How Tokopedia Grew, and How Sellers Can Grow on Tokopedia in 2026

How Tokopedia became Indonesia's homegrown marketplace, what changed after the TikTok Shop merger, and a practical 2026 playbook to grow a Tokopedia store.

Launch Loop Ventures team26 September 2026

Key takeaways

Tokopedia grew by solving trust, payments, and logistics for Indonesian merchants, then scaled through ecosystem deals: GoTo in 2021, and TikTok, which has controlled Tokopedia since 2024.
For sellers, 2026 Tokopedia is a different platform from the one most guides describe. Power Merchant PRO is now Power Shop, Official Store is now Mall, and ads are no longer created in the old Tokopedia Seller Center. They run through TikTok Ads Manager, with GMV Max as the main sales campaign type.
Growth still comes from the basics done consistently: complete listings, fast chat replies, a clean store rating, disciplined ads, and preparation for the big campaign dates.

How Tokopedia grew: a short timeline

If you searched "how Tokopedia grew", here is the short version. Every point links to a public source at the end of this article.

2007–2009, the idea and launch. Coworkers William Tanuwijaya and Leontinus Alpha Edison planned an online marketplace for Indonesian merchants at a time when online payments were a hard sell and delivery across thousands of islands was difficult. Tokopedia launched in 2009 (Business Insider; Tokopedia "Our Story").
The trust problem came first. In a mostly cash economy, buyers and sellers needed a reason to trust strangers online. Tokopedia's early model focused on making transactions safe and seller onboarding simple, so any small business could open a store.
About six years to unicorn status. Business Insider reports Tokopedia became Indonesia's second tech unicorn within six years of launch. By 2020 the company reported more than 8 million merchants and around 90 million monthly active users (company data, as reported by Business Insider).
Payments and logistics as growth levers. Instead of building its own wallet, Tokopedia partnered with OVO in 2018. It relied on a network of third-party logistics partners and in 2019 launched TokoCabang, a warehouse network meant to help merchants store stock closer to buyers (Business Insider).
Reaching beyond the big cities. Tokopedia said its merchant base passed 11 million through 2021, with growth from provinces outside Jakarta and Java. It also brought small neighbourhood shops online through Mitra Tokopedia (company statements, DealStreetAsia partner content).
2021, GoTo. Tokopedia and Gojek combined to form GoTo Group, joining ecommerce, on-demand delivery, and financial services (Tokopedia press release, 17 May 2021).
2023, the social-commerce rule. Indonesia's Trade Ministry Regulation No. 31 of 2023 barred social media platforms from processing in-app transactions. TikTok stopped TikTok Shop transactions in Indonesia on 4 October 2023 (AP; Reuters).
2024, TikTok takes control. TikTok agreed to buy 75.01% of Tokopedia for US$840 million and committed to invest more than US$1.5 billion. TikTok Shop Indonesia was combined into PT Tokopedia on 31 January 2024 (CNBC; TechCrunch; Yahoo Finance/DealStreetAsia).
2024–2025, platform integration for sellers. Seller programs were merged and renamed on 20 December 2024. Ad management moved out of the old Tokopedia Seller Center on 13 June 2025 (Tokopedia Seller University).

What Tokopedia's growth story teaches sellers

The same forces that grew the platform still decide which stores grow on it:

Trust converts. Tokopedia's early advantage was making online buying feel safe, and that still carries through to the store level. Badges, store rating, review count, and fast chat replies are trust signals buyers look at before checking out.
Logistics is a ranking and conversion factor, not a back-office detail. Delivery speed and reliability across Indonesia's geography shaped the platform, and they shape your returns, reviews, and campaign eligibility.
Campaign culture is built in. Indonesian marketplace shopping clusters around big sale dates. Stores that prepare stock, pricing, and ads weeks ahead get a large share of the demand.
The platform keeps consolidating. GoTo, then TikTok. Every integration changes tools, badges, and ad systems. Sellers who keep up with the changes avoid wasted spend and lost visibility.

