• GoTo’s ecosystem enables income opportunities for partners from all types of educational backgrounds
• Partners in GoTo’s ecosystem have higher ownership of savings accounts, mobile banking accounts and health insurance coverage than the national average
• GoTo’s ecosystem enhances employment opportunities as business partners more likely to hire women

Jakarta, Indonesia, 20 June 2023 - The integration that formed PT GoTo Gojek Tokopedia Tbk (“GoTo”) and the positive knock-on effects of its larger combined ecosystem has helped its driver-partners and merchants weather macroeconomic headwinds, brought about by the pandemic and the subsequent return to offline activities. Partners in GoTo’s ecosystem saw consistent or increased income over the past two years, according to findings by the Institute for Economic and Social Research, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia (“LPEM FEB UI”) which looked at the impact of Indonesia’s largest digital ecosystem.

At a press conference revealing the results of its latest study, Chaikal Nuryakin, Ph.D, Head of LPEM FEB UI said, “Indonesia’s domestic consumption was muted in 2022, evidenced by the household consumption growth index, which remained below pre-pandemic levels. But despite this, the adoption of technology platforms for on-demand services and e-commerce grew. This trend positively impacted the income of ecosystem partners on these platforms, which has remained consistent or even increased.”

LPEM FEB UI’s study revealed that business partners on Gojek and GoTo Financial experienced an average increase in income of approximately 5% in 2022 as compared to the year before, while the income of sellers on Tokopedia remained consistent.

In studying the impact of integration and how users and partners interact with and benefit from Indonesia’s largest digital ecosystem, Chaikal explained that further insights on the country’s economic growth trajectory could be drawn. Based on previous research by LPEM FEB UI, GoTo’s ecosystem comprising many elements of Indonesia’s domestic economy from driver-partners to MSME merchants, was estimated to have added IDR 349 - 428 trillion to the national economy, equivalent to 1.8 - 2.2% of Indonesia’s GDP in 2022.

The study also found that the level of utilization of financial services among GoTo’s business partners was above the national average. Approximately 91% of business partners surveyed utilized financial services, including digital wallets, mobile banking and savings accounts, up from 88% in 2021 and above the national average of 85% of people in Indonesia who used formal financial services according to Indonesia’s Financial Authority (OJK).

Another interesting finding highlighted by Chaikal was how the low barrier to entry afforded by GoTo’s ecosystem has a positive impact on economic growth.

“For instance, the highest educational qualification attained is usually the first barrier to getting a job and the means to earn a livelihood. GoTo’s platforms, which do not have requirements for a minimum level of education, enable access for more people to participate in the digital economy. With these platforms, more can earn a livelihood while enjoying flexibility of time. The inclusive and low-barrier nature of these platforms creates positive effects that compound in the form of greater financial inclusion and employment opportunities for women,” explained Chaikal.

The study found that the educational qualifications of two-wheel driver-partners in GoTo’s ecosystem covered a wide spectrum, from those that did not graduate elementary school to university graduates. The majority had attained high school or equivalent qualifications. Among Tokopedia merchants, the majority were university graduates followed by high school graduates, while almost half of GoTo Financial’s business partners had high school or equivalent qualifications.

Tanah Sullivan, Head of Sustainability, GoTo Group, said, “Since our founding, our ethos has been about making it easier for people from all levels of society to participate in and contribute to the economy through technology. Through our Zero Barriers commitment, we want to eliminate barriers to growth and development in our ecosystem for driver-partners, merchants and consumers alike.”

In 2022, GoTo embarked on various initiatives to enhance financial inclusion among its driver-partners by piloting access to microloans, conducting a financial literacy program, and developing a credit scoring system to further improve driver-partners’ access to non-predatory loans. To reduce barriers to growth and development for merchants, GoTo has introduced hyperlocal initiatives to help them receive more orders from consumers in close proximity to them.

The study has further found that GoTo’s ecosystem helps promote gender equality, where women have equal access to opportunities and benefits as men within the ecosystem. Merchants and sellers in the GoTo ecosystem employ two or three workers on average, with more than 50% of these employees being female.

“Although the majority of GoTo partners are male, among business partners specifically, the proportion of males and females is fairly balanced,” said Chaikal.

The data used to calculate the impact of the Gojek-Tokopedia combination was obtained from changes in the income of driver-partners and merchants, based on a survey which was conducted at the end of December 2022 and January 2023. There were 3,814 driver-partners, 3,615 Gojek merchants, and 1,496 Tokopedia sellers who participated in the survey.

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The full report can be accessed here.

About LPEM FEB UI

LPEM FEB UI is a research institute under the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia (FEB UI), and is one of the largest research and academic communities at the University of Indonesia. For more information, please contact LPEM FEB UI via email: marcom@lpem-feui.org cc: lpem@lpem-feui.org and marcom.lpemfebui@gmail.com.
Find out more: LPEM FEB UI

About GoTo Group

PT GoTo Gojek Tokopedia Tbk (GoTo Group) is the largest digital ecosystem in Indonesia. GoTo’s mission is to “empower progress” by offering technology infrastructure and solutions that help everyone to access and thrive in the digital economy. The GoTo ecosystem consists of On-demand Services (mobility, food delivery, and logistics), E-commerce (third party marketplaces + official stores, instant commerce, interactive commerce, and rural commerce), and Financial Technology (payments, financial services, and technology solutions for merchants) through the Gojek, Tokopedia, and GoTo Financial platforms.

For more information, please contact:

• Chaikal Nuryakin - chaikal.nuryakin@ui.ac.id
• GoTo Group - corporate.affairs@gotocompany.com