Doing it the Wobe way
Wobe, a fintech startup working to improve unbanked individual’s access to financial services. Here’s how we do it.
Indonesia, like so many other emerging markets in Asia, is still predominantly a nation of prepaid-everything. 99.7% of all mobile phones are prepaid, or pay as you go, rather than postpaid (where you get a monthly bill). In other words, you have to have credit before you can make a phone call or text someone. We call prepaid phone credit / airtime ‘pulsa’ here, but there are many other types of ‘pulsa’. There’s phone pulsa, which is the main form of pulsa, there’s also electricity, water pulsa among other types of pulsa. The buying and selling of pulsa, especially phone pulsa, is a big driver of the informal economy here. Many already sell pulsa.
However, people at the lower end of the ‘Pulsa resale’ food chain and end-customers often may not get a good deal for the Pulsa that they buy. This is because, prior to them, there already exists many layers of middlemen who have inflated cost prices to make money for themselves. Additionally, the cost of placing deposits with each distributor may be prohibitive. Wobe aims to be a one-stop solution for everyone and anyone who wants to sell pulsa and other prepaid products for a living, with a focus on less-privileged Indonesians (especially women).
Getting Started
With Wobe, starting a micro-business has never been easier. It is as simple as three steps:
1. Download the Wobe mobile app from the Google Play Store.
2. Log in with your Facebook account. (Why Facebook? Many have multiple phone numbers and no email addresses, but have Facebook accounts.)
3. Make an initial top up to your Saldo (which means account balance).
Hey presto! Now you are all set and ready to sell Pulsa to anyone, anywhere, and at anytime.
Benefits of Using Wobe
Wobe agents are really their own bosses and we do not interfere in their sales tactics or tell them how they should carry out their pricing strategy. We could advise if they ask us, through the instant chat function on our app or otherwise, but we would never impose any of our pre-conceived business ideas onto their efforts.
The high level of autonomy to buy/sell Pulsa as they wished, sense of business ownership and convenience that Wobe offers is perhaps something new for many of the less privileged. At least in the realm of buying and selling Pulsa, the less privileged or the ones who live further away from city centres may have to travel long distances in order to pay for things like school fees or online purchases and phone credit. Wobe is excited to change all that. We want resellers to get the best possible price and also encourage anyone — whether young, old or poor — to seize the chance of becoming a Pulsa reseller.
After many months on the ground with our Wobe field team, we have grown our ambassador team among community leaders and other influencers. We have received good feedback from on-ground staff members and users thus far and hope to keep on trudging along and continue to push the boundaries of financial inclusion in Indonesia.
Give Wobe a Try (Only in Indonesia)
We encourage everyone, including current business owners, to try their hand at selling Pulsa with our mobile app. It’s easy, straight-forward, user-friendly, convenient and overall, a great way to earn some extra income. Also, do share this great opportunity with your friends, family and community members.
As always, we’re open to hearing what you think about our app so feel free to give us any feedback.
