Mitra Bukalapak Ready to Help Warteg Owners’ Business Resilience

Mitra Bukalapak have just announced that they have collaborated with the Warteg Nusantara Community (Kowantara). This collaboration is carried out to support the business resilience of warteg owners who are affected by the pandemic situation by utilizing the Bukalapak digital platform.

Through this collaboration, thousands of warteg owners who are members of Kowantara have the opportunity to take part in an online business empowerment program. Not only that, but they will also be part of the seven million Mitra Bukalapak throughout Indonesia.

By becoming a Mitra Bukalapak, these warteg owners can start selling various other types of products. Starting from daily necessities, electronics, motor vehicle spare parts, to 42 types of virtual products, such as pulses to travel tickets.

“By increasing digital literacy among small and medium enterprises, including warteg owners, who are the backbone of the nation’s economy, we hope to help their business resilience, as well as have a social impact and build economic inclusion in Indonesia,” said CEO of Buka Mitra Indonesia, Howard Gani in an official statement, Tuesday (25/5/2021).

According to Howard, the social impact presented by Mitra Bukalapak can be seen from the increase in transactions achieved by partners. For this year, various wholesale, digital, and finance products sold by Mitra Bukalapak have succeeded in increasing the income of shop owners and individual agents.

The Chairman of Kowantara, Mukroni, also welcomed this cooperation. Because, this collaboration can help MSME players in the food sector answer challenges in the midst of a pandemic.

Moreover, according to a survey conducted by the Asian Development Bank in 2020, more than 20,000 warteg or nearly 50 percent of the total 50,000 warteg in Indonesia were forced to close because of Covid-19.

“Collaboration with Mitra Bukalapak is certainly a breath of fresh air for us because warteg owners can get knowledge about the opportunities presented through digital platforms to get main and additional income,” he said.

Mitra Bukalapak Encourage Financial Inclusion through a Line of Services

On the other hand, Buka Mitra Indonesia, which houses Mitra Bukalapak, strives to continue to provide various services and financial products for everyone, especially unbanked and underbanked people who have limited access.

Therefore, the company is collaborating with a number of well-known banking and financial companies, such as Bank Mandiri, Pegadaian, including the DANA digital wallet to increase literacy and financial inclusion.

This program is presented with a line of Mitra Bukalapak’s services that can be accessed by its customers. Joint efforts of various parties can achieve the inclusion and financial literacy.

“Therefore, as the largest online to an offline platform in Indonesia, Buka Mitra Indonesia will continue to develop financial products and features in Mitra Bukalapak, said CEO of Buka Mitra Indonesia,” Howard Gani in an official statement, Friday (7/5/2021).

A service that is also provided by Mitra Bukalapak for its customers is charging digital wallets, such as e-money. It’s a solution so that people who don’t have access to bank can still top up such digital wallets.

“Following the company’s mission to create A Fair Economy For All, we will continue to contribute through innovation and technology development, which is the key to digitizing small and medium enterprises,” said Howard continued.

Benefits of Joining Mitra Bukalapak

MSME players who joined also obtained some perks. One of the MSME players who joined  revealed that her shop has increased its turnover by three times since joining Mitra Bukalapak.

“After joining, everything changed. Previously, the income of IDR 600 thousand per day was not bad. Now with the addition of selling virtual and financial products from Mitra Bukalapak, the income has tripled,” she said.

Mitra Bukalapak is currently sells various types of products, such as daily necessities, fresh products, electronics, motor vehicle spare parts, up to 42 types of virtual products consisting of credit, electricity tokens, tax payments, to Software as Service products.