Retail and e-commerce companies are being pushed to move faster, react sooner, and operate with far greater precision. Telkomsel says data has become the key tool for answering that pressure, especially as connectivity alone is no longer enough to protect efficiency, customer experience, and decision speed.
That view was highlighted in a cross-sector forum organized by Telkomsel Enterprise through a focus group discussion titled “Reinventing Growth in Retail, Consumer Product Goods (CPG), and E-Commerce Industries for Sustainable Impact.” The event brought together business players and decision-makers to discuss the operational strain and growth opportunities facing an industry that is becoming increasingly competitive.
The urgency is reflected in the market itself. National retail sales grew 6.5 percent year on year in February 2026, up from 5.7 percent in the previous month and the fastest pace since March 2024. The increase was driven by consumer spending during Ramadan and the festive season.
But stronger demand has also created new pressure on companies behind the scenes. Distribution networks must stay efficient, while customer service cannot be allowed to slip even as transaction volumes rise.
Visibility across the entire operation
Mia Melinda, VP Corporate Innovation, Sustainability, and Marketing at Telkomsel, said aggressive retail growth requires digital technology that is more adaptive and integrated. She emphasized the need for end-to-end solutions that can improve efficiency while accelerating data-based decisions.
One of the main issues discussed was full operational visibility, from distribution activity to what happens inside stores. Many retail and consumer goods companies still face logistics inefficiency, possible margin leakage, and system disruptions that can directly affect customers.
To address those gaps, Telkomsel Enterprise is offering IoT Fleet Management, Video Analytics, Direct Peering, and Managed Connectivity based on SD-WAN. The solutions are designed to monitor operations in real time, maintain system stability, and improve business process efficiency in a market that keeps changing.
Disconnected customer data remains a problem
Beyond operations, fragmented customer data is another major concern. Many industry players still rely on separate data sources, making it difficult to analyze consumer behavior in a complete way.
Telkomsel Enterprise is encouraging secure integration of data across sources through SiteSense and MSIGHT, while keeping user privacy in focus. The customer intelligence and location intelligence approach gives companies deeper insight to support strategic decisions.
Those insights can help businesses choose new store locations, shape marketing strategies, and optimize expansion in areas with strong growth potential. In a retail and e-commerce landscape defined by tight competition, the speed of reading data has become a clear differentiator.
More personal marketing in an omnichannel era
Telkomsel Enterprise also pointed to the need for more personalized and targeted marketing in the omnichannel era. For that purpose, the company offers Rich Business Messaging (RCS) and Digital Advertising as communication approaches that are more relevant to consumers.
With data-based segmentation, brands can adjust marketing content to match audience characteristics. The goal is to make campaigns more effective and strengthen customer engagement.
The discussion also touched on traffic spikes during major campaign periods such as double-date promotions and the post-Eid shopping season. Those patterns show that companies need digital infrastructure that can scale and adapt quickly to changes in consumer behavior.
Mia Melinda said cross-ecosystem collaboration is essential to deliver digital innovation that is relevant and sustainable for Indonesia’s retail and e-commerce industries. She viewed forums like the FGD as important spaces to hear industry needs directly and shape solutions that match conditions on the ground.
Source: id.mashable.com
