JAKARTA - Small and medium industry (IKM) players are required to be able to find business opportunities amid the conditions of the Covid-19 pandemic. The adaptation of new habits due to the pandemic has shifted shopping patterns from offline to online. This can be seen from the increase in online transactions for cosmetic products by 80%.
"Social distancing causes consumers to spend more time at home, so they spend more time caring for their skin, body and hair. As a result, spending on demand for home care has increased to replace the needs of salons and spas," said the Director General of Small, Medium and Miscellaneous Industries (IKMA) Ministry of Industry, Gati Wibawaningsih at the opening of the Virtual Expo 2020 Cosmetics IKM, Tuesday (24/11).
In order to meet the surging consumer demand, the Ministry of Industry encourages cosmetic IKM players to continue to increase their productivity because it will have a positive impact on national economic growth.
Referring to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), in the first quarter of 2020, the performance of the chemical, pharmaceutical and traditional medicine industries (including the cosmetics sector) experienced a brilliant growth of 5.59%. In fact, in the midst of the pressure from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, this manufacturing group was able to make a significant contribution to foreign exchange through the achievement of its export value which exceeded US$ 317 million or around Rp 4.44 trillion in the first semester of 2020, an 15.2% increase over the the period last year. (LM)