JAKARTA, 8 June 2020 – In June 2020, e-commerce enabler SIRCLO completed a merger with ICUBE, an e-commerce technology solutions agency that had served retail businesses for two decades. The merger brought together thousands of clients across different business scales and combined the strengths of both companies to support more SMEs and large-scale brands seeking effective and efficient digital transformation in e-commerce.

The role of e-commerce was becoming increasingly important and relevant, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which encouraged more businesses and consumers to rely on online platforms for buying and selling. In this environment, access to integrated and reliable e-commerce technology and solutions became essential, serving as a key success factor for business owners and brands selling through their own websites or other online sales channels.

Recognising this shift, SIRCLO saw the need to accelerate its business growth so it could support more SMEs and enterprise brands in navigating the pandemic. Finding the right partner, such as ICUBE, was an important part of this effort. Founded in 2003, ICUBE provides customised e-commerce solutions in the form of brand.com platforms for medium-sized businesses. In 2010, ICUBE became a Magento Premier Solutions Partner, helping more retail brands enter the e-commerce space. In 2017, the company launched Swift, a technology solution designed to support omnichannel e-commerce needs.

Brian Marshal, CEO and Founder of SIRCLO, and Muliadi Jeo, Founder and Managing Director of ICUBE, had known each other for several years. Brian brought a strong track record in IT, particularly in helping businesses sell online through websites and marketplaces via e-commerce enabler services. Meanwhile, Muliadi had more than two decades of experience in the e-commerce industry at a multinational level. He began building his business in the early 2000s, when e-commerce was still at a relatively early stage in the United States compared with its development today.

To strengthen business capabilities and further develop Indonesia’s e-commerce ecosystem, Brian proposed the merger so that SIRCLO and ICUBE could complement each other’s strengths and become strategic partners in reaching a broader market through more integrated e-commerce services.

“As a leading e-commerce enabler in Indonesia, SIRCLO is committed to continuously providing the best services and solutions to help brands grow their businesses online. We remain open to opportunities that can strengthen our capabilities. When we saw the potential to merge with ICUBE, we became even more confident that we could pursue this mission on a broader and more comprehensive scale by combining the strengths of both companies,” said Brian Marshal.

Through this merger, SIRCLO and ICUBE aim to provide more comprehensive end-to-end e-commerce solutions for businesses of different sizes, with the ambition of becoming a leading player in Indonesia’s e-commerce market. SIRCLO’s strengths have primarily centred on supporting large enterprises, established brands, and SMEs, while ICUBE has focused on medium-sized businesses seeking brand.com platforms and enterprise solutions. By combining their capabilities, the two companies are strengthening their ability to serve a broader range of brands and businesses across different segments.

“ICUBE is dedicated to making e-commerce more accessible to retailers across different industries through Magento, an open-source e-commerce platform that enables online businesses to manage their sales operations according to their needs. After 20 years in the industry, we wanted to serve a broader range of clients across different business segments through the services we provide,” said Muliadi Jeo. “SIRCLO is the right strategic partner to help us achieve this goal. Together, we can work towards building a stronger e-commerce ecosystem in Indonesia.”

Brian noted that the merger came at the right time, as the additional resources would enable SIRCLO and ICUBE to support more SMEs and brands requiring faster e-commerce services during the pandemic. By combining the capabilities, expertise, and experience of both companies, SIRCLO and ICUBE were confident they could deliver greater value and a stronger service experience for their clients.

At the time, SIRCLO had supported more than 1,000 clients and brands in growing their businesses online through SIRCLO Store and SIRCLO Commerce, its channel management solution. SIRCLO’s client portfolio included This Is April, Unilever, Reckitt Benckiser, Beiersdorf, L’Oréal Group, Eigerindo, and Levi’s. Meanwhile, through its e-commerce solutions, ICUBE had supported brands including Kawan Lama, Krisbow, KlikMRO, 9to9 Online, Hush Puppies, L’Occitane, Elemis, Venchi, Erha Store, Nutrimart, Royal Canin, Mitra10, and Lotte Mart in building and managing their own e-commerce platforms.

The merger between SIRCLO and ICUBE will bring together more than 450 employees. ICUBE will continue to operate as an independent entity, while integrating its services with those offered by SIRCLO. As part of the merger, Muliadi Jeo of ICUBE will succeed Leontius Adhika Pradhana as SIRCLO’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), while Leontius will move into a new role as Chief Product Officer (CPO).

***

About SIRCLO

Founded in 2013, SIRCLO is a technology company that provides solutions to help businesses 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. At the time, SIRCLO Store had supported nearly 1,000 active paying users in building their brands and growing their businesses online, including ATS The Label, Benscrub, Evete Naturals, Namaste Organic, This Is April, and Heytimmy Kidswear.

SIRCLO Commerce is a channel management solution designed to support enterprise brands entering online distribution channels. Powered by technology that synchronises sales across multiple marketplaces, SIRCLO Commerce was trusted by leading brands including Reckitt Benckiser, Unilever, KAO, Arnott’s, L’Oréal, Eiger, and Levi’s. For more information about SIRCLO, visit www.sirclo.com.

About ICUBE

ICUBE is an e-commerce technology and solutions agency serving retail businesses. As a Magento Premier Solutions Partner in Indonesia since 2010, ICUBE has launched and managed more than 100 Magento-based websites and developed Swift, a product designed to support the e-commerce and omnichannel needs of medium-sized businesses. ICUBE has been trusted by local and international clients across markets including Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, the United States, and Hong Kong. Its client portfolio includes leading brands such as Kawan Lama, Krisbow, KlikMRO, 9to9 Online, Hush Puppies, L’Occitane, Elemis, Venchi, Erha Store, Nutrimart, Eiger Indonesia, Royal Canin, Mitra10, Lotte Mart, and many others. For more information about ICUBE, visit https://icubeonline.com. To learn more about SWIFT, visit https://getswift.asia.