Jakarta. Local e-commerce website Bukalapak.com, aims to multiply visitor numbers and transaction values by eightfold in 2015, on the back of growing online economy in the country.

“Our target in 2015 is an eightfold increase in visitors to 10 million and Rp 8 trillion [$79 million] in transactions,” Bukalapak chief executive Achmad Zaky told reporters on Wednesday. “With the lack of massive marketing strategy we see a greater potential with our website.”

The website booked Rp 1 trillion in transactions last year.

Bukalapak — currently ranked as the 30th most visited website in Indonesia, according to Alexa.com, a global analytics website — was first established in 2011.

The site offers services from more than 163,000 merchants, most popularly sellers of mobile phones, fashion goods, bicycles, cameras, food and precious gems — making it almost indistinguishable from Alibaba.

On Wednesday, Bukalapak signed a deal with Kreative Media Karya (KMK Online) — a business unit of Elang Mahkota Teknologi, one of Indonesia’s largest listed media companies that owns television broadcasters SCTV and Indosiar — in which KMK agreed to support funding for Bukalapak to expand its business.

None of details of the investment were disclosed by Bukalapak or KMK.

Sutanto Hartono, chief executive at Emtek Group, said the company saw potential in e-commerce business — which stands to reason, since KMK Online is a unit of Emtek, and is already engaged in startups ranging from Karir.com, a local job portal; Rumah.com, local property portal; and Lakupon.com, an online shopping voucher.

With online startups such as Bukalapak expanding, the government is getting ready to tax e-commerce sites.

Communications Minister Rudiantara said he was discussing an e-commerce tax with the deputy finance minister.

Investor Daily

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Source: The Jakarta Globe