Network Indonesia
Qualitative market research in Indonesia
Indonesia has 286 million people across thousands of islands, with 230 million internet users, 80.5 per cent of the population, most of them on a phone (DataReportal, Digital 2026). Qualitative research there works when it is built for the phone, moderated in Bahasa Indonesia by someone who lives in Jakarta, and planned around Ramadan and the Lebaran exodus. MindMarket runs in-depth interviews, focus groups and online diaries in Indonesia with local moderators and one project manager for your whole study, and has explored nicotine use in Jakarta, skincare across Southeast Asia and premium spirits with bartenders there for international clients.
AT A GLANCE
Indonesia at a glance for researchers
- Population. 286 million people, median age 30.4, 60 per cent urban (DataReportal, Digital 2026). Java holds more than half the country, and Greater Jakarta is one of the largest urban areas in the world.
- Languages. Bahasa Indonesia is the national language and the language of every session. Javanese, Sundanese and hundreds of other languages are spoken at home. Our moderators live in Indonesia and work in Bahasa Indonesia, with English for your team.
- Internet and mobile. 230 million internet users and 331 million mobile connections (DataReportal, Digital 2026). Indonesia is a phone country: WhatsApp for recruitment, mobile data for interviews, and home connections that vary by city.
- Where fieldwork happens. Most of our studies in Indonesia run in Jakarta, with Surabaya, Bandung or Medan added when your audience lives there. Jakarta speaks for Jakarta, not for Java.
- Data protection. The Personal Data Protection Law No. 27 of 2022: consent, a stated purpose and care with recordings and personal data, in force for all organisations since October 2024.
- Timing. We do not schedule fieldwork during Ramadan, and Lebaran (Eid) empties Jakarta for two weeks as millions travel home. Ramadan moves about eleven days earlier each year, so check the dates when you plan.
IN THE FIELD
How does an interview run in Indonesia?
In Singapore, you book a viewing facility and the participants arrive on time from across the city. In Indonesia, the work starts with the phone in the participant's hand and the traffic between them and you.
- Built for the phone. We design the discussion guide, the stimulus and any tasks to work on a phone screen and on mobile data, because that is how most participants will join.
- Recruited and reminded on WhatsApp. Our local partners find participants through their own networks, screen them by voice note and remind them the morning of the session, which cuts no-shows in Jakarta.
- The traffic plan. A Jakarta journey can take two hours. In-person sessions run close to where participants live, in the afternoon, or online when the audience is spread across the city.
- Moderators who live in Indonesia. Participants are warm, polite and reluctant to criticise. A moderator who lives in Jakarta reads the pause between tradition and aspiration, which is where our nicotine and skincare findings lived.
RECRUITMENT
How do you recruit participants in Indonesia?
- We recruit through local partners in Jakarta and the other cities, who find the people your brief describes, from first-time skincare buyers to bartenders in high-end venues.
- The local team tests each participant's connection before an online session is booked, and invites those with a weak line to join from its office.
- MindMarket pays every participant's incentive itself. You never handle it.
METHODS
Which methods work in Indonesia?
Most studies in Indonesia run as in-depth interviews, in person in Jakarta or online and built for the phone, with focus groups, online diaries and shop-alongs when the question needs them.
| Method | Works well when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Online in-depth interviews | Participants spread across Jakarta or several cities; skincare, fintech and media habits | Test each connection at recruitment; keep the stimulus light |
| In-person in-depth interviews | Sensitive categories and senior participants, where tea and time open the conversation | Plan around traffic; one neighbourhood per day |
| Focus groups | How a category is talked about among peers of one age and gender | Politeness hides disagreement; keep groups small and homogeneous |
| Online diaries | Daily habits like skincare routines, mobile payments or food delivery over days or weeks | Tasks must work on a phone screen and on a modest data plan |
| Shop-alongs | Minimarkets, malls and traditional markets, where the choice is made on the spot | Ask permission in small shops before anyone records |
QUESTIONS
Questions buyers ask about research in Indonesia
How much does market research cost in Indonesia?
A full-service qualitative study with MindMarket starts at $40,000 for the first market, and Indonesia added to a multi-country study starts from $8,000. Fieldwork costs sit below Singapore's, and travel between cities adds a line when you go beyond Jakarta. Every quote is itemised and follows within 48 hours of a first call. Estimate your study.
Do I need a local moderator in Indonesia?
Yes. Participants are warm, polite and reluctant to criticise, and the real answer sits between what tradition expects and what they aspire to. MindMarket's moderators in Indonesia live there and work in Bahasa Indonesia, with English for your team.
Can I run online interviews in Indonesia?
Yes, if they are built for the phone. 80.5 per cent of Indonesians use the internet, most of them on a handset (DataReportal, Digital 2026). We test each participant's connection at recruitment, and those with a weak line join from our local team's office.
Is Jakarta enough, or do I need other cities?
Jakarta speaks for Jakarta. For a national read we add Surabaya, Bandung or Medan, and for rural Java a different plan altogether. Most of our studies start in Jakarta and add one or two cities chosen for your category.
When should I not plan fieldwork in Indonesia?
During Ramadan, which we never schedule, and the two Lebaran weeks, when millions leave Jakarta to travel home. Ramadan moves about eleven days earlier each year, so check the dates when you plan.
Can you help us decide, not only run the interviews?
Yes. Beyond the fieldwork, our Customer-Led Strategy work turns what people in Indonesia told us into a recommendation: what to do, what not to do, and why. We form the hypotheses, test them with your customers and recommend from their words. If you already work with strategy consultants, we work alongside them.
NEXT