AsmaraKu is gaining ground selling condoms and lube in Muslim-majority Indonesia

When you think about Indonesia, the last startup idea you’d consider is an ecommerce company specializing in condoms.

But after an awkward visit to the pharmacy to buy condoms and lubricant as props for a friend’s bridal shower, that’s exactly what Grace Natalia did.

“We looked at categories where the online buying experience is much better than offline,” says William Tunggaldjaja, Natalia’s co-founder at the “romantic e-store” AsmaraKu. “The one that makes sense the most, especially with Indonesian culture, is sexual wellness products.”

AsmaraKu co-founders Grace Natalia (left) and William Tunggaldjaja (right) / Photo credit: AsmaraKu

AsmaraKu was founded in late 2014, and by January 2016, it had raised an undisclosed amount of seed funding from Alpha JWC Ventures and IMJ Investment Partners. It also raised an undisclosed sum of pre-series A funding from Singapore Press Holdings in 2018.

The founders claim that the company has been profitable “in the last few months” and is cash flow neutral. According to SimilarWeb estimates, AsmaraKu’s site gets around 500,000 visits per month.

The key is trust – and privacy

AsmaraKu started out selling condoms and lubricant, carrying brands like Durex and Supreme. While those continue to be the platform’s most popular products, the company has since diversified its product range. AsmaraKu’s offerings now include pregnancy and ovulation tests, home-test kits for sexually transmitted diseases, lingerie, hygiene products, and even honeymoon travel packages.

Another popular but relatively new category is supplements for sexual vitality and fertility. Customers in this category tend to skew older – the younger customers generally go for condoms – but the team has a long-term view.

“When they get older, we acquire them [for the supplements category],” says Tunggaldjaja. “We’re building a trusted brand.”

There’s also the Joykit line: product bundles – similar in concept to beauty boxes filled with cosmetics – that address personalized themes. For example, a “Wedding Night” bundle contains a vibrator and condoms, while one targeted at women undergoing a pre-menstrual cycle has facial masks and Lindt chocolate bars.

AsmaraKu’s customers value privacy, for obvious reasons. The company has developed processes to address that need (as it states on the website, “only God knows what you ordered.”)

Its packaging bears no branding, and products are tucked away further in an envelope. Bank transactions are also recorded under the company’s legal name, though they don’t even print invoices, says Natalia, in case customers accidentally drop them for other people to see.

For those browsing in public places, there’s also a built-in “privacy page” tool on the AsmaraKu website – with one click, users will be immediately routed to another page with a large-scale picture of a boat.

Usual obstacles abound, but there’s a silver lining