Facebook’s Justin Halim on WPP Stream: “Nothing like it!”

Early this month, May 2-4 to be exact, myself and other 150 got the exclusive invitation to this unconference event called Stream Indonesia 2013 organized by WPP. The global event takes place early autumn each year and brings together over three hundred of the brightest and most innovative people in the creative, media and technology industries.

The event was held at Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta, and I personally think that it’s one of the best event I’ve ever attended. There, I met Justin Halim from Facebook Singapore who is half Indonesian, also attended and we got to chat with him regarding the event as well as the awesome set of unconference events inside.

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Before participating, what did you expect to get from WPP Stream?

I had heard many great things about WPP Stream – only the best thought leaders in technology and communications; the mix of agencies, clients and startups; the relaxed, informal setting to come together to network, discuss, share and be inspired! It has always been a goal of mine to be part of this ‘un-conference’!

What do you think about the whole “un-conference” theme?

Nothing like it! A perfect avenue to inspire you to think, discuss, question and be questioned! The relaxed, ‘un-conference’ setting really removes inhibitions and encourages participation – regardless of company, job title, seniority. Everyone’s contribution to the discussions are listened to, valued, and respected; and no one participant can just be ‘along for the ride’.

5 things you learn from WPP Stream?

• There is an amazing amount of passion for technology and communications that matches (surpasses!) the scale of opportunity in Indonesia for agencies, clients and startups alike

• Speaking of opportunity – it’s largely unstructured at present and there is ample room for industry bodies; structured ways of working in the agency/client/startup ecosystem; and educational institutions to further cultivate leading edge thinking

• Indonesia is unique – it has the scale and ecosystem to be a self-sufficient, self-serving market in its own right, and can be a leader of the best ideas and thinking that the rest of Asia follows

• No one can escape mobile, as well the hugely social nature of individuals in this highly dynamic market

• I’m pleased to say that there is loads of interest in Facebook in Indonesia!

As one of the lucky people who got invited, what do you say to those who wants to know more about WPP Stream?

There’s no better way to find out more about WPP Stream than tracking down those that attended and getting in touch with them. I’m sure they’re all very outgoing and socially savvy, so wouldn’t be too hard to find them on all the social media channels!

Any tips for next year’s participants?

Leave all inhibitions at the door, come armed with your opinions and ideas, and brush up on those cooking skills and special talents!

A Chat With Yahoo Indonesia’s Roy Simangunsong About WPP Stream

Early this month, May 2-4 to be exact, myself and other 150 got the exclusive invitation to this unconference event called Stream Indonesia 2013 organized by WPP. The global event takes place early autumn each year and brings together over three hundred of the brightest and most innovative people in the creative, media and technology industries.

The event was held at Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta, and I personally think that it’s one of the best event I’ve ever attended. Roy Simangunsong, Yahoo Indonesia’s Country Ambassador also attended and we got to chat with him regarding the event as well as the impressive list of people who attended.

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Before participating, what did you expect to get from WPP Stream?

I expect on 3 area when going to any event :

1. Expanding the network
2. Opening new horizon of ideas and thinking
3. Discussing some thought in my mind if it permit and possible

What do you think about the whole “un-conference” theme?

I think it is a cool idea and a bit different in compare to the model of one way communication and then you got the chance to speak up when given. In this model, you can own the discussion and have people take part in a more engaging though it would be good if there is a construct of thinking that are lay out to every discussion leader in order to frame the discussion into something actionable, or maybe this was not actually the purpose

5 things you learn from WPP Stream?

Let ‘s keep it to 3 , I think it is easier to remember

1. Unconventional thing can make people think more open and progressive
2. The place where publishers , agencies, product owner being melted in one place
3. Among the many good track that are there, you need to pick the most important and impactful for you

As one of the lucky people who got invited, what do you say to those who wants to know more about WPP Stream?

Hahahahaha, I believe it is a mutual benefit for the invited and invitee. Seriously for the people who want to know more about WPP Stream, it is the place where great ideas blend into a platform of engagement.