What changed for sellers after the TikTok Shop integration

Many Tokopedia guides online are out of date. Here is what the integration changed, based on Tokopedia Seller University and TikTok Ads documentation:

Before	Now (for integrated sellers)
Separate Tokopedia Seller dashboard	One integrated Tokopedia & TikTok Shop Seller Center; the old dashboard redirects, with limited functions
Power Merchant PRO	Power Shop (renamed 20 Dec 2024)
Official Store	Mall (renamed 20 Dec 2024)
TopAds (Product, Shop, Headline ads) created in Tokopedia Seller Center	Ads created in TikTok Ads Manager or the Seller Center Shop Ads tab. Seller Center ad management was deactivated on 13 June 2025
Keyword bidding (CPC)	Goal-based optimisation: GMV Max (default sales campaign since July 2025) or Product Shopping Ads on Tokopedia placements (invite-only), optimised for ROAS, CPA, or CPC
Bebas Ongkir program	Existing Bebas Ongkir sellers moved automatically into the integrated Shipping Fee Program; new sellers sign up in the integrated Seller Center

If you still hold unused ad credit in the old Tokopedia dashboard, Tokopedia says unused credit is refunded or transferred to TikTok Ads Manager. Check the "TopAds Deactivation" notice in Seller University for your case.

How to grow on Tokopedia in 2026: an 8-step playbook

1. Get the account foundation right

Individual sellers need a KTP or Indonesian passport and must also submit an NIB (business identification number from Indonesia's OSS system) under Trade Ministry Regulation No. 19 of 2026. Tokopedia says NIB submission is being rolled out through the Seller Qualification page.
Corporate sellers must be a company incorporated in Indonesia and registered with the Ministry of Investment. They register with an NIB, a legal representative's ID, and a business bank account in the company's name. One verified entity can register up to five shops.
Foreign brands cannot register a foreign company directly as a corporate seller. The usual routes are an Indonesian entity (such as a PT PMA) or selling through a local distributor or partner who holds the account. We cover marketplace entry in our Marketplace Expansion service.

2. Decide how your Tokopedia and TikTok Shop catalogues work together

After integration, sellers get 14 days to choose whether to merge or keep separate the duplicate products listed on both Tokopedia and TikTok Shop. Tokopedia notes that merging is irreversible and can combine stock, variants, prices, ratings, and reviews. Make this a deliberate decision:

Merge when the products and pricing are the same and you want reviews and sales history pooled.
Keep separate when you price differently by channel, bundle differently, or want clean channel-level reporting.

3. Fix product listings before spending on ads

Ads amplify whatever the listing already does. Start in Seller Center › Product › Product Optimizer, which flags products with information problems and suggests fixes, with AI help for titles and descriptions.

Title: product type + brand + the key specs buyers search for (size, variant, quantity). Keep it readable, not stuffed.
Category and attributes: choose the most specific category and fill every attribute. Tokopedia's own guidance ties correct categories to discoverability.
Images: clear, well-lit, multiple angles, with the product filling the frame. Include at least one image showing scale or what's in the box.
Description: what it is, who it's for, specs, what's included, warranty and returns. Answer the questions buyers otherwise ask in chat.
Stock and variants: out-of-stock variants waste traffic. Keep stock levels accurate and synced if you sell on several channels.

4. Protect your store rating and service metrics

Your store rating and service metrics decide which programs and campaigns you can join.

Chat: Tokopedia asks sellers to reply to customer chats within 12 hours, every day including weekends. It links faster replies to higher conversion and a better store rating. Turn on notifications, set auto-replies and FAQs for routine questions, and handle chats escalated from the chatbot first.
Returns and negative reviews: campaign eligibility checks include negative-review and seller-fault return/refund rates, with category-specific thresholds. Read the current campaign policy before each big event.
Fulfilment: ship on time with valid tracking. Late or failed deliveries hit reviews and rating together.

5. Earn the right badge: Power Shop or Mall

Badges are trust signals, and each seller can hold only one.

Power Shop (formerly Power Merchant PRO) is assessed automatically every month, with no sign-up. According to Tokopedia Seller University, the criteria over the last 30 days are:

≥200 fulfilled orders or ≥IDR 10,000,000 in order value
≥15 unique customers
Store rating ≥4.0
Fewer than 12 violation points
No fraud-related violations in the last 30 days
A pass on the seller shop adjustment period

The assessment window runs from the 26th of one month to the 25th of the next. The badge is awarded or removed for the following month. Tokopedia notes that TikTok Shop's Power Shop criteria differ, so a badge on one doesn't guarantee a badge on the other.

