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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Economy & Trade

Simple Strategies Traders Can Use to Grow Their Businesses and Income

From Republika · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Documents & data Context piece
  • A BukuWarung report covering 1,839 business owners in 33 Indonesian provinces found that 72% reported business growth, with revenue rising 58%, while 43% expanded their operations.
  • The article recommends adding services customers need, digitizing debt records and offering digital payments to address common problems.
  • Small traders described how cash withdrawals, money transfers, phone-based records and QRIS payments helped improve daily operations and income.

Growing profits does not always begin with a major change. For small shop owners, opportunities can emerge from ordinary problems: customers looking for a service that is not available, debt records disappearing, a shortage of small change or capital being used poorly.

After several new factories were established in my area, many workers from outside Sumatra needed services to withdraw their wages and send money to their families.

· Riko FebriansyahThe owner of Virza Ponsel explains why he added cash withdrawal and money transfer services.

A BukuWarung Loan Impact Report based on 1,839 business owners across 33 Indonesian provinces found that 72% experienced business growth, with revenue increasing by 58%. Another 43% said they had expanded the scale of their businesses. The article presents five simple steps, including three illustrated by traders’ experiences.

Riko Febriansyah, who owns Virza Ponsel in Simalungun, initially sold phone credit and vouchers. After new factories opened nearby, workers from outside Sumatra needed ways to withdraw wages and send money to their families. Riko added cash withdrawals and transfers through BukuAgen. His shop became a place where residents could handle financial transactions, and Virza Ponsel was twice recorded as the BukuAgen with the highest transaction volume in its regency.

My shop has now become a place where residents can meet their financial transaction needs.

· Riko FebriansyahHe describes how the added services expanded the role and income of his phone shop.

Indah Setiawati, owner of Indah Ponsel in Simalungun, once lost all her customers’ debt records after tea spilled on her notebook. “I cried because all the data was gone,” she said. After switching to digital records on her phone, she could track money coming in and going out, along with unpaid customer debts.

I cried because all the data was gone.

· Indah SetiawatiThe shop owner recalls losing her customers’ debt records when tea spilled on her notebook.

At THS Siantar in Pematang Siantar, Tua Pangoluan Sitorus used to give customers sweets when the shop ran out of small denominations for change. During busy periods, he also sometimes forgot to collect payments. He introduced digital payments through QRIS BukuPay, allowing customers to pay the exact amount and eliminating complaints about receiving sweets instead of change.

I provide digital payments through QRIS BukuPay. Customers can now pay the exact amount without waiting for change. No one complains anymore about being given sweets as change.

· Tua Pangoluan SitorusThe trader explains how digital payments solved recurring cash and change problems.
About this summary

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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