Any tips for next year’s participants?

1. The topics should not be all about you but about the rest of the world
2. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes so go with courage J
3. Take your time to digest and discuss about your topic to the audience but most important make at least 1 key action to be follow up by yourself or by others.

foodpanda Indonesia Sees High Potential in Food Delivery Business, Will Provide Alternate Payment Methods

Food delivery business has been in infant stage in Indonesia, but it’s definitely expanding. In busy cities, the need of good food has never ceased off, while sometimes people just can’t move from their workplaces. Of course everybody want to have good meal, not just fast foods, but not every restaurant chain provide luxury of delivering the foods right in customer’s door. As regional player, foodpanda understands this need and would like to play its part to grow and nurture this niche.

According to foodpanda Indonesia’s Managing Director, Juan Chene, generally people still find it more convenient to order food offline, using phone,
but foodpanda has already started to see a big channel shifting to online and mobile which will even accelerate over the next years. He said, “Main partners like Chopstix, Sour Sally, Mos Burger or Gado-Gado Boplo help us to provide the greatest varieties of food and many more are joining us as we speak. We received highly positive feedback and hence generated more customers. To summarize we see lots of movement and highest potential in the food delivery business in Indonesia.”

As of today, foodpanda has over 500 restaurants in Indonesia and 15,000 partner restaurants worldwide. There are more than 500 employees globally and are active in 27 countries, targeting 3 billion people. Chene stated, “Currently, we are focusing on a market with about 50 million people in Indonesia. As a startup we don’t talk about actual delivery numbers right now. But we progress fast and see especially a big potential in mobile: Just shortly after launch of our mobile app already around 25% percent of the orders come from a smartphone or tablet. By the way most of them during lunch time.”

Asked about the possibility of expanding throughout cities in Indonesia, Chene answered, “We want to become the market leader in Indonesia and cover all of Indonesia. Our advantage is our great network of partner restaurants and the constantly growing variety of cuisines we offer. We are growing multinational and we will go step by step. By now we are in the metropolitan area of Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya and Bali and keep on expanding.”

foodpanda in Indonesia still use “cash on delivery” payment method. Yet, as Chene replied, in near future the company will adapt new payment methods and extend to mobile credit card payments, online banking and bank transfer. But of course providing alternate payment methods isn’t the only thing his team focus on. He stated, “We are totally customer orientated and want everyone to get their tasty meal hassle-free and most convenient. Our focus has been on providing an excellent choice of restaurants at a great user experience and service. From here we will advance further.

To support his previous statement about mobile shifting, Chene closed the discussion by emphasizing, “We’ve already successfully launched a mobile app (for iOS) and according to AppAnnie (stat), it is the number one app for Food & Beverages (category) in Indonesia. We globally reached a quarter million downloads in less than three months and became the number one food app in eight countries.”

More About Lazada’s Upcoming Marketplace

Just over a week ago Lazada celebrated its first anniversary and announced that the company will be launching a marketplace for suppliers and consumers to set up their own shop at Lazada’s website. To find out more about the plans for its marketplace, we went straight to Lazada’s top management and asked them some questions.

According to Managing Director Magnus Ekbom, Lazada decided to open a marketplace because the company wants to create an opportunity for Indonesian entrepreneurs who would like to have their products sold directly through Lazada’s website. “We believe by giving them the ability to create their own stores will push the e-commerce market in indonesia even more. This will mean that we will be able to give a huge product portfolio to our customers but they will also get the trusted Lazada.co.id service”.

Lazada vice president Rizki Suluh Adi added that the traffic generated by Lazada can help with exposure and raise Indonesia’s Internet profile. “Because lazada.co.id already has huge traffic, we believe it will also give the advantages of huge exposures and visibility to the indonesia internet market”.

“Due to the low barriers to entry, other countries have already seen very sizable niche retail players that started off with a marketplace on another website. This is a huge opportunity to help people that would otherwise not have the reach to sell online”, said Managing Director Tom Damek.

