“In as short as a week, I have met many young entrepreneurs from Shenzhen, who brought their pioneering spirit to Indonesia and initiated a new round of entrepreneurial wave in Southeast Asia.”
After attending several entrepreneurial saloons of Shenzhen enterprises in Indonesia, Huang Lijun, CEO of Gibbs, a tech company providing overseas warehouse service for Chinese enterprises, left such remarks on his social media platform, according to a report from Shenzhen Special Zone Daily yesterday.
Huang headed a four-member tour to expand the company’s business in Indonesia in November 2022. Within a month, the team signed up a letter of intent involving 10 million yuan (US$1.45 million).
Over the past months, Huang’s routine in Jakarta, Indonesia consisted of factory visits that covered hundreds of kilometers a day. Through field trips and contacts with local manufacturers, Huang established a wide circle of business partners and laid a foundation for further business cooperation.
“The e-commerce market in Indonesia is as hot as its weather. The expansion of Chinese brands and exports of their competitive products are gaining strength,” Huang said.
The e-commerce market in Southeast Asian countries is very big and Indonesia accounts for half of the market. This is the reason why Gibbs has set its sights on Indonesia for its business expansion.
In 2019, Gibbs started overseas warehouse service for Chinese brands in the Southeast Asian market. The products it serves include daily necessities, cosmetics, household appliances and 3C products. It also represents 20 brands.
Gibbs started its overseas warehouse service in 2018 in Thailand and has expanded it to Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines over the years. It provided warehouse, logistics, e-commerce operation, marketing and branding services for Chinese brands.
“When starting businesses in a foreign country, the first step is the most challenging,” Huang said. “Luckily, I met a lot of Shenzhen businesspeople in Jakarta. We introduced each other’s businesses and exchanged ideas.”
When Huang contacted Indonesian enterprises, he often felt the strength of Shenzhen enterprises.
Huang planned to set up a team of 50-100 people to research and produce its own products and sell Shenzhen-made products to Indonesia through online and offline marketing networks.