Ministry of Industry Strengthens Marketing for SMEs Amid Growing Digital Transaction Opportunities
The Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) is strengthening marketing for small and medium-sized industries (IKM) by promoting the utilisation of digital technology, in line with the rapidly increasing opportunities for digital economic transactions in Indonesia.
In a statement in Jakarta on Tuesday, Minister of Industry (Menperin) Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita assessed that digital transformation is key for IKM actors to expand markets while increasing competitiveness amid increasingly tight global competition.
According to him, IKM actors need to enhance their capabilities to grow and develop amid competition, including from imported products, such as by strengthening online promotions.
“We are consistently implementing digital literacy enhancement programmes for IKM to help IKM actors use and leverage digital marketing to expand market reach,” said the Minister.
In implementing these programmes, Kemenperin collaborates with various stakeholders, from regional industry offices, academics, to industry and business practitioners, to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of national IKM strengthening.
Based on a survey by the Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association (APJII), the number of internet users in Indonesia in 2025 will reach 229.43 million people.
Meanwhile, data from the Ministry of Trade indicates that the number of e-commerce users in 2025 is projected to reach 73.06 million users, an 11 percent increase from 2024 and a 89 percent surge from 2020.
A report by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Company records that the value of Indonesia’s e-commerce transactions throughout 2025 will reach approximately Rp1,192.8 trillion, equivalent to 71 billion US dollars.
To strengthen online promotion for IKM to capture this potential, Kemenperin through the Directorate General of Small, Medium, and Various Industries (IKMA) held the e-Smart IKM Workshop and Digital Literacy.
The event was held on 1 April 2026 at the Fashion and Craft Industry Development Centre (BPFIK) in Badung Regency, Bali, attended by 80 local IKM actors.
The Director General of IKMA at Kemenperin, Reni Yanita, stated that the activity is the result of collaboration between the Directorate General of IKMA Kemenperin and various strategic partners, including Shopee, IKEA Indonesia, and Ciputra University Surabaya.
“Digital marketing is a necessity for business actors, especially IKM, because it offers advantages over conventional marketing,” she said.
Reni added that technological developments also open opportunities for utilising artificial intelligence (AI) in marketing strategies.
“AI enables business actors to personalise promotions according to consumer preferences, predict market trends, and analyse customer behaviour more accurately, thereby significantly increasing marketing effectiveness,” she added.
Kemenperin is also continuing to develop the e-Smart IKM programme, which has been running since 2017. To date, 31,634 IKM actors have participated in the programme through various digital literacy activities.
“In addition to encouraging the use of digital technology in marketing, Kemenperin is also directing IKM to transform towards Industry 4.0 in their production lines,” Reni added.