An online marketplace is something that’s becoming very popular in Indonesia. The locals have been using various online services to act as store fronts to sell their products even if the terms and conditions specifically prohibit such activities. From Tokopedia to Rakuten, from Multiply to Facebook, many Indonesians won’t waste a chance to set up shop. In the case of Multiply, it even shifted its business from a social sharing platform to a marketplace.

In the face of mounting competition, Damek said, “The key for us is to ensure that customers have peace of mind. We know that to attract a lot of new customers in the young category that is e-commerce we really need to WOW customers. They need to see that it is better than sitting in the traffic on the way to the mall”.

Maintaining the quality of the products being offered through the website is an important factor for the company. “While we urge for user generated content, we will still do content curation. So, we will be quite selective as to who we allow to be on the lazada.co.id marketplace”, Damek said.

As for the service level guarantee, Ekbom assures customers and partners alike that they will get the same Lazada treatment and service but there’s flexibility in case the partners have their own preferences. “If it has the Lazada brand, you bet you will get the same trusted service as lazada.co.id. There are different models where we will do complete fulfillment or just part of the fulfillment”.

A Chat With Remco Lupker: I Intend To Stay in Indonesia

Since its inception in Bali in 2005, Remco Lupker together with his partner Arnold Egg had been successful in building Tokobagus to be one of Indonesia’s e-commerce powerhouses. That’s why the industry was shocked when the two announced their resignations from Tokobagus not long after launching their nation-wide TV commercial. DailySocial got to talk to Remco Lupker about his experience in Tokobagus and his future plans in Indonesia

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What are the important lessons you get during your time in Tokobagus?
I have been very privileged having been in the position where I was in Tokobagus because during that period I’ve experienced and learned numerous things. Learning to know the local business community, talking with interested investors, the legal aspects, building a team and learning to run a business and do business in Indonesia, are just a few of the things I learned or improved. I guess my biggest lesson or experience has to do with the sheer scale of Tokobagus. I guess before I never thought I would be responsible for multiple TV campaigns, airing it during the World Cup and executing one of the largest online marketing campaigns in the region. That has been a hell of a ride and extremely valuable for my future plans.

Another important lesson I learned is being a team player and let other people work independently. I used to be a control freak up to the point where I would basically do everything myself which is a classic mistake of startup entrepreneurs and managers. I guess the scale of Tokobagus forced me to have a different approach and for my personal development that has been maybe the most valuable lesson.

What do you wish you can do differently for TokoBagus?
Actually nothing, which doesn’t mean I always did everything right. But looking at the large picture, I’m extremely proud of what Arno, the team, and I did with Tokobagus. Starting as a small classified site in Bali with a team of maybe 10 growing to become a leader in the market while still staying loyal to our company culture is something which still makes me proud. Also I guess part of our success is that we just tried a lot of things and even though lots of things we tried failed I think just the fact that we kept trying is one of the factors that made us successful.

What’s the next plan?
For starters, I intend to stay in Indonesia and start one business I will run myself and do a few small “hands-off” investments. Like a lot of investors and entrepreneurs I’m looking into several market opportunities such as travel, fashion, and the advertising space. I’m looking into some new opportunities and it’s definitely not mandatory that it has to be e-commerce related, even though that’s what people seem to expect. For sure I won’t start another classifieds or auction site since I dislike repeating myself and still feel I’m a part of Tokobagus.

I can already say that I’m doing an investment in a local fashion company, meaning a brand that designs and manufactures fashion items in Indonesia and is going to conquer the world Since this is still in process I can’t tell much more about it at this time but will be able to tell more within two months.

For the rest I think I can make an impact on the Indonesian digital space at least one more time, but still too early to share any details.

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Remco has been blogging more frequently about the digital industry, e-commerce, girls, and whatever things he’s fascinated by on his personal blog SangatPedas (literally, “very spicy”). Being a controversial guy that he is, in one of his pieces on e-commerce Remco posted a very controversial statement: “E-commerce is a tool in business, it’s not a business itself“.

Would you agree?

