Indonesian women are ecommerce target

JAKARTA: Indonesia is the launchpad for a new website which is aiming to be the first ecommerce service dedicated to women across Southeast Asia.

Announcing its expansion into this market, Thailand-based venture capitalist Ardent Capital described it as a strategic move, the Jakarta Globe reported.

“We realised that the single largest market in Southeast Asia would be Indonesia by the end of 2015,” said Adrian Vanzyl, Ardent chief executive officer. Ardent’s own research indicates that the B2C ecommerce market in Indonesia is worth $2.6bn and the total female consumer market some $2.4 trillion.

beautiful-woman-colourful-makeup-portrait-bright-53433289Other research suggests that 40m women are now online in Indonesia and that, on average, they control two thirds of all purchasing decisions.

The move will see Ardent expand its existing e-commerce business into Indonesia under the brand MOXY, while the Thai business currently operating under the WhatsNew banner will be rebranded under the same name.

Shannon Kalayanamitr, chief marketing officer at WhatsNew Group, said the company wanted to build the first online “everything store” for the female consumer.

“As more women join the workforce in Southeast Asia and increase their purchasing power, MOXY will be there to serve their daily lives,” she said. “Each consumer can grow with us, from the teenager putting on lipstick for the first time, to the young adult furnishing their first apartment and raising a child.”

To that end, it will offer tips and products related to beauty, fashion, mothers and babies, living, gadgets and ‘Muslim style’ under the tagline Have It All.

The issue of Muslim style was highlighted at a recent Flamingo breakfast, where director of global insight Harriet Robertson outlined how more Indonesian women have taken to wearing a hijab which has now become a fashion item, attracting a festival to showcase Islamic fashion brands. Data sourced from Jakarta Globe, Tech in Asia; additional content by Warc staff