Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Indonesia continue to show significant growth. In the national economy, SMEs have become a strong backbone, as well as making a big contribution to job creation and economic growth. In the current digital era, there are more and more new opportunities and solutions for SMEs to survive and drive their business potential. Specifically, through e-commerce, which has become a reliable selling platform for local entrepreneurs in Indonesia.

Many innovations are being presented by e-commerce platforms in a continuous manner to help local sellers and SMEs in developing their businesses and gaining profits, as well as experiencing maximum benefits. In enhancing online presence that influences sales growth, the aspects possessed by a platform become important. The competition to present the best innovations among players is becoming increasingly fierce. What does it look like?

From the results of research conducted by IPSOS entitled 'Understanding The Potentiality In E-commerce Seller' in March, this study was conducted with online sellers as respondents, the majority of whom are local business actors, both brand partners and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). IPSOS research shows that Shopee (65%) is associated as the marketplace that provides the largest revenue for online sellers, followed by Tokopedia (16%), TikTok Shop (9%), and Lazada (6%).

More than that, based on respondents' choices, Shopee (59%) is also the first-ranked marketplace that provides the most benefits for online sellers, followed by Tokopedia (20%) in second place, TikTok Shop (8%), and Lazada (7%). Now, to find out how well the e-commerce players are perceived by sellers, IPSOS uses several indicators, including: In the Top Of Mind (TOM) indicator, Shopee excels compared to other marketplaces. Shopee (67%) ranks first in the minds of online sellers, followed by Tokopedia (16%), TikTok Shop (6%), and Lazada (6%). This means that when online sellers hear the term marketplace platform, Shopee is the brand that comes to mind for the majority of sellers.

Based on the Brand Used Most Often (BUMO) indicator, the most frequently used marketplace platform by the majority of online sellers is Shopee, ranking first with a percentage of 80%, followed by Tokopedia (10%), TikTok Shop (6%), and Lazada (3%). In addition, using the Loyalty Ratio approach, it is known that Shopee's performance is considered very good with a percentage of 84%, followed by Tokopedia (14%), TikTok Shop (10%), and Lazada (6%).

Along with the increasing interest of the community in fulfilling various needs online, local businesses and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are emerging to respond to the high enthusiasm by relying on e-commerce. This indicates that digitization has transformed the way MSMEs operate and interact with consumers. With access to digital technology, MSMEs can reach a wider market, improve operational efficiency, and gain access to various sources of funding.

One digital trend that can be utilized by SMEs is selling through live streaming. Live streaming is a form of online marketing where sellers showcase their products directly through e-commerce platforms. This provides opportunities for SMEs to create a more interactive buying and selling process, allowing them to demonstrate their products in real-time, answer consumer questions, and encourage direct purchases during the live broadcast.

Leveraging this technology and live streaming feature brings many opportunities for SMEs to enhance visibility, reach more consumers, and ultimately increase sales and business growth. Certainly, this convenience not only helps SMEs to survive but also provides opportunities for innovation and collaboration to drive their business growth.

Through Populix's research entitled 'Understanding Live Streaming Shopping Ecosystem in Indonesia' in June, it showed that 69% of respondents chose Shopee Live as the most frequently used live streaming feature by the Indonesian community, far surpassing TikTok Live (25%). Shopee Live is also the most remembered live streaming feature by the community with 60% of respondents, while TikTok Live only received 30%.

If examined, Shopee Live is indeed designed as one of the features in Shopee e-commerce to provide an interactive shopping experience, so that any user, both buyers and sellers, who open Shopee Live already have the intensity for real-time buying and selling. On the other hand, TikTok Live itself is part of TikTok's social media platform. Its focus is more on creative content spaces, such as music, dance, tips, and comedy, so the intensity of people opening the TikTok Live platform will tend to be more for entertainment rather than shopping.

Seeing this, the live shopping feature from e-commerce shopping platforms like Shopee Live would be more suitable for brands and sellers who want to maximize their sales because the traffic that comes to Shopee Live already has a plan and intention to shop. Meanwhile, the traffic that comes to TikTok Live is mixed with those who are just looking for entertainment rather than intending to shop. In line with the usage data of live streaming platforms, Shopee Live shows the highest market share in terms of the number and value of transactions.

Where in the market share transaction indicator (share of order), Shopee Live successfully recorded the highest transaction share (56%) in the last 6 months, far surpassing TikTok Live with a percentage of 30%. Meanwhile, in the revenue transaction share (share of revenue), Shopee Live ranks first in recording the largest transaction value, which is 54% far above TikTok Live (31%).

This shows that Shopee Live not only provides proactive interaction and builds trust, but the live stream sessions presented can also be a space for sellers to get closer to buyers and gain maximum direct benefits. The live streaming feature from e-commerce shopping platforms like Shopee Live is also more suitable for local sellers and SMEs who want to maximize their sales due to the large traffic, more promotions, and planned shopping intentions from the beginning.

The excellence of Shopee Live has received an extraordinary response from all users, especially during the 9.9 campaign yesterday. This feature provides real support for the daily sales growth of local businesses and SMEs who join Shopee Live. One example of a local brand that has attracted attention for successfully optimizing the opportunities provided is the local beauty brand BHUMI, which has managed to increase sales transactions throughout the 9.9 campaign by 27 times thanks to interactive features and exclusive promotions available on Shopee Live.

In addition, Geoff Max, a local men's fashion brand, also made Shopee Live as one of its business strategies this year. Throughout the 9.9 campaign, Geoff Max successfully recorded a transaction increase on Shopee Live up to 130 times compared to regular days. Similar achievements were also felt by Tally, a local brand, which managed to increase its revenue by 75 times on Shopee Live. This further demonstrates that the decision of local entrepreneurs to adopt the Shopee Live feature as one of their marketing strategies is the right step.

The superiority of Shopee Live that still dominates is actually well received by local sellers and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The ease, completeness, and benefits felt from this live streaming feature have a real positive impact on the development of domestic micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). With the right strategy and adequate support from Shopee through the Shopee Live feature, MSMEs in Indonesia can take advantage of this opportunity to achieve sustainable growth.