Smartphone Goes Up And Up, Erajaya Starts Eyeing Mobile App Business

As Indonesia’s biggest smartphone retailer and distribution company, Erajaya is still ambitious in planning its way to the future. DailySocial talked to Djatmiko Wardoyo, Director for Marketing and Communications where he expresses his enthusiasm for the company to grow more than distributor and retailer, mobile app business is definitely one of the things they’re keeping an eye on.

As a group, Erajaya still focuses on its core business which is the distribution and retailer for smartphones. From the data they’ve collected over the years, Erajaya sees how the smartphone sales number constantly climbing significantly and rapidly. “From a volume perspective, smartphone’s contribution is still way lower than feature phones”, said Wardoyo claiming smartphone has 28% market share compared to 72% that is the feature phone.

For Erajaya, their business strategy remains flexible following the appetite of the market, whatever the market wants and needs, Erajaya will sure to follow the lead. “The retail strategy is to focus on smartphone sales, because in modern retail consumer feels more comfortable to buy smartphone in a store with dummy demo units so they can feel the experience”, said Wardoyo.

With their position as smartphone distributor and retailer, Erajaya is sitting in a very sweet spot for Indonesia mobile ecosystem. Erajaya also sees how mobile application usage in Indonesia grow each year, and according to Wardoyo it has open a tremendous market opportunity for mobile application business in Indonesia. “This is also supported by Indonesia’s interest in to the app development process”, he said referring to the increasing number of mobile app developer coming from Indonesia.

Determined to keep innovating, Erajaya launched the world’s first retail store for smartphones categorised by its Operating System, dubbed Android Nation who sells Android smartphones from various brands. Last year Erajaya also acquired iBox, one of Indonesia’s biggest Apple reseller for $18 million. Erajaya also goes digital by launching their e-commerce website Erafone in September 2011. Wardoyo also claims Erafone as the #1 e-commerce site for handsets in terms of sales.

Tencent President on WeChat Expansion: “Made In China, For The World”

During the MNC – Tencent press event earlier today announcing their joint venture, Tencent is putting a big bet into the growing internet market that is Indonesia and partners with MNC Group as well as Hillhouse Capital. DailySocial got to sit down with Tencent’s President Martin Lau for a short chat about Tencent’s move to Indonesian market.

As one of the biggest internet company in the world, Tencent has reached to almost every big internet market in Asia including Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, India among others. Indonesia is definitely an interesting market for Tencent, Lau said, but more specifically Tencent Indonesia’s growing economy and staggering mobile internet consumer growth is more than enough to get Tencent to focus more in to the long-forgotten market.

Lau claims that this partnership is only the beginning for Tencent’s operations in Indonesia, and for this first wave Tencent is bringing their mobile social networking platform, WeChat. With 90% of its users based in China, Tencent has been expanding to other markets in South East Asia to get people use WeChat. “Like much of our other products, WeChat is made in China for the world. That’s the main reason why we want users from other market to try and use our product, because we believe it brings value”, Lau said.

Since its first inception 2 years ago, WeChat now has more than 300 million users all around the world, mostly in China and the rest of Asia where Indonesia is one of the biggest potential market. After the TV commercial aired, MNC’s high profile CEO Hary Tanoesoedibjo claimed that the daily registration jumped from 30.000 per day into 90.000 per day, “and that gets me excited!”, he added.

Not too much different from similar player such as KakaoTalk, WeChat too will focus on localisation of its app. One of the first step of the localisation process is the joint venture with MNC, and of course the television ad aired in 3 national TV stations since February 23rd. “Other localisation effort we’re trying to push is to add local contents such as emoticons, as one of the biggest media company, MNC will also help us localise our content”, and not just localising the content, the partnership with MNC will also localise the operation.

For the record, Tencent’s joint venture with MNC is the first joint-venture partnership ever been done by Tencent when entering a market. Lau added, “Usually we either deploy our company in to the market, but sometime we also do investment in a local company”. Aligned corporate core values is one of the biggest reason why Tencent decided to do a joint venture with MNC who they expect to help Tencent gain traction and market share in the crowded space of mobile messaging.

