Technological developments move along with changing times. Like it or not, we have to adapt. Not just adapting to society. For the sake of endless profits, you also need to adapt to technological changes in the business world.

From CNNIndonesia.com reported, Deputy for Human Resources at the Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Arif Rahman Hakim said that up to now there is 9.4 million MSMEs have gone digital. This number increased by 1.4 million from 2019 which was still at 8 million MSMEs. This fact is based on data from the Ministry of Communication and Information (Kemenkominfo),

"Thank God, because of the conditions of Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB), MSMEs are forced to use information technology, so the use of technology has soared, now in the marketplace the number is 9.4 million," said Arif in a webinar held by Gojek.

Arif continued, based on data collected by the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs from 230 thousand MSME respondents, there was a decline in demand for MSME products and services by 23.40 percent during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The decline in demand was mainly experienced by the tourism and transportation sectors due to the drop in people's mobility during the pandemic. However, there are a number of business fields that are growing but cannot be optimized because MSMEs cannot access the digital market. One of them, said Arif, is the food and medicine sector.

Digitalization for MSMEs is very important, because changes in consumer behavior by limiting physical interactions and reducing activities outside the home are proven to provide greater opportunities for MSMEs that are connected to the digital ecosystem.

But unfortunately, this opportunity has not been utilized optimally because of the approximately 64 million MSME population in Indonesia, only 13 percent havego digital.

In facing this technological change, as an entrepreneur you must also have an open and solution mindset. Why? Because with that mindset, you can face many things. Starting from challenges in business, obstacles, to difficult times.

There are quite a few people who reject changing times and even look down on "novelty". This is all because they are too comfortable with the old ways. Unfortunately, some entrepreneurs like this actually make the business stagnant. Imagine, when other entrepreneurs have started working on the international stage, he is still busy developing locally.

This also applies when the internet emerged. Not many people see the internet as an obstacle to their business. The fear of learning new things continues to keep them trapped between changing times. In fact, changes like this should be used as challenges that must be conquered.

When we want to be successful amidst changing times, the key is that we all have to adapt. Like the law of nature, those who are unable to adapt to changing times are forced to go out of business.

Therefore, let's change our mindset, start adapting, and improve ourselves with a definite strategy in today's digital era!

Strategies for Facing Challenges in the Digital Era

Actually, what kind of strategy do you need to do so that your business continues to make profits without stopping? Let's find out what you need to fix!

1. Start first, learn as you go

Nowadays times have changed. Business movements have also moved from conventional to digital. Thinking openly and accepting change by utilizing technology can certainly improve your business strategy.

How? Yes, basically technology is made to make your business easier. Making complex things simpler, more effective and efficient. So where can you start? Yup, you can start by using internet technology for marketing or keeping bookkeeping using a computer or an application that can be used on a mobile phone. Practical!

Like the Qasir application, practical and easy to use, you only have to download the application then start selling, by entering all the products and their stock amounts in the application. It's that easy! Download Qasir here.

2. Familiar with Social Media

Indonesia is one of the largest social media users in the world. Try asking next to you, does he have Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, BBM, WhatsApp, Line, Youtube, and so on? Of course they have one of those social media.

Because of that, it's not surprising that marketing via social media is effective as a strategy for your business. Apart from its wide coverage area, its use is also easy. So that you have interesting content, you can take advantage of the features in each of these social media.

3. Expand Marketing Areas with Digital Marketing

After you learn to use social media fluently, you also need to apply digital marketing. Actually, what is meant by digital marketing? Digital marketing is a promotional activity for a brand or product using electronic or digital media.

With Digital Marketing techniques, you can optimize your business by using email marketing, paid social media advertising, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Ads on YouTube, and even distributing banners via the Google Display Network. To be fluent, you certainly need to learn them one by one and even hire a special digital agency that handles this.

4. Increase Sales with E-Commerce

Apart from social media and digital marketing, you also need to develop your business through e-commerce. The business sector here does not discriminate. You can sell anything there, from culinary delights to even four-wheeled vehicles.

By marketing your business through e-commerce, you can expand your marketing globally, simplify regional branches, reduce company costs so that net income increases, even cheaper prices for consumers via mobile phones.

5. Get acquainted with various applications

After downloading a social media application, you also need to know that there are applications that can optimize your business much better. Especially applications that can make work easier in terms of bookkeeping, e-Commerce, administration, and so on.

One application that can make it easier for you to compile sales reports is Qasir. Where all reports that occur within a month can be sent directly to e-mail. So all your business archives are stored neatly and safely. You can also find out your sales movements more easily. What's even more exciting is that you can freely choose when the report should be sent. Very effective, right? What's unique is that this application can be directly in your hands now! Just download the application here!

By using the application, you can certainly get many benefits. Starting from saving costs, time and energy.

6. Continuously Innovate

Keeping up with the times without innovating is certainly not right. Because innovation is an important part of your business strategy. Following changing trends from time to time is certainly necessary to remain competitive with your competitors.

For example, if you have a potato donut business. If all your competitors have started making potato donuts sprinkled with sugar, you can innovate with frozen potato donuts, braided donuts, even other variants such as bomboloni with various flavors. Likewise in terms of payment. If you usually use cash or cards, by innovating you can use payments by utilizing QR technology that is connected to other payment applications.

Therefore, it is best to create a product or service that is different and special from others. Making innovations is indeed difficult, because we cannot predict whether the given changes will bring benefits or not. Therefore, if you are clever at looking at the market and carrying out good and correct processes, you will definitely be able to create innovations.

7. Serve Every Customer Well

“The customer is king.” Of course you know this saying, right? Yup, because whatever we do is ultimately solely to meet customer needs. This doesn't just cover offline, online you also need to do these things.

Online services can be of various types. From responding to chats quickly, to updating information on expeditions or package delivery services until they reach the customer's hands. That way, customers can also feel safe so that your business can quickly gain trust from customers.

Perhaps providing the best service to customers sounds trivial. But believe me, if you do it well, you will certainly reap big profits in the future. Let's start getting used to it, BossQ!

Changing your mindset already! But unfortunately, efforts to develop a business in the midst of the digital era don't stop there. You also need to be open to using technology so that your business can compete with competitors.

You can certainly do these 7 strategies to develop your business. Therefore, let's start improving ourselves and equipping ourselves with applications that can help your business so you can increase your profits without stopping. Keep up the enthusiasm, BossQ!

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