West Papua has a lot of underdevelopment and lack of human resources and inadequate mobilization. Therefore, Papua is often referred to as a very underdeveloped region than other regions in Indonesia.
Educators in Papua say that digitalization in the academic and business fields is very much needed. This also applies to micro-businesses who must open their eyes to the progress of digitization and modernization of buying and selling activities.
In this era of the COVID-19 pandemic, all activities have limitations. Starting from the limitations to meet many people and carry out activities on a large scale. Of course, this will greatly affect activities that require humans to meet face to face.
Digital literacy is a necessity in business marketing in the era of digitalization. Therefore, it is necessary to provide assistance related to digital literacy for micro-enterprises in Jayapura. The government has asked students in Papua to assist.
Introducing digital literacy or education on the use of technology in business marketing using different approaches depending on the category. There are several categories of business people who can already operate digital media such as using Android.
However, there are also many people who have Android and facilities but do not know the business marketing and applications that will be used. Then this counseling was carried out to create a micro-business marketplace in digital form.
Assistance by West Papua Students on Digital Media
The students help market the products sold by local businesses and create digital posters that can be posted on the marketplace that has been created. According to students, it takes two to three times of mentoring to really understand.
There are several media such as Facebook and Instagram that are used by some people to market their products and there are also digital platforms, namely Tokopedia and Bukalapak. It will be easy to operate the media if it is done routinely.
In addition to these two categories, there are other business actors who do not have the media to market their products. Msmes that do not have mobile phones as marketing support will be very difficult to follow the digitalization of marketing.
Digitization carried out by students and business actors in West Papua must be carried out routinely. In addition to business actors, students must also take the time to provide training and socialization related to the use of social media.
MSME actors cannot just be released in the use of digital media. Several accounts and social media are still being operated and marketing assisted by Papuan students. If there are several product orders, students help contact business actors.
Although sometimes constrained by large shipping costs outside Papua, this can be a reflection that the use of digital media for marketing is more effective than conventional. The community expects the government’s contribution to this sector.
Government Assistance Related to Digitizing the Business Sector in West Papua
The community hopes that assistance from the government related to the procurement of android mobile phones for the community to be digitally literate. The use of social media and digital marketing during the pandemic has a huge impact on sales.
Since now, there has been an increase in sales in a week, at least four orders have been obtained by sellers in the Papua area. The marketing and sales have reached the islands of Sumatra and Java such as Medan, Lampung, Surabaya, and Magelang.
However, during a pandemic like this, many sellers from outside the island think again about buying products from Papua due to higher delivery services. Regarding recording transactions, this is very useful for recording expenses and income.
Students suggested that digital literacy should be held once again in order to make West Papua business actors more proficient in using social media. This will have an impact on the profits obtained by business actors.
Selling products will be more easily recognized by many people so that the Papuan people will also have stalls in business in Indonesia. The community really hopes that the government’s attention will develop a special stall so that it does not cause misunderstanding.
Sometimes this misunderstanding occurs between fellow traders. This is because between traders sometimes there is a fight over the place of the sale so that people hope to make a matching table so that it is neat and be given an umbrella to sell.
The Influence of Digital Marketing Felt by West Papua Traders
A very big change was felt by traders after getting to know digital marketing. The sales system is made easier and the profit earned by the seller is also getting bigger. One of the economic developments in West Papua comes from digital marketing.
In addition to building the economy, digital marketing also makes the Papua region more advanced and recognizes the technology that has developed. One example of very useful technology is a digital platform that can market products to all regions.
Of course, with natural tourism that stretches across the breadth and wealth of the land of Papua, there are various sources of diverse livelihoods. One sector that can be marketed is agriculture and tourism.
This marketing can be carried out with a wide reach if business actors market their products to areas outside the island of Papua. To achieve this, a digital platform is needed so that it is easier for tourists to explore West Papua.