Mall (formerly Official Store) is for brand owners and authorised distributors. Only authorised brands may use "Official" in their shop name, and terms like "Flagship" or "Authorized" are prohibited in shop names.

6. Use Sales Accelerator to choose which products to push

Most stores spread effort across too many SKUs. Seller Center › Growth Center › Sales Accelerator groups products by order milestone (0, 1–4, 5–9, and 10–50 orders) and suggests next actions for each: short videos and more reviews for early-stage products; discounts and bundles in the middle; LIVE sessions, more videos, and ads for products passing 10 orders. It also shows the impact after you complete a task.

A simple rule: pick 3–10 hero products with healthy margins and reliable stock, and move them through the milestones before expanding.

7. Run ads the 2026 way: GMV Max and Product Shopping Ads

If your team still thinks in "TopAds keywords and bids", this is the biggest change.

GMV Max is the default and only supported sales campaign type for TikTok Shop Ads since July 2025. You choose products, set an ROI target and a budget, and the system automates creatives, targeting, and placements. For Indonesia, placements include TikTok and Tokopedia search and recommendations. GMV Max counts total GMV for promoted products, including organic and affiliate orders.
Tokopedia Product Shopping Ads in TikTok Ads Manager appear in Tokopedia search and recommendation placements. They are currently invite-only, optimise for ROAS, CPA, or CPC, and can't advertise a product that is already in a GMV Max campaign.

Practical guidance from Tokopedia's own ads guidebook:

Start from the recommended ROI target. Setting it far above the recommendation throttles delivery.
Don't change the ROI target more than once a day, and give each setting about three full days before judging it. Product Shopping Ads need about two weeks to learn.
Judge GMV Max by comparing total non-LIVE GMV of promoted products before vs. after. Don't compare its ROI with the ROAS of old campaigns, because they're attributed differently.
For Indonesia, GMV Max reporting combines TikTok and Tokopedia placements with no breakdown. Plan your reporting with that in mind.
Keep a steady flow of new videos. GMV Max performance depends heavily on creative volume and freshness, including authorised affiliate videos.

Set your ROI floor from your margins first: the break-even ROI is roughly 1 ÷ (contribution margin before ad spend). Run ads only on products that can beat it.

8. Plan around Indonesia's campaign calendar and add video and LIVE

Campaign calendar: Indonesian online shopping peaks around twin-date sales (such as 9.9, 10.10, 11.11), Ramadan, and Harbolnas on 12 December. Harbolnas started as an industry initiative on 12.12.2012 (Kompas). Start preparing stock, pricing, vouchers, and ad budgets 4–6 weeks ahead, and check campaign eligibility rules early.
Promotions: use vouchers, bundles, and Flash Deals on hero products. Don't discount everything at once. Tokopedia's own guidance warns that applying every promotion together cuts margin without a targeted effect.
Video and LIVE: after the integration, short video and LIVE drive a large share of discovery (they're also GMV Max inputs). Sales Accelerator explicitly recommends short videos and LIVE for growing products. Start with a regular schedule for your hero products rather than occasional one-off streams.

A 90-day Tokopedia growth plan

This is a planning framework, not a promise of results. Outcomes depend on category, pricing, stock, and competition.

Days 1–14: audit and foundation

Confirm registration documents (NIB, entity, bank account) and integration status.
Make the product merge-or-separate decision deliberately.
Run Product Optimizer across the catalogue; list the problems by product.
Record baseline metrics: store rating, chat response, return rate, GMV by product, current ad spend and ROI.

Days 15–45: listings and service

Rewrite titles, attributes, images, and descriptions for the hero products first.
Set up chat auto-replies and a daily response routine (12-hour maximum).
Fix the main causes of seller-fault returns.
Check Power Shop criteria progress in Seller Center › Growth › Power Shop.