Lau also claim that they’re very well aware of the competition from the likes of KakaoTalk and Line, but it’s what keeps companies going and Lau said it’s only going to make it more fun. Lau also believe that WeChat has what it takes to win the competiti0n, “We’re a balanced combination of SNS enhanced for mobile with easy to use design. We’re also constantly building new features that we think is cool for the user and we’re also open for third party developers with our open architecture platform”. Lau added that they’re looking forward to work together with local third party company they can leverage inside the WeChat platform although they don’t have any partnership deals to announce on the horizon.

In his previous statement, Lau said that WeChat will currently focuses on the smartphone market and not so much on the feature phone market. The basic reason, according to Lau, is to maintain the user experience which is hard to retain using feature phone devices. “Amidst of all the competition, the biggest challenge is not just about how people signed up, but how many people you can keep. We want people to try and stick with WeChat.”, Lau said.

A Chat With EloKu Founder Didi Setiadi on Building a Logistics Startup

As the e-commerce industry blooms in Indonesia, logistics can be an issue especially for a country that comprises more than 13 thousand islands. EloKu aims to be a solution to fill that gap in order all stakes can track where their document or goods and when it can be estimated arrived. EloKu allows you to track and trace your goods via your Android, iPhone or mobile browser accurately.

Their mission is to be a supporting player for the logistics industry aiming to strengthen logistics ecosystem become modern, efficient and effective. Didi Setiadi, Founder and CEO of EloKu believes a strong logistical network will impact economic growth since economic growth is alone determined by the way that country’s logistics system works. DailySocial had a short chat with Setiadi, talking about his background, his company and his future plans. Check out our interview with Setiadi below.

What is the founder(s) background? How did you get in to the tech scene?

[Didi Setiadi] For about 14 years, I spent my career in the telecommunications industry. It was a great path for my life until the business landscape changed in that telecommunication business shrunk and applications take the role as money maker. Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks as my last employers inspired me that to innovate for benefit of the people and devices connected then result real business. Hence, when I decided towards retirement before I hit forty, I established my first technology startup, PRASIMAX. It is actually unique and customized electronics device designer startup. Literally, it is remaining tech stuff in telco area. Another co-founder is Argo Wibowo, founder of Kafegaul.com and betawi.net. He is more knowledgeable in tech industry.

What made you come up with an idea to develop Eloku?

[Didi Setiadi] The idea of Eloku was trigered, frankly, when I went through Founder Institute (FI) in May 2012. My original idea I proposed for that program was actually mobile commerce with anti fraud solution, but mentors and directors at Founder Institute drilled us to be more relevant with current business challenges and emerging market in digital world such as e-commerce. Eloku is expected to solve delivery issues in fulfilment process.

What do you think about Eloku’s current positioning in the ecommerce industry and what’s your future plan for Eloku?

[Didi Setiadi] Supply chain, cargo movers, express courier and logistics in Indonesia need to be improved and enhanced properly, this industry really impact to economy. Eloku plays the role only as the ENABLER to transform traditional way into electronic integrated process for courier and logistics companies. No one plays on this area except the global logistics and forwarder ones for their internal business process. In terms of service offering, Eloku departs from realtime tracking and tracing solution by bridging between courier company and its customer like e-commerce. Because almost e-commerce players want to transfer risk to courier once shopper click the BUY BUTTON then afterward shopper can track their goods. Else, Eloku can be an independent party for e-commerce to measure precisely performance indicators of couriers.

As a player in the e-commerce industry, what do you think the industry needs in order for the e-commerce industry to grow?

[Didi Setiadi] I think e-commerce industry is growing rapidly already. We hope there will be a mutual benefit and innovative business model where Eloku, e-commerce, and courier service can create value proposition and new experience for customers. Ultimately, industry keep sustaining grow.

What do you think is the biggest challenge for Eloku?

[Didi Setiadi] Capital expenditure is the biggest challenge. Because we have to provide hardware devices that are always connected to the Eloku SaaS, this is not cheap. This challenge was identified when we developed and validated the idea, but I stay with that as Eloku’s secret sauce. Second one is the organizational culture of couriers and logistics companies. It is not easy to change culture from traditional way to modern business process.

