Not Just Product Quality, Brands Need Adaptive Strategies to Compete Globally

Competition in regional and global markets is no longer determined solely by product quality. Indonesian local brands are also required to adapt to the characteristics of new consumers, digital marketing strategies, and cross-country operational readiness to compete amid the rapid growth of Southeast Asia’s digital economy.

Senior Director of Tokopedia and TikTok Shop Indonesia, Vonny Ernita Susamto, stated that Indonesian local brands are currently entering a new growth phase, particularly in the beauty, fashion, outdoor, and health categories.

“Two of the ten largest beauty brands in Southeast Asia will originate from Indonesia in 2025. This reflects the strong position of local brands and their alignment with beauty preferences in the region,” Vonny said in Jakarta on Monday (11/5/2026).

“Brands not only need to understand new consumers but must also adjust content strategies, marketing approaches, and cross-country operations,” she added.

Vonny assessed that many local brands are actually ready in terms of product quality and production capacity but still face challenges in the implementation and execution stages in regional markets.

“This is where we see that many brands are actually ready in terms of products but still need support in the execution stage,” she said.

Through the programme, businesses receive support in the form of market insights, understanding consumer behaviour, strengthening content strategies and live commerce, as well as cross-country operational readiness.

TikTok Shop also collaborates with local creators and partners in each target country to accelerate the adaptation process for Indonesian brands in destination markets.

“Since it was launched in December 2025, there are now 50 Indonesian local brands that have joined Lokal Mendunia, and 35 of them are ready for expansion into the Southeast Asian market,” Vonny said.

Vonny also assessed that the expansion of local brands into international markets can strengthen the competitiveness of Indonesian products while driving the growth of national non-oil and gas exports.

“We want to see Indonesia not only known as a production base but also as a source of competitive consumer brands in the regional market,” she stated.