It would be challenging to discuss the Indonesian e-commerce scene without mentioning Bukalapak at some point.

With the market’s emphasis on mobile-first, it’s not surprising that 70 to 80 per cent of the platform’s transactions come from its mobile app.

As one of the top online marketplaces in the country, the Bukalapak mobile app boasts 13 million total installs on Android with two million daily active users, along with 700,000 total installs and 300,000 daily active users on iOS.

Both customers and sellers utilize a single mobile app for shopping and managing their businesses, a decision made after thorough research on user behavior by the company, which had previously considered launching separate apps for sellers and customers.

In addition to preparing for the launch of its train ticket booking service in the mobile app, Bukalapak is gearing up to integrate its recently introduced fintech features, such as a marketplace for mutual funds and gold, into the mobile app.

“When developing new features, we take it seriously. If a new feature is introduced on our desktop platform, there’s usually a delay before it appears on the mobile app because we prioritize maintaining app quality,” explains Bukalapak VP Engineering Ibrahim Arief.

Also Read: Alibaba reportedly in partnership talks with Emtek Group, opens possibility of Bukalapak investment

Out of its 800 employees, Bukalapak assigns 200 to its engineering team, divided into seven divisions: back-end, front-end, system engineer, mobile developer, site reliability engineer (SRE), quality assurance (QA) engineer, and data engineer.

The mobile development team is the largest with nearly 40 developers onboard.

Mobile Apps Product Manager Bayu Surya shared that in the last quarter, almost 10,000 engineers applied to join Bukalapak, but only 35 were accepted.

To scout for talent, Bukalapak hosts hackathon events where many participants express interest in joining the company.

So, what are the secrets to cultivating and retaining a team of top-performing mobile app developers?

Let Arief and Surya guide you through the process:

Sharing is caring

For the Bukalapak engineering team, sharing knowledge is crucial in producing a high-performance mobile app.

In addition to technical skills, Bukalapak engineers must be eager to learn, share knowledge, and assist their colleagues.

“Senior engineers at Bukalapak are recognized not just for their skills, but also for how they impart knowledge to less-experienced engineers. It’s a responsibility we assign to senior engineers,” says Arief.

“We seek engineers who are passionate about helping their peers grow,” he adds.

Aside from internal events, Bukalapak also hosts talks with industry players to share mobile development best practices.

Also Read: Indonesian e-commerce startup Bukalapak offers scholarship for students

No punishments for mistakes

Making mistakes is viewed as a natural part of learning and experimentation at many startups, including Bukalapak.

The company does not punish engineers for mistakes, emphasizing a passion for learning among its engineers.

“Mistakes happen, but we see them as learning experiences, even though the journey may be tough. We avoid blaming individuals,” says Arief.

Work with the flow

Introducing new features into the mobile app is likened to adding a passenger carriage to a moving train, a process aptly named “release train” at Bukalapak.

“The app is like a moving train that keeps adding new passenger carriages. A new carriage represents a new idea. When the new carriage is ready, you simply add it to the train,” explains Arief.

Before a new feature is released, it undergoes thorough automated testing with hundreds of test cases. Once all tests are passed and bugs are fixed, the feature is gradually rolled out to users before full launch.

“Within the mobile app development team, we have a core team for research and development. These are the best people in the company who define our best practices,” says Arief.

Also Read: Bukalapak CEO receives prestigious award from Indonesian President Joko Widodo

Ready when it is

While some startups follow the “Don’t ask for permission but ask for forgiveness” principle, Bukalapak believes a product or feature should only be launched when fully ready.

There are no arbitrary deadlines dictating when a product should be released; readiness is key, even if development takes longer.

“Feature development might be time-consuming, but the end result meets expectations. It’s better than rushing a release with numerous bugs, disappointing users and costing us,” Arief explains.

Battle preparation

Online shopping peaks in Indonesia during religious holidays like Ramadan or shopping events like Harbolnas.

To handle traffic surges and maintain app performance, Bukalapak starts preparing months in advance.

In addition to rigorous testing on the app and backend, the team imposes deployment freezes before such events to ensure system stability.

“We focus on bug fixing only… and this approach has proven effective in maintaining system stability during peak periods,” says Surya.

Image Credit: Bukalapak

This article was first published on August 15, 2017

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