Where do you see Eloku in three years?

[Didi Setiadi] Currently we engage with Telkom Solution Convergence for partnership. If this plan comes true, Telkom will provide IaaS and PaaS as well as sales force team to leverage business. Eloku will focus on application platform and product development. There are few prospects in place at Telkom that need to be executed from this in Q1-2013. Medium term, Eloku will propose to Telkom supporting General Election Comittee (KPU) as logistics supervisor for the legislative and presidential election in 2014.

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Lolabox Wants to Surprise Women Every Month with a Box of Beauty and Lifestyle Products

On a recent visit to Freeware, the co-working space run by Grupara, we met with two Rocket Internet alumni who are starting their own company called Lolabox. Lolabox is a gift box company looking to provide women with a collection of beauty product samplers that they can subscribe to on a monthly basis.

Cynthia Chaerunnisa left her position at Rocket Internet’s Food Panda as PR & marketing manager in November of last year to start Lolabox, which is currently still self-funded. Before joining Rocket Internet, Chaerunnisa had a marketing stint at Ismaya Group’s Pizza é Birra and before that, Mitra Adi Perkasa, two of Indonesia’s largest retail and hospitality groups. She was joined earlier this month by Christian Sutardi, former sales and operations manager at Food Panda who had been with Rocket for more than a year.

The beauty box business seems to be a rising trend in the last couple of years. Just recently, SGE.io reported that Singapore-based beauty box startup Vanity Trove acquired Rocket Internet’s Taiwan arm of Glossybox as part of its expansion move across the region after establishing itself in December 2011. VanityTrove expanded across Southeast Asia throughout 2012 and this acquisition takes the company to East Asia.

According to SGE, VanityTrove has 5000 subscribers as of August of last year while Glossybox has 250,000 subscribers in North Asia, Europe, and the Americas. In comparison, Birchbox, the US company that inspired these startups, has over 100,000 subscribers.

We asked some questions to Christian Sutardi about their decision to start Lolabox, what their goals are, and how they see the market shaping up in the country.

“I always looked into business models and found beauty boxes the most attractive one for this market. Some sources say that Indonesia’s top online spender is 27, female, urban, college educated”, said Sutardi.

In terms of platform, he finds that the beauty market business needs a little bit of cleaning up. What he and Chaerunnisa want to deliver with Lolabox is a more focused and targeted approach to the market. Sutardi said, “the beauty market is cluttered, sampling is very ineffective at the moment, and that new marketing channels are under exploited.”

He’s unwilling to reveal his strategy as he knows that there are other companies pitching in the same field. “What I can reveal is, that we focus on identifying and satisfying the brands’ need first – we are very company-centric at the moment.”

So what kind of products can be found inside a Lolabox? Sutardi said, “The box will contain samples related to beauty, wellness and healthcare. We always want to mix beauty products: local and international, famous and hidden gems, skincare/makeup/hair/accessories”.

Sutardi doesn’t think that there is a market for male oriented sample box because men aren’t keen on getting surprises. “I did some research and tested this idea. An important feature of Lolabox is that the contents are a surprise every month. Men are much more rational when it comes to purchasing stuff, they don’t like surprises when the y spend money. So, I don’t see much potential for a men’s version in Indonesia”.

At the moment, Lolabox is self funded but considering external funding if an opportunity arises. The company is basing itself in South Jakarta at Freeware, the co-working space hosted by Grupara Incubator, an investment arm of Medco Energi. Grupara announced earlier today that it has agreed to invest in Maskoolin, a fashion retail site run by the people behind social recommendation site Rockto.

Lolabox has yet to launch but it is accepting subscriptions on its website and you can follow its Twitter account @thelolabox and on Pinterest in which it dispenses beauty tips and updates.

