Encouraging SMEs to Go Online, GoFood Received an Appreciation

GoFood, which is part of the Gojek ecosystem, encourages MSMEs to go online and rise amid the Covid-19 pandemic. This step was also appreciated Minister Teten Masduki. Teten explained that there were more than 236,980 SMEs who had reported to the Ministry os MSMEs  for their efforts that were affected by the pandemic.

“The government is preparing a national economic recovery scheme including for MSME actors. Not only that, SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for reactivation of MSMEs towards the new normal order has also begun to be socialized for business sectors that have and will be reactivated such as the transportation and culinary sectors. , “Teten said in the dialogue ‘Recipe for MSMEs to Rise Together with GoFood’, Monday (6/29/2020).

Digitalization, he continued, is a solution to the problems faced by MSMEs today. Then it takes strong collaboration between the government and digital platforms such as GoFood and Gojek to revive the MSME food and beverage sector in Indonesia.

Covid-19 pandemic which gave birth to social distancing, physical distancing, work from home, and large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) policies, according to Minister Teten, makes people shop more online (food is no exception).

Positive Contribution to Accelerate UMKM to Go Online

Unfortunately, continued Teten, that only about 13 percent of a total of around 60 million MSMEs in Indonesia are connected to online ecosystems such as GoFood. “The remaining 87 percent is still not connected, so we must accelerate the digitization process,” he added.

Teten is grateful that the presence and existence of GoFood’s concrete towards SMEs especially during this pandemic can make a positive contribution. “I as Menkop will protect the small culinary businesses. At the moment I think GoFood can make culinary players in Indonesia safe and comfortable,” he said.

While Gojek’s Chief Food Officer, Catherine Hindra Sutjahyo, said not only for merchants that are already incorporated in the ecosystem, the complete GoFood and Gojek solutions also accelerate other MSMEs to go online.

The solution is the most complete in the industry. Not only consists of technological features that drive increased consumer demand but also support outside technology, namely entrepreneurship training and business networking.

Comprehensive support is specifically designed to help MSMEs adapt, given that the pandemic has shifted people’s culinary consumption from offline to online. GoFood builds a family-friendly community. Promoting cooperation and even when one of the merchants is affected, other merchant partners help one another.

There are four GoFood pillars to help MSME partners in dealing with a pandemic. First, it helps maintain transaction volume. Second, increasing consumer demand by maximizing MSME exposure. Third, reducing business operating costs, and fourth, supporting MSME business operations to remain a mainstay of consumers.

Dapur Bersama to Reach More SMEs

Since its launch in October 2019, GoFood has increasingly promoted its initiative titled “Dapur Bersama” which is aimed at helping and reaching more Indonesian MSMEs in the culinary sector.

“The concept is, we want to provide access to MSMEs that focus on delivery. We choose a location that suits good demand. We have no rental fees, but there is revenue sharing (for revenue sharing),” said Gojek Indonesia Chief Food Officer, Catherine Hindra Sutjahyo, Monday.

Furthermore, he said that in the last five months, there have been 27 “Dapur Bersama GoFood” in Jabodetabek, Bandung, and Medan. Joint cooking facilities for partners through the “Dapur Bersama”, with locations selected based on surveys of food or product requests, to easy access for GoJek / GoFood drivers.

“This is a form of our solution for the culinary SMEs, especially we have around 500 thousand GoFood partners who are SMEs,” Catherine said. GoFood’s step through “Dapur Bersama” was also welcomed by the Indonesian Minister of Cooperatives and SMEs, Teten Masduki.

According to him, this is in line with the idea of ​​”Joint Production House” from Kemenkop and UKM to improve the competitiveness of MSMEs.