In the midst of sluggish purchasing power and the outbreak of the Rohana (Rombongan Hanya Nanya) and Rojali (Rombongan Jarang Beli) visitor phenomenon, retailers and shopping centers take advantage of the long weekend to boost sales. The result is quite effective, slightly lifting sales.
As we all know, the government's decision to set collective leave on Monday, August 18, created a long weekend from the Indonesian Independence Day celebration on August 17, which fell on Sunday. So, the 80th anniversary of Indonesia's Independence Day became a moment for various outlets to attract visitors with special discounts and promos.
One example is at the Timberland Pondok Indah Mall (PIM) 2 outlet, Jakarta, where an independence discount has been held since August 14 with a 17% discount on certain products. Dimas, Timberland's Sales Advisor at PIM 2, said this promo had an immediate impact on sales. "Today we have sold six pieces, and it will increase from afternoon to evening," he said.
The upward trend in sales at Timberland has been visible since the promo started. On August 13, only six products were sold, then it rose to ten on August 14. A day later the number increased again to 14 products, and the peak on August 16 reached 16 products.
The same can be seen at the Converse outlet in Bintaro Jaya Xchange Mall, Tangerang. The independence discount released since August 15 offers 20% off for every purchase, with an extra 20% off for consumers who buy two products at once.
Agus, Store Leader of Converse Bintaro Xchange, admits that this promo has an effect on sales, although the increase is not too significant. According to him, sales only increased by around 10% compared to the previous weekend because Converse regularly releases discount programs.
"But, compared to normal days, this independence promo can boost sales up to four times," he said.
The Chairman of the Indonesian Shopping Center Tenants Association (Hippindo), Budiharjo Iduansyah, assessed that the moment of August 17 succeeded in lifting traffic visitors. He said that almost all types of businesses in shopping centers felt the impact, ranging from restaurants, clothing stores, to toy outlets. Promotions that are held simultaneously make the shopping atmosphere livelier throughout the long holiday.
However, the Chairman of the Indonesian Shopping Center Managers Association (APPBI), Alphonzus Widjaja, believes that there are still things that need to be considered. Long weekends do not always have the maximum impact on shopping centers. Many middle-class people prefer to travel outside the city or abroad, so shopping centers are not as busy as on a pinch holiday. The main support for visits are food, beverage, and entertainment outlets.
To anticipate this, APPBI held the Indonesia Shopping Festival (ISF) 2025 which took place from August 14 to August 24 in 400 shopping centers. The event is targeted to increase shopping center visits by 10% to 20% with a potential transaction of around Rp 23.32 trillion. ISF is intended not only to enliven the independence celebration, but also to maintain people's purchasing power amid the long holiday trend.
In line with this, Budiharjo said that promotional series such as ISF and Belanja di Indonesia Aja-Hari Belanja Diskon Indonesia (BINA HBD Indonesia) 2025 are important to maintain visitor enthusiasm. New store openings, store renovations, and the addition of both imported and local products are considered capable of maintaining shopping interest.
Banking promotions
Not only shopping centers and retailers offer special Independence Day promos, banks also offer the same.
PT Bank Central Asia Tbk (BCA) presents various promos to welcome the 80th Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Indonesia. BCA customers can enjoy attractive offers starting from Rp 17,000 for transactions at various stores that provide household needs, F&B, retail, entertainment, and fashion. This promo is a form of BCA's appreciation to loyal customers, as well as a form of participation in enlivening the nation's historic moments.
"As a national banking institution, BCA also enlivened the 80th Independence Day celebration by presenting a variety of attractive promos. Through various promos celebrating the Independence Day, we hope to increase added value and provide a memorable shopping experience for customers," said EVP Transaction Banking Business Development Norisa Saifuddin in her statement, Thursday (16/8/2025).
Independence Day promos provided by BCA can be enjoyed by customers by making transactions using QRIS at myBCA, BCA mobile, Flazz, Sakuku, BCA Debit, or BCA Credit Card at selected merchants. Complete information on independence promos from BCA can be seen on the bca.id/hutri80 page.
The program runs from August 14 to August 31, 2025 and offers various attractive offers, ranging from discounts, cashback, to rewards to meet people's financial and lifestyle needs.
The same thing was also done by Bank Mandiri. Senior Vice President Digital Marketing of Bank Mandiri Diah Eka Purwanti revealed, this program is designed to accelerate customer transactions in the retail sector while accelerating national economic growth in a sustainable manner.
For this reason, Bank Mandiri collaborates with dozens of well-known merchants and brands, both offline and online, including Erafone, iBox, Samsung by Erafone, Blibli, Lazada, Shopee, and Tokopedia.
"Bank Mandiri is committed to being the first choice of the community in celebrating independence while accelerating digital economic transformation. With a comprehensive digital ecosystem, we want to present promos that not only benefit customers, but also support UMKM in line with the spirit of Bank Mandiri for Advanced Indonesia," said Diah, in her official statement, Saturday (16/8).
