Education on the Implementation of Transaction Payment Digitalization in an Effort to Increase the Productivity of MSMEs in the Kademangan Village Area, Cianjur, West Java

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FORMOSA NEWS - 100 Percent of MSMEs Passive in Using QRIS Payments Due to Settlement Delays and MDR Fees. A team of researchers from Universitas Kristen Indonesia (UKI) has uncovered significant challenges hindering digital payment adoption among micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Kademangan Village, Cianjur Regency, West Java. The study, conducted from September to October 2024 and published in 2026 by lead researcher Riwandari Juniasti and her team, revealed that while 100 percent of surveyed MSMEs have adopted the Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS), all of them remain passive users who only process digital payments when specifically requested by customers. These findings highlight critical operational barriers in rural digital financial inclusion, demonstrating how delayed fund settlements and transaction fees limit the real-world impact of national financial technology initiatives.

Understanding the Digital Gap in Rural Micro-Enterprises
Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises serve as a primary engine of Indonesia's national economy, driving employment and supporting local supply chains. In rural areas like Kademangan Village, local economic activity spans agriculture, small retail, food services, and artisanal crafts. Despite their economic importance, many rural merchants rely heavily on cash transactions. Cash dependence exposes business owners to daily operational risks, including difficulties in making change, inaccurate financial record-keeping, and the physical loss or theft of money. The implementation of QRIS, introduced by Bank Indonesia, was designed to solve these issues by offering a standardized, secure, and efficient payment ecosystem. However, technological tools alone cannot drive economic transformation without addressing user trust, cost perceptions, and technical literacy among rural business owners.

A Practical Community-Based Research Framework

To evaluate and address these challenges, the research team from Universitas Kristen Indonesia implemented a multi-stage community service and research framework:

• Initial Field Observation: Conducted on September 24, 2024, to map the digital marketing capabilities and payment habits of local business owners.
  
• Educational Workshops: Organized from October 22 to 24, 2024, providing theoretical grounding on digital payment systems and e-commerce platforms.
  
• Practical Demonstrations & Mentoring: Student-assisted hands-on training sessions where participants created business social media accounts, set up e-commerce store fronts, and simulated live QRIS transactions.
  
• Empirical Evaluation: Pre-test and post-test assessments, along with structured questionnaires distributed to 20 representative MSME owners out of 65 active businesses in Kademangan Village (a 30.8% sample size).
  

Key Research Findings
The empirical data collected from the village merchants revealed strong contrasts between platform adoption and active daily usage:

• 100% Passive Implementation: Every surveyed merchant possessed a QRIS code, yet 100% of respondents only offered digital payment options when explicitly requested by buyers.
  
• Fund Settlement Delays: The lack of real-time fund disbursement into merchant bank accounts created hesitation among business owners, who rely on immediate cash liquidity for daily inventory restocks.
  
• Transaction Reliability Issues: 15% of respondents experienced transaction errors, where customer payments failed to show up in merchant accounts despite buyers showing valid digital transfer receipts.
  
• Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) Resistance: 100% of respondents expressed strong objections to transaction fee deductions. Consequently, 25% of merchants passed this cost onto consumers by charging an additional fee of IDR 1,000 per QRIS transaction.
  
• Rapid Success in Digital Marketing: In contrast to financial tools, digital marketing assistance yielded immediate positive results. The program expanded to 22 MSMEs and 63 total participants, leading to direct sales growth via platforms such as Shopee, TikTok Shop, Instagram Business, and WhatsApp Business.
  

Real-World Implications and Policy Recommendations
The findings from Universitas Kristen Indonesia offer clear directions for financial technology providers, banking institutions, and policymakers. For digital payment systems to achieve active adoption in rural communities, transaction processing platforms must prioritize instant fund clearing and eliminate technical error margins. Furthermore, policymakers should evaluate targeted MDR fee subsidies or fee waivers for micro-enterprises to prevent extra transaction charges from being passed to consumers. Integrating digital marketing education alongside digital payment infrastructure creates a balanced digital ecosystem. While digital marketing delivers visible, immediate revenue gains, reliable payment systems provide the operational structure needed for long-term business scaling.

Author Profil
Riwandari Juniasti, S.E., M.M., is an academic and researcher based at Universitas Kristen Indonesia (UKI). Her research expertise spans business management, entrepreneurship, and digital transformation strategies for micro-enterprises.
She led this research project alongside co-authors Edison Siregar, Trihanna Keyza R, Feliks Setia Wau, and Selvia De Wana.

Source
Riwandari Juniasti, Edison Siregar, Trihanna Keyza R, Feliks Setia Wau, Selvia De Wana Education on the Implementation of Transaction Payment Digitalization in an Effort to Increase the Productivity of MSMEs in the Kademangan Village Area, Cianjur, West Java. Asian Journal of Community Services (AJCS), Vol. 5, No. 8, Tahun 2026, halaman 541–550
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/ajcs.v5i8.60
URL: https://journalajcs.my.id/index.php/ajcs