5 top e-commerce platforms in Indonesia to build your brand store

As the world continues to move towards online shopping and digital transactions, having a strong online presence is essential for any business looking to thrive in today's competitive market.

One of the best ways to achieve this is with a brand website. A website serves as your digital storefront, enabling you to showcase your products and services to a global audience. Moreover, it helps you establish credibility and trust with your customers, improve your visibility on search engines and increase your chances of attracting new customers online.

Setting up a website does require work: you’ll need to consider various factors such as design, navigation and payment methods, among others.

If setting up a website from scratch is not within your means as yet, leveraging e-commerce platforms for a start is your next best solution.

What is an e-commerce platform?

Consider these as your e-commerce marketplaces. It’s a digital solution that enables businesses to create, manage and operate their online stores. These platforms provide essential features such as product listing, inventory management, payment processing and shipping integration, facilitating seamless online transactions.

This means you won’t have to worry about setting up these infrastructures you’d need for your own site on the web. They’re all ready for you to leverage through an intuitive content management system (CMS), making establishing an e-commerce business online incredibly convenient.

Even better, e-commerce platforms typically establish themselves in markets across the globe, so it’s much easier to target an international audience. They’ll also help you localise your business in the language your customers prefer when they shop online.

In a nutshell, e-commerce platforms empower businesses to reach a wider audience, enhance customer experience and optimise their sales and marketing efforts in the rapidly growing world of online shopping.

What are the best e-commerce platforms in Indonesia?

1. Zalora

Zalora is a popular e-commerce platform in Indonesia, focusing mainly on fashion and lifestyle products. With its easy-to-use CMS, this platform is most suitable for businesses looking to target a younger audience interested in trendy clothing, accessories and beauty products. Zalora also offers a range of marketing and promotional tools to help you reach your target audience and grow your business.

2. Shopee

Shopee is home to a wide variety of products, ranging from electronics and home appliances to fashion and beauty items. It’s like an online mall for customers seeking anything and everything you could think of. With its user-friendly interface and extensive customer base, Shopee is an excellent choice for businesses looking to reach a broader audience. Furthermore, its integration with various payment and logistics providers simplifies the process of selling and shipping products.

3. Blibli

Another prominent e-commerce platform in Indonesia, Blibli caters to a diverse range of product categories such as electronics, fashion, health and beauty, and home and living. The marketplace is best known for its strong focus on customer service and satisfaction, making it an excellent choice for businesses that prioritise building long-lasting customer relationships. Blibli only accepts orders within Indonesia, which makes it ideal if you’re seeking a domestic audience. However, if you want to ship to an international clientele, such as Indonesians living overseas, you can extend your service with a third-party provider or an online shopping agent. This is a middleman between your brand store on Blibli and the overseas customer. The middleman places an order on the customer’s behalf and then ships the goods overseas. This is similar to how Indonesians shop on Taobao through a third-party agency.

4. Tokopedia

Tokopedia is one of Indonesia's largest e-commerce marketplaces, offering a vast array of products and services. This platform is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses looking for a comprehensive solution to manage their online store. With its advanced features, such as a multi-vendor marketplace, robust payment system and seamless logistics integration, Tokopedia provides a solid foundation for businesses to grow and succeed in the e-commerce space. Like Blibli, Tokopedia ships domestically, but with a third-party vendor, you can still reach international customers.

5. Bukalapak

Bukalapak is a well-established e-commerce platform in Indonesia, perfect for small and medium-sized enterprises. With its easy-to-navigate interface and extensive range of products, Bukalapak is an excellent option for businesses looking to target local consumers. And if you’re after a global clientele, you can set up your store on BukaGlobal, through which international customers can place orders on Bukalapak. Presently, this feature is available to customers in Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Tips on selecting the right e-commerce platform to sell your products

Paying attention to the following factors can help you decide better on the best type of e-commerce marketplace to jump on:

Determine your business needs and goals: Consider the size of your product catalogue, target audience and the level of customisation required to align with your objectives.
Evaluate the costs involved: Understand the pricing structures of different platforms, including monthly fees, transaction fees and other charges, and ensure they fit into your budget. While at it, consider the quality you get – the cheapest option is surely appealing, but if it’s unreliable, it’s counterproductive for your business.
Assess the features offered: Look for platforms providing essential tools for marketing, inventory management, order processing and customer support that suit your business requirements.
Consider integration options with third-party tools and services: Choose a platform that offers seamless integration with payment gateways, shipping providers and marketing tools to enhance your e-commerce store's functionality.
Test the platform's usability and user-friendliness: Create a demo account or sign up for a free trial to gauge the platform's ease of navigation and management for both you and your customers.

If you’re set to explore e-commerce, why not engage our logistics specialists and see how we can serve as your third-party shipping provider and deliver your goods quickly to your customers overseas? Whether you’re a B2B or B2C business, you’ll always benefit from a reliable delivery service team at the heart of your last-mile strategy. With a DHL Express business account, you’ll also enjoy the convenience of digital shipping tools, from automated invoice generation to real-time tracking of shipments. Leave the logistics groundwork to us and let your e-commerce team focus on driving sales.