indonesia’s e-commerce landscape and adapt to its dynamics, so we can provide relevant insights for brands looking to expand their business in the country,” he said. “Payments and logistics also present significant challenges for brands. To address these, SIRCLO works with leading providers across payment gateways, marketplaces, and logistics to support more efficient and effective sales and product distribution processes,” Leontius explained.

“Second, many people still perceive selling online as complicated. Building an online store website, in particular, is often seen as expensive and difficult to manage,” he explained. With SIRCLO Store, sellers can create an online shop almost as easily as setting up a blog, with a simple process not only for building the site but also for managing day-to-day sales operations. “SIRCLO offers a wide selection of online store website templates. These templates allow sellers to start with a free subscription while still accessing quality features, with affordable options available as their needs grow.”

Optimistic About the Growth of Indonesia’s E-Commerce Industry

Despite these challenges, Leontius and the SIRCLO team remained optimistic about the growth potential of Indonesia’s e-commerce industry. “Indonesia continues to be one of Southeast Asia’s most promising markets. The country’s digital economy has been strongly shaped by the rapid expansion of its e-commerce sector,” said Leontius.

According to Leon, emerging technology trends are already beginning to take shape from the consumer perspective. “We are currently exploring social and chat commerce features, which present a new opportunity to create a more seamless e-commerce experience for customers. They can also help sellers build closer relationships with consumers and better understand their needs,” he explained. “We remain optimistic that SIRCLO can continue providing brands with the right services and solutions to grow their businesses online, in step with the rapid and ever-evolving development of Indonesia’s e-commerce industry.”

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About Leontius

Leontius Adhika Pradhana is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of SIRCLO. He joined the company in 2015 after spending more than three years at Jurong Health Services. As CTO, he leads the development and operations of SIRCLO’s e-commerce technology. Leontius graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS) with a degree in Pharmacy. However, his extensive experience in technology, including representing Indonesia in international competitions as part of the Indonesian Computer Olympiad Team and participating in Google Summer of Code as a software developer, has helped shape his expertise in computer technology development.

About SIRCLO

Founded in 2013, SIRCLO is a technology company that provides solutions to help brands and business owners sell online. SIRCLO offers two products: SIRCLO Store and SIRCLO Commerce. SIRCLO Store is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform that enables small and medium-sized local businesses to build their own online stores. To date, it has supported nearly 1,000 active paying users in building their brands and expanding their businesses online, including ATS The Label, Benscrub, Namaste Organic, and This Is April.

SIRCLO Commerce is a channel management solution designed to help enterprise brands expand into online distribution channels. Powered by technology that synchronises sales across multiple marketplaces, SIRCLO Commerce is trusted by leading brands including Reckitt Benckiser, KAO, Arnott’s, Kellogg’s, L'Oréal, PepsiCo, and Minimal. For more information about SIRCLO, visit www.sirclo.com.