Days 46–90: demand

Launch GMV Max on hero products using the recommended ROI target and your margin floor.
Publish short videos weekly and schedule LIVE sessions for hero products.
Build the next campaign's plan (stock, vouchers, budget) 4–6 weeks ahead.
Review weekly: GMV by product, ROI, store rating, and return rate. Adjust one lever at a time.

Common mistakes that stall Tokopedia growth

Following 2023-era advice: looking for TopAds keyword bidding or Power Merchant PRO settings that no longer exist for integrated sellers.
Merging catalogues without a plan and losing channel-specific pricing or reporting.
Spending on ads before fixing listings, which pays to send traffic to pages that don't convert.
Raising the GMV Max ROI target too high or too often, then concluding "ads don't work".
Ignoring chat on weekends, which slowly damages store rating and campaign eligibility.
Arriving at Harbolnas unprepared, with stock-outs on hero products or prices changed at the last minute.

When it makes sense to get help

You can do everything in this guide in-house with a dedicated person and a weekly routine. Outside help makes sense when Tokopedia is one of several channels (Shopee, Lazada, TikTok Shop, or marketplaces in the US or UK) and nobody owns the daily work, or when you're entering Indonesia from abroad and need local operations in WIB hours.

Launch Loop Ventures manages Tokopedia stores from our Jakarta office as part of multi-marketplace engagements across Indonesia, the US, and the UK. See our Tokopedia store management service, how we work across the Indonesian market, our Shopee and Lazada management, and published pricing (from $2,000/month). Or book a free consultation to talk through your store.

FAQ

How did Tokopedia grow so fast?

It solved basic problems for Indonesian buyers and small merchants: trust in online transactions, simple store setup, digital payments (through its 2018 OVO partnership), and delivery across a spread-out country. It then scaled through major partnerships, first with Gojek to form GoTo in 2021, then with TikTok, which took a 75.01% stake in 2024.

Is Tokopedia owned by TikTok now?

TikTok holds a 75.01% controlling stake in PT Tokopedia, and TikTok Shop Indonesia was combined into Tokopedia on 31 January 2024. GoTo keeps a minority stake. Tokopedia still runs as its own app.

Does TopAds still exist?

For integrated sellers, ad management in the Tokopedia Seller Center was deactivated on 13 June 2025. Ads for Tokopedia placements are now created in TikTok Ads Manager or the integrated Seller Center, mainly through GMV Max. Product Shopping Ads on Tokopedia is available to invited sellers.

What are the Power Shop requirements on Tokopedia?

Over the last 30 days: at least 200 fulfilled orders or IDR 10 million in order value, at least 15 unique customers, a store rating of 4.0 or higher, fewer than 12 violation points, no fraud-related violations, and a pass on the adjustment period. It's assessed monthly with no sign-up. Check Seller Center for the current criteria.

Can a foreign company sell on Tokopedia?

Not directly as a foreign corporate seller. Corporate sellers must be incorporated in Indonesia. Foreign brands typically set up a local entity or work through an Indonesian distributor or partner that holds the seller account.

How long does it take to grow a Tokopedia store?

It depends on category, pricing, and stock. Listing and service fixes can be done in weeks. Ads need a learning period (about two weeks for Product Shopping Ads), and badges like Power Shop depend on 30-day performance windows. Plan in 90-day cycles.

Sources

Back to Blog

Before

Now (for integrated sellers)

Separate Tokopedia Seller dashboard

One integrated Tokopedia & TikTok Shop Seller Center; the old dashboard redirects, with limited functions

Power Merchant PRO

Power Shop (renamed 20 Dec 2024)

Official Store

Mall (renamed 20 Dec 2024)

TopAds (Product, Shop, Headline ads) created in Tokopedia Seller Center

Ads created in TikTok Ads Manager or the Seller Center Shop Ads tab. Seller Center ad management was deactivated on 13 June 2025

Keyword bidding (CPC)

Goal-based optimisation: GMV Max (default sales campaign since July 2025) or Product Shopping Ads on Tokopedia placements (invite-only), optimised for ROAS, CPA, or CPC

Bebas Ongkir program

Existing Bebas Ongkir sellers moved automatically into the integrated Shipping Fee Program; new sellers sign up in the integrated Seller Center