Indonesian retailers push for unified omnichannel systems as consumer expectations rise

Social commerce is also growing rapidly in the country.

Indonesia’s retail leaders are accelerating efforts to integrate online, offline, and social commerce channels, as rising consumer expectations push brands toward faster and more seamless customer experiences.

Speaking at the Retail Asia Summit 2026 in Indonesia, Budi Tri Prasetyo, director of store operations and supply chain at Circle K Indonesia (PT Circleka Indonesia Utama), said retail is fundamentally centred on customers and increasingly shaped by technology and data integration.

He said that system upgrades and data intelligence are key to improving operations and service delivery.

Valerie Putri, group digital and content marketing manager at Kopi Kenangan, said the goal is to connect offline experience, digital platforms, and community in a seamless way.

She said the industry must adapt to younger, digitally native consumers who expect constant connectivity and speed. “We have to stay connected.”

Putri also stressed that data should not be treated only as figures, but as insight into human behaviour.

Hendy Setiono, founder and CEO of Baba Rafi Enterprise, said integration across channels is now essential, including offline stores, online platforms, social media, and marketplaces.

“Data integration is very important, combining the offline transaction, online transaction, not just that, but also the social media transaction and the marketplace as well," he said.

“Indonesia is now famous for social media transactions, especially for F&Bs and small medium enterprises,” added Setiano.

On execution priorities, Putri said efficiency and speed have become critical as consumer attention spans shorten. “Within 15 seconds, everyone wants to have the perfect experience, whether it is online or offline.”

This shift has directly affected in-store operations, particularly queue management.

“People love our product, but they don't want to queue, so we try to solve the problem with technology,” she said.

As a result, Kopi Kenangan developed its own application to streamline transactions.

She added that the app has become central to transaction behaviour.

Setiono, meanwhile, emphasised that consistency across all channels is essential to building trust and accessibility.

"We would like customers to have the same experience whether they are buying through online, offline, or social media channels, so they still have a positive impression regardless of which channel they use to buy," he said.

He said brands must ensure customers can move easily between platforms without friction. “[We] utilise this social media channel as well as aggregator, online aggregator, to maximise our exposure into the different omnichannel.”

Prasetyo added that Circle K prioritises customer experience as well as its conversion into sustainable revenue growth. “We do believe in prioritising our customer experience and how this customer experience can transform substantially to become our revenue generating skills.”

He also noted the challenge of ensuring parity between digital and physical experiences.

Prasetyo added that Circle K Indonesia is strengthening its own app whilst also relying on third-party delivery platforms.