VIDEO: The Power of Instagram for E-Commerce in Indonesia [#CZLJKT]

Instagram has a strong user base in Indonesia and sees benefits from the country’s unique e-commerce environment. But the social platform should consider customizing its product offerings for the region accordingly, according to Sri Safitri, chief marketing officer for Telkom Telstra.

More than 30 percent of Indonesian Internet users are on Instagram, where the platform is used as a key component to generate sales for SMBs, often from traffic being directed via Twitter and Facebook.

However, as existing and new social media channels upgrade their e-commerce capabilities and enter the Indonesian digital scene, Instagram will need to customize and adapt its services if it hopes to maintain market share, says Sri.

“Instagram should understand the Indonesian landscape and also the uniqueness of how people use Instagram in Indonesia,” she says.

“If Instagram is not following up or adapting to this change…many online shops will probably join Line or other platforms that may come to Indonesia with that e-commerce platform.”

In this video, Sri tells ClickZ about the ways Indonesians are using social media, especially Instagram, for commercial purposes, and the importance of the hashtag.

She also outlines the benefits Instagram could see if it were to customize its offerings to the Indonesian market.