Various attractive offers are present throughout this promo period. Customers can enjoy discounts of up to Rp 80,000 for transactions using QRIS Livin' by Mandiri in Pantai Indah Kapuk area, as well as discounts of up to Rp 35,000 at selected tenants of Inacraft Vol. IV 2025 spread across ten regions of Indonesia, ranging from Jabodetabek, Cirebon, Bandung, Semarang, Pekalongan, Yogyakarta, Madura, Malang, Bali, to Mataram.
On the investment front, rewards of up to Rp 250,000 are available for SBR014 purchases through the Livin' Investasi feature. For financing, Bank Mandiri offers discounted admin fees of up to Rp 800,000 for Mandiri Auto applications, welcoming bonus of up to Rp 1 million for Mandiri Credit Card applications, special interest rates of 8.80% fixed for 10 years for Mandiri KPR, and interest rates starting at 9.25% for Mandiri KSM.
For those who want to open a savings account, there are discounted fees of up to Rp 200,000 for opening All in One Package Savings, special rewards for Business Savings, and Rp 100,000 e-vouchers for opening Savings Plans.
While in the lifestyle segment, Livin' Sukha users can get Rp 50,000 off for shopping at Alfamart, Rp 45,000 for transactions at Klik Indomaret, and up to Rp 180,000 for Ultra Voucher purchases. For more detailed information about Bank Mandiri's 80th Anniversary promo, visit bmri.id/fomoHUTRI
Drive sales
Bank Mandiri's research in 2024 shows that long weekend holidays increase public spending by 14.4% compared to regular weekends. Meanwhile, in 2025, long weekend holidays increase public spending by 13.8% compared to regular weekends.
The retail sub-sector that enjoyed the most increase in turnover during the long weekend holiday was restaurants, with an index value of 427.7. This is higher than the supermarket and fashion store retail sub-sectors of 291.5 and 133.9, respectively.
Although there are many long weekends, apparently this does not encourage people to travel long distances. One indicator is that public spending on hotel costs did not experience a significant increase.
The Mandiri Spending Index (MSI) in June 2025 was recorded at 269.5 points, up from 255.4 points in May thanks to the momentum of collective leave and holidays. The Bank Mandiri Institute estimates that without the holidays, the spending index would have been 5% to 8% lower.
However, Center of Reform on Economics (CORE) researcher Yusuf Rendy Manilet believes that this kind of consumption surge is not evenly distributed across all groups of society.
"The impact is more pronounced for the upper middle class whose consumption is relatively independent of government stimulus," Yusuf said. According to him, promos and long holidays rarely have a big effect on the lower middle class who are price sensitive and highly dependent on direct government assistance.
He assessed that the increase in consumption that emerged on the August 17 long weekend was limited. "There is indeed an impact on the middle and upper class, but for other groups the effect is small," he said. Moreover, there is no additional stimulus from the government as was given in the previous quarter.
Yusuf emphasized that the middle class is in a vulnerable position. They no longer receive regular assistance like the poor, but are also not as flexible as the upper class. "These mendang-mending people tend to hold back on spending even though there are many promos," he said.
Yusuf emphasized that the middle class is in a vulnerable position. They no longer receive regular assistance like the poor, but are also not as flexible as the upper class.
The phenomenon seen in shopping malls also reflects middle-class behavior. Many visitors simply browse or compare prices with online platforms before deciding to buy. This, said Yusuf, is reflected in the Rojali-Rohana phenomenon. "Some come, ask the price, then go home because they feel it's cheaper to buy online," Yusuf said.
Yusuf also reminded the importance of distinguishing between seasonal trends and sustained increases. "We need to see if this consumption pattern continues in September or October. Our guess is that this is a seasonal phenomenon due to holidays and promos," he explained.
To encourage sustainable consumption, he thinks the government needs to provide a more targeted stimulus. Cash assistance can be a quick step to encourage spending, but what is more fundamental is the creation of formal employment with decent wages and social security.
"Short-term stimulus is important, but it must be balanced with medium and long-term policies. The government needs to encourage social mobility so that the poor can move up to the middle class, and the middle class to the upper class," said Yusuf. He emphasized that formal employment with guaranteed wages and social protection is the key to maintaining purchasing power.
The main focus should be on the middle class, which is large in number but now depressed. "If this group is not considered, it is difficult to expect consumption to continue to grow. The government must ensure that policies really target them," Yusuf said. That way, the momentum of the long holiday is not just a seasonal discount party, but a door to maintaining people's purchasing power in a more sustainable manner.
In addition, government policies also have an influence on visitor enthusiasm. Budiharjo hopes that the government can maintain political stability and security so that consumers remain enthusiastic about shopping. This is because excessive regulation will actually hamper consumers and harm the business world.
"If the regulations are burdensome, consumers can run away to shop abroad, and the domestic business world will lose," he said.
Authors: Benedictus Krisna Yogatama, Harits Arrazie, and Chris Wibisana
