Indonesia is the fourth country in the world with the highest number of internet users (77% of the total population) according to the We Are Social “Digital 2023” report. More than 150 million Indonesians actively use social media and as many as 178 million people buy consumer goods via the internet.
Seeing this potential, the Directorate of Community Service and Empowerment (DPPM) at the Universitas Indonesia (UI) returned to Sembalun, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. Previously, in 2019 and 2022, the community service team had visited this area. The aim is to provide support to Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) in an effort to increase market access through the use of digital strategies. This activity also provides digital marketing learning for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) with the hope that it will be able to encourage the growth and sustainability of local businesses.
The pandemic and post-pandemic have had an impact on MSME owners. Some of them were able to survive, but some were forced to close down due to economic difficulties. Apart from competition with other businesses, MSME owners must also be able to increase their competitive advantage in order to survive. It is hoped that digital marketing strategies and materials will be able to create business sustainability so that it can benefit society.
Digital innovation in conditions like this can provide maximum benefits for efficiency and business continuity for MSME players. DPPM UI Service Team consisting of Dr. Rambat Lupiyoadi, Dr. Anna Amaliyah, and Amirah Hana guided 25 participants to jointly build the digital market platform “Pken Sembalun” or which is translated as “Sembalun Market”. This platform is a local business marketplace which aims to promote and connect products from MSEs in the Sembalun area with potential buyers.
“It is hoped that the presence of this digital platform will make it easier for MSMEs to reach a wider market and increase the sustainability of their businesses, especially for tourists and foreign tourists who go to Sembalun,” said Dr. Anna Amaliyah. According to her, this event has a positive impact in terms of business sustainability. The support provided to MSMEs not only helps them in developing digital skills, but also in creating more sustainable business flows in the current digital era.
The digital entrepreneurship training and mentoring program collaborated with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), a UN organization dedicated to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment throughout the world. This activity started with training activities on August 22nd-23rd and was held for MSME actors, especially former Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI). The program will continue with assistance until November 2023.
On that occasion, the team from UN Women also gave a special session on gender in entrepreneurship. The session aimed to increase understanding and awareness of gender concepts so that business actors can apply the principles of gender justice in their businesses. This is in line with efforts to ensure that economic empowerment does not only cover technical aspects, but also takes into account important social dimensions.
A number of participants from various backgrounds shared their views regarding this event. Mantara, a local resident, said, “This training is really needed by MSMEs in Sembalun. The product already exists, but marketing problems are still an obstacle.”
Meanwhile, Ida, another MSME player, said, “Usually the knowledge gained from training can be forgotten, but this training has provided extraordinary results, starting from logo branding materials to market access via websites.”