These UMKM Entrepreneurs Harness Digital Services to Grow Their Businesses

Initially, production was done together with family members—from preparing ingredients, processing, to packaging.

Marketing was still carried out simply by placing products in small shops and school canteens. 

In addition to producing kacang tojin, Lasmauli also runs a small shop serving the local community's needs. 

After years of operating this way, she began utilizing digital channels by opening an e-commerce store. This move expanded her market reach beyond local customers. 

Orders for kacang tojin started coming from various regions across Indonesia, including West Java and Central Java. 

Currently, her business turnover ranges between IDR 7 million and IDR 8 million per month. Besides sales of kacang tojin and the shop, Lasmauli also earns additional income from digital transaction services available at her store. 

Adjusting Credit Use to Business Needs

Market expansion has also required Lasmauli to be more careful in managing cash flow. One arising need is ensuring raw material availability when demand surges. 

In this situation, Lasmauli uses paylater services, such as SPayLater, to help cover raw material purchases for kacang tojin production. She emphasized that digital credit use should always match payment capability. 

“I use SPayLater because it helps meet raw material needs. However, its use must be adjusted to payment ability so the monthly installments run smoothly,” Lasmauli explained. 

The stories of Novrida and Lasmauli illustrate that digital technology adoption in UMKM can stem from different needs.

Some entrepreneurs use it to simplify transactions and adapt to changing customer habits, while others employ it to support operational requirements as their businesses grow. 

For both, technology serves as a tool that can be tailored to their business needs.

From daily transactions, customer payment options, market expansion, to fulfilling raw material needs, digital services have become part of UMKM operators’ journey in adapting to business development.