E-commerce Continues to Grow, Consumers Become More Selective
The national e-commerce industry throughout 2025 still recorded high digital shopping activity. However, industry players are beginning to face changes in consumer behaviour, who are now more selective and rational in their shopping.
This change means platforms can no longer rely solely on promotions to drive transactions. Although traffic remains high, industry players are compelled to find new strategies to remain relevant in a market that is increasingly calculating.
Sea Limited’s parent company reported strong performance from Shopee, with gross merchandise value (GMV) reaching US$127.4 billion throughout 2025, growing by about 29% year-on-year. In Indonesia, Shopee remains one of the platforms with the highest usage rates, although pressures from promotional and operational costs continue to pose challenges.
On the other hand, PT Global Digital Niaga Tbk, which oversees Blibli, recorded solid growth. The company booked net revenue of Rp22.36 trillion, or 34% year-on-year growth, with gross profit before discount (GPBD) rising 32% and take rate increasing to 8.5%.
This performance was supported by strong growth at year-end, with quarterly revenue surging 55% year-on-year, particularly from smartphone sales through omnichannel channels. The number of transacting users also reached 5.1 million throughout 2025.
Blibli’s CEO & Co-Founder, Kusumo Martanto, acknowledged that market pressures will continue this year.
“2026 will remain full of challenges. Indonesia’s consumption growth has slowed, consumers remain selective, and competition intensity in the e-commerce sector shows no signs of abating,” he said.
He added that the omnichannel approach is the company’s main strategy in facing these conditions, integrating online channels, physical stores, and hybrid shopping experiences.
Meanwhile, GoTo Group reported a 77% reduction in net losses in 2025, in line with efficiency measures taken. Tokopedia’s contribution to the group’s performance now comes from the associate entity, with e-commerce service fees reaching around Rp820 billion, or a 32% year-on-year increase.
Tokopedia also recorded a profit of around Rp600 billion throughout 2025, which also supported the group’s performance improvement, although partly influenced by non-operational factors.
Overall, the industry’s movements throughout 2025 show that Indonesian e-commerce is still growing, but with different dynamics. High traffic no longer automatically leads to significant growth, especially when consumers are increasingly cautious in their shopping.