Having a website seems to be a must for all business units, including small and medium businesses. When applying for capital or export licenses, this website's problems are often questioned. No need for any effort, the website becomes an obligation.

In Indonesia, micro, small and medium enterprises or better known as MSMEs (Bahasa: UMKM), including the types of businesses that are driving economic growth. MSMEs contribute 60 percent of gross domestic product.

That is, the contribution of MSMEs is higher than that of large industries. This figure is inversely proportional to the number of MSMEs that already have websites that are only 16 percent.

Does MSME have a website?

Investment expert in Indonesia, Adler Haymans Manurung, in an article mentioned that there are 10 reasons why an MSME must have a website. For those of us who often play in the internet world easily mention a number of them such as a wider market network, media promotion, easier to offer goods, build brand images, and so on.

Prospective customers will also be more confident when an MSME has a site. So, it's more fortunate to have a website than not.

However, many MSMEs that do not have a website for various reasons such as technology problems, feel unimportant because even without a website they already have regular customers, or some who already have a website but have never been updated.

Even though they already have regular customers, it doesn't mean having a website is not important anymore. Precisely by having a website that is updated regularly, a product easily gets new customers, even from all over the world. Products previously only known at the local level, have the opportunity to compete in world business competition.

Now many website offering services are cheap and easy to manage. Even among students, training to make a website is offered for free. Now all we have to do is take advantage of this opportunity.

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Image source: 1, 2, 3, 4

*INDONESIA*

Usaha Mikro Kecil dan Menengah dalam Persaingan Global

Memiliki situs website seolah menjadi keharusan semua unit usaha, termasuk usaha kecil dan menengah. Ketika mengajukan permohonan modal atau izin ekspor, masalah website ini sering dipertanyakan. Tidak perlu usaha apa pun, website menjadi kewajiban.

Di Indonesia, usaha mikro kecil dan menengah atau lebih dikenal dengan sebutan UMKM, termasuk jenis usaha yang menjadi pendorong pertumbuhan perekonomian. UMKM menyumbang 60 persen terhadap produk domestik bruto.

Artinya, sumbangan UMKM lebih tinggi dibandingkan industri besar. Angka ini berbanding terbalik dengan jumlah UMKM yang sudah memiliki website hanya 16 persen.

Pentingkah UMKM memiliki website?

Pakar investasi di Indonesia, Adler Haymans Manurung, dalam sebuah artikelnya menyebutkan ada 10 alasan mengapa sebuah UMKM harus memiliki website. Bagi kita yang sering bermain di dunia internet dengan mudah menyebutkan beberapa di antaranya seperti jaringan pasar yang lebih luas, media promosi, lebih mudah menawarkan barang, membangun imej merek, dan sebagainya.

Calon pelanggan juga akan lebih yakin ketika sebuah UMKM memiliki situs. Jadi, lebih banyak untungnya memiliki website daripada tidak.

Namun, banyak UMKM yang belum memiliki website karena berbagai alasan seperti masalah teknologi, merasa tidak penting karena tanpa website pun mereka sudah memiliki pelanggan tetap, atau ada yang sudah punya website tetapi tidak pernah diperbaharui.

Meski sudah memiliki pelanggan tetap, bukan berati memiliki website menjadi tidak penting lagi.  Justru dengan memiliki website yang diperbaharui isinya secara reguler, sebuah produk dengan mudah mendapatkan pelanggan baru, bahkan dari seluruh dunia. Produk yang sebelumnya hanya dikenal di tingkat lokal, mendapat kesempatan bersaing di kompetisi bisnis dunia.

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