Hunting for Harbolnas Ramadan 2021 Promo Safely

Harbolnas Ramadan 2021 has arrived. This year, Harbolnas in the holy month of Ramadan is held simultaneously in several Indonesian marketplaces on D-10 and D-5 ahead of Eid Al-Fitr, and the government will provide full support for domestic-made products. However, even though there are many attractive discounts or promotions, transaction security must still be considered.

What is Harbolnas?

Harbolnas stands for Hari Belanja Online Nasional or National Online Shopping Day in English. It is a celebration that was first sparked in 2012 when e-commerce platforms in Indonesia began to get attention from the public. The carried spirit is to encourage and educate the Indonesian people about the ease of shopping online. The Harbolnas celebration is inspired by the online shopping celebrations of Cyber Monday and Black Friday, which are commonly celebrated in America, Canada, England, Germany, and Japan. The pioneers in Indonesia were several large e-commerce sites such as Lazada, Zalora, BerryBenka, PinkEmma, Bilna, Traveloka, Luxola, and several other e-commerce sites. After the success of the first Harbolnas, entitled 12.12.12, Harbolnas was held again on December 12 in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, until now. That is why Harbolnas is also known as 1212 because it is always held on December 12. However, along the way, Harbolnas continues to develop. Now, people can also experience online shopping celebrations in the month of Ramadan ahead of the Eid Al-Fitr.

Tips for Safe Transactions during Harbolnas Ramadan 2021

The National Online Shopping Day that takes advantage of the momentum of Ramadan for the first time was held back in 2016. At that time, 32 e-commerce players in Indonesia were committed to involved in the event. In its first year, a subsidiary of PT. Pos Indonesia, PT. Pos Logistik Indonesia also participates in facilitating last-mile delivery services. In 2021, Harbolnas in the month of Ramadan will be held again and get full support from the government to encourage the purchase of domestically made products. This year's Harbolnas Ramadan will be held on D-10 and D-5 before the Eid Al-Fitr. Nevertheless, people should not be taken for granted about the promotions on the e-commerce platform. It is common knowledge that there are irresponsible people who take advantage of the Harbolnas moment to get more benefits. To avoid these people, we have summarized some tips that can be tried. Here are four tips for safe transactions during Harbolnas Ramadan:

Make sure to check the seller's reputation

If we already know the reputation of sellers in e-commerce, online shopping can certainly be convenient and safe. So, before making a purchase transaction, first, make sure the reputation of the seller of the store visited. Some of the ways that can be done are: First, take a look at the seller’s badge. If a seller has an official store badge or star seller badge from the e-commerce platform, it means they are a trusted seller because they are verified. Second, look at the stars or ratings of the sold items. If most of them have a rating of four stars or higher, it means that the goods in the shop are of good quality and are well packaged. Third, pay attention to reviews from previous buyers. If most buyers give good reviews, it means that the service from the store is very trustworthy. In addition, it is common for previous buyers to leave more real product photos without editing, which allows us to estimate the shape and size of the item you want to buy.  

Don't Provide Personal Information

Personal information in the digital age has much more value than before. So, don't ever be tempted to get attractive prices by providing personal information such as bank accounts, social security, ID card numbers, driver's licenses, or something more private. It is because this kind of information could be misused. A trusted online store will never ask a buyer for more information than is necessary to make a sale. In general, when completing a payment, some info is requested, such as a shipping address, telephone number, and email address.  

Transact Using Trusted Payment Methods

Compared to 10 years ago, the payment methods available to pay off online shopping bills today are much more diverse. So, make sure to transact through a trusted payment method. Avoid making transactions directly to the seller's account number, especially if the seller has an unclear reputation. Here are some trusted payment methods for buying and selling online:

Bank transfer

Transfer between banks is still one of the favorite payment methods for online shopping transactions in Indonesia. There are also various ways to pay off your shopping bills. You can pay via mobile banking or transfers via ATMs such as ATM LINK spread throughout Indonesia.

Digital Wallets

According to Shopback’s report, 65 percent of respondents mentioned that digital wallets are their favorite payment method for paying off online shopping bills. Apart from making cuts or transfers, one of the safest ways to pay via digital wallets is by using the QR code scanning method supported by the QRIS system. QRIS (Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard) is a national QR code standard to facilitate digital payments through server-based electronic money applications, digital wallets, or mobile banking.  

Avoid Excessive Discounts

Terakhir, hindari tawaran diskon yang berlebihan. Membeli barang dengan harga penawaran yang terlalu rendah patut dipertanyakan karena bisa saja barang tersebut bukan merupakan barang asli. Jadi, untuk menghindari hal-hal yang tidak diinginkan, cek kembali reputasi penjual dan ulasan para pembeli sebelumnya.  Lastly, avoid an excessive discount offer. Buying an item at a lower price from its original offering is questionable because it might be not the original product. So, to avoid things that are not desirable, double-check the seller's reputation and previous buyer reviews. Jika reputasi meyakinkan tetapi tidak ada ulasan, hubungi penjual melalui media komunikasi yang tersedia untuk melakukan konfirmasi. Pertanyakan kembali mengenai garansi, tata cara pengembalian, sampai pelunasan pembayaran. Jika ada gelagat tidak baik seperti klaim barang yang habis dan tidak di restock atau penjual meminta informasi pribadi, lebih baik batalkan transaksi. If the reputation is convincing, but there are no reviews, contact the seller via the available communication media to confirm. Ask again about the guarantee, the procedure to return the item, and how the repayment. If there are signs such as an out-of-stock product claim and not restocked or the seller asks for personal information, it is better to cancel the transaction.   The e-commerce sector is one of the fastest-growing digital sectors in Indonesia. It was able to disrupt many other industrial sectors. Start from logistics, payment, and MSMEs. The growth of e-commerce has also not escaped from the government's attention as an option to encourage the development of local products. This concrete form of support for domestic products by the government manifested through the Bangga Buatan Indonesia (BBI) program launched in 2020. One of the goals to be achieved from this BBI program is to support Indonesian MSMEs to connect with digital ecosystems such as e-commerce. The convenience offered by e-commerce services is one of the reasons why people nowadays prefer online transactions. Especially in the current uncertain situation due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which requires us to limit social interactions. E-commerce seems to be a solution amid this uncertainty. However, with all the conveniences offered, buyers must also be smart in conducting online shopping transactions through e-commerce services. Even though it is much better now, there will always be people who try to take advantage of various momentum to get personal gain. Hopefully, with these simple tips, people can be wiser in doing digital transactions and not be easily tempted by cheap promotions from irresponsible sellers. So, the Harbolnas Ramadan 2021 moment can run more smoothly, and ultimately can have a positive impact on the growth of Indonesia's digital economy.   Ref: https://dailysocial.id/post/layanan-e-commerce-indonesia-inisiasi-harboldan https://dailysocial.id/post/hari-belanja-online-nasional-2014 https://lifestyle.kompas.com/read/2020/12/12/084013620/5-tips-belanja-aman-saat-harbolnas-1212?page=all https://ekonomi.bisnis.com/read/20210430/12/1388661/bukan-pemerintah-e-commerce-tanggung-ongkir-saat-harbolnas-ramadan https://www.liputan6.com/ramadan/read/4547494/ada-harbolnas-ramadhan-simak-cara-dapat-subsisi-ongkir-dari-pemerintah https://www.linkedin.com/posts/shopback-com_shopback-id-online-survey-march-2021-user-ugcPost-6790550300311855104-L5Kn