Comparison
Shopee and Tokopedia rent you a shelf in someone else’s store. They bring traffic, but the algorithm decides who sees you and the customer relationship stays with the platform. Kilat (kilat.bio) gives you the conversation: your own link, on PRO an AI agent on WhatsApp (Indonesia and Singapore numbers), and every buyer in a contact list you own.
Kilat
Shopee & Tokopedia
Who owns the conversation
You, on WhatsApp
The marketplace chat
Can you message the buyer again
Yes
Only inside platform rules
Customer contacts and data
Yours
Held by the platform
AI answers repeat customers
Yes, on PRO (WhatsApp: Indonesia and Singapore numbers)
Inside the marketplace chat only
Marketplaces are real discovery channels and no UMKM should ignore them. The trap is treating a rented shelf as your whole business: you cannot message the buyer, you cannot see who they are, and next month you pay again to be seen. Here is a factual side by side.
What they do
Shopee & TokopediaShopee and Tokopedia bring genuine search traffic and first time buyers who are already shopping.
Where the lead leaks
The leakThe relationship ends at the order. You can only reach that buyer inside the marketplace chat, the contact and the data sit with the platform, and visibility is driven by the algorithm and by ads.
What Kilat does
KILATKilat turns the same buyer into a conversation you own: a QR or link to your Superlink, a contact list that belongs to you, QRIS payments through Mayar, and on PRO a WhatsApp AI agent (Indonesia and Singapore numbers) that answers repeat customers and sends payment links. Most UMKM run both: marketplace for discovery, Kilat to keep the customer.
The conversation engine
Four steps that run automatically on Instagram and WhatsApp (Indonesia and Singapore numbers), without you sitting in the inbox. This is part of PRO.
01
ReplyThe AI agent answers a new message automatically, at any hour.
02
QualifyIt asks about need and budget using a script you set, then picks out the serious leads.
03
Follow upLeads who go quiet get the follow-ups you schedule.
04
CloseA payment link is sent inside the chat, and the conversation is handed to you when a person is needed.
Every competitor figure comes from their own published pages. Sources are listed at the bottom of this page.
| Point | Kilat | Shopee & Tokopedia |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns the conversation | You, on WhatsApp | The marketplace chat |
| Can you message the buyer again | Yes | Only inside platform rules |
| Customer contacts and data | Yours | Held by the platform |
| AI answers repeat customers | Yes, on PRO (WhatsApp: Indonesia and Singapore numbers) | Inside the marketplace chat only |
| Visibility | Your link, you control it | Algorithm and ads driven |
| Discovery traffic | You bring it | Yes, this is the strength |
| QRIS and local payments | Yes, through Mayar | Yes, with platform fees |
| Physical store ready | Yes, QR to your link | Marketplace listing only |
| Fees | 0% Kilat fee on PRO, 4% on Free, plus payment processor fees. Indonesian payouts add a Rp5.000 bank transfer fee. | Commission and other seller fees set by each platform |
Each marketplace sets its own commission and other seller fees and changes them over time. Check the current rates in Shopee Seller Centre and Tokopedia Seller before you compare. Kilat takes 0% of sales on PRO (US$15/mo or Rp229.000/mo) and 4% on Free, plus payment processor fees. Indonesian payouts add a Rp5.000 bank transfer fee.
Straight answer
Use Shopee and Tokopedia for discovery and first time buyers who search there. They bring real traffic and that is worth paying for.
Use Kilat as the channel you own: move repeat customers into a WhatsApp conversation your AI answers, keep the contact list, and take QRIS payment yourself. Most UMKM run both.
No, it is the channel you own alongside them. Many UMKM use marketplaces for discovery and Kilat (kilat.bio) to keep the conversation: a WhatsApp AI agent on PRO (Indonesia and Singapore numbers) answering repeat customers, a contact list they own, and QRIS payment links.
Each platform sets its own commission and other seller fees and changes them over time, so check the current rates in Shopee Seller Centre and Tokopedia Seller. Kilat takes 0% of sales on PRO (US$15/mo or Rp229.000/mo) and 4% on Free, plus payment processor fees. Indonesian payouts add a Rp5.000 bank transfer fee.
Yes. A toko fisik can print a QR to its Kilat link so customers pay via QRIS, then reorder later through WhatsApp, where the AI agent on PRO can answer for you. That turns one time foot traffic into an audience you own.
Sources
Shopee Seller CentreTokopedia SellerOther comparisons
Kilat vs LinktreeCaptures the tap. The question that follows in the DM is still yours to answer.Kilat vs BeaconsAuto-DM on every plan, with a 9% sales fee until the $30/mo plan.Kilat vs Lynk.idA solid Indonesian storefront with local payments. No AI chat agent is listed.Kilat vs ManychatAutomates the chat across many channels. A store is not part of it.
Connect Instagram and WhatsApp, switch the AI agent on during the 14-day PRO trial (no card), and let the first lead get an answer automatically.