Seven 2013 Indonesian Internet Business Opportunities According to Danny Wirianto

Even though we have only entered week three of the year, there’s been no lack of excitement in Indonesia’s Internet scene. From companies who have announced funding rounds to collaborations and partnerships to expand business reach. In short, 2013 will certainly be a very interesting year for the Indonesian Internet industry.

Between 2010 and 2011 it would be fair to say that the industry was booming in that a large number of people built Internet companies, create cool products and sought investors who would fund their projects. 2012 however was a sobering slap in the face of companies that failed to sustain themselves financially.

Reality hits.

What then of 2013? What kinds of businesses would be of interest this year? We spoke to Danny Wirianto, co-founder of MindTalk, who shared with us seven areas that he thinks worth paying attention to this year.

Logistics
E-commerce can be considered the most inviting business proposition for investors this year especially in Indonesia, but Danny sees an opportunity in a different side of that industry, logistics. He’s observed a trend that is showing up in major cities across the country that are cash rich but suffer from time crisis. Time crisis because while the people have become busier and more productive, they’re suffering from traffic congestions in major cities which puts a strain on their already busy schedule.

Supported by the relatively rapid economic growth, many Indonesian consumers are becoming cash rich, especially the middle class. Some of the indications include the growth of sales of private vehicles and financial products (insurance, investment, deposits, etc) in the country’s major cities.

These middle class consumers are the ones that will drive demand for logistical services because they will be willing to spend a little extra to save time. E-commerce sites will also be able to take advantage of these services to maximize online shopping experience in terms of delivery of goods.

Mobile commerce
The trend in mobile in Indonesia has been very clear in the last few years. Dozens of foreign companies have set up shop to acquire access to Indonesia’s massive mobile market which grows rapidly every year. Wirianto sees mobile as one of the trends that will remain positive this year. According to him, growth numbers are already high but it is also supported by the ingrained mobile culture among Indonesian consumers.

The trend will shift from simply consuming mobile content to other types of habits such as shopping. Anyone who can execute a great mobile shipping experience will be able to achieve an incredible traction.

Online video
Another trend that Wirianto sees is the demand and appetite from Indonesian consumers for content based on entertainment and information. These kinds of contents cannot simply be presented through text, which is where video will achieve its success.

“Content distribution such as educational information can be very useful in Indonesia,” Wirianto said. Several local companies have made attempts to execute this idea but they have yet to achieve the potential traction.

Digital music
Apple didn’t simply enter the market and introduce iTunes Store to Indonesia without any reason, and the primary cause is clearly the market demand for local legal music content which is still impractical to obtain. Wirianto believes that local companies such as Kincir, Importmusik, Langit Musik, Melon, and others, have strong foundations and a large market. However, it all comes back to how they execute.

Wirianto also sees a highly competitive market with International players like Apple and Spotify going head to head with local companies.

Digital customer service
The increasing strength of the local digital culture and social media among Indonesian consumers, Wirianto sees a large opportunity for the customer service segment which focuses on the digital service and social media. The trend going forward reveals that consumers enjoy interacting with companies through online service such as Twitter and Facebook rather than calling the consumer hotline.

“A number of companies such as mobile carriers and e-commerce will receive a great value out of something like this,” he added.

Real time
Back to the issue of traffic congestion and Internet culture among Indonesian consumers, undoubtedly real time information has had a great demand. Services such as Waze, Lewatmana, and Infoll, which focus on delivering real-time traffic data are considered valuable for consumers.

Similar services such as train and flight schedules, even banking information must be executed in real time. Wirianto again said that Indonesian consumers suffer from a crisis of time as they value their time and always want to have the most up to date information at hand.

Interest-based
Looking at the companies growing rapidly across Indonesia, Wirianto says that Indonesian content right now is full of information which are mostly locally irrelevant. This is why services which will filter content based on relevance or interest groups will be popular in Indonesia.

MindTalk, which is head by Wirianto focuses on the demand in this particular segment. Other services such as Path, KakaoTalk, WhatsApp and BlackBerry Messenger also started out from the demand for filtered and grouped information.

Disclaimer: MindTalk, Kincir, and DailySocial are part of the same group of companies.