The only truth is the numbers, they say in the business world. In this case, there were more than 10 million transactions, with a turnover of $61,653 million, which indicates that what was initially a trend today has become a phenomenon that does not stop. The figures show the growth of electronic commerce in Argentina, which registered an increase of 89% compared to 2020, according to data from Nubecommerce, the report carried out by the Argentine unicorn storecloud. The $168 million per day represents a new billing record for e-commerce during the last year.
Gustavo Sambucetti, Institutional Director of the CArgentine Chamber of Electronic Commerce (CACE)explains that since 2015, “e-commerce has grown at an annual rate of two digits in orders” and provides the numbers: $79 million in 2018, $89 million in 2019, $164 million in 2020. From his point of view, the pandemic “accelerated” this momentum, since it details that “during 2021 there were sales of $95,000 million, representing a 124% increase compared to 2019 and an 84% increase in the number of orders.”
Growing. Of course the forecasts are optimistic. “We anticipate that the market will continue to grow, perhaps not at the dizzying pace of 2020, but we believe that it is a trend that is going to consolidate, since not only are there more and more consumers (1.3 million were added in 2020), but who also buy more categories and more frequently (60% buy at least once a month and 19% at least once a week)”, explains Sambucetti.
However, specialists note that there is a long way to go. Franco Radavero, Country Manager for Argentina at Tiendanube, indicates that “online sales are just beginning to take off, with a market that has enormous growth prospects, both in Argentina and throughout Latin America.”
The argument is that, according to eMarketer, global e-commerce is estimated to have increased by 16.8% in revenue compared to 2020, representing approximately US$4.9 trillion a year. As in 2020, the Asia and North America regions led e-commerce on a global scale. In fact, the Asia-Pacific region alone accounted for roughly 60% of global online sales. On the other hand, North America was positioned in second place, with 20% of sales, followed by Western Europe, with 12%. “Regarding the local scope, studies show that Argentina is in fourth place with the greatest growth potential in the world within the electronic commerce ecosystem,” Radavero expands.
Juan Valenzuela, country manager of Chazki Argentina, has no doubt: “the pandemic and the consequent confinement policies meant an increase in the entire e-commerce logistics business that is here to stay.” Today, the company delivers around 50,000 packages per month with the Flex service and aims to reach 150,000 in the next three months. Currently, Chazki has 700 clients in the region, of which 60% are corporations and 40% are SMEs, and “thanks to our technology and traceability, we ensure deliveries in less than 24 hours,” Valenzuela stresses.
Expansion. According to data from Mercado Libre, in 2020, 84% of SMEs in the region managed to expand outside their city thanks to electronic commerce, adding customers and increasing the level of sales. “If Mercado Libre grows, it is because the companies in the ecosystem do so. The logistics industry in general created 200 thousand jobs and 13% of that total was thanks to our company. In terms of indirect employment, the logistics solutions ecosystem that serves our operations generated more than 27,000 jobs throughout the distribution chain. The logistics operators declare that they have grown in one year what they expected to grow in five”, they indicate from the company.
In the case of Avon, Eric Caamaño, Head of E-commerce, says that the company has been working, since 2017, “on the digital transformation of the business model, which was accelerated by the pandemic.” And he elaborates: “The context we live in brought great variations in the forms of consumption. Those who were not familiar with e-commerce had new approaches and this also facilitated the digital transformation of Avon and the possibilities of online sales for resellers”. For example, today 84% of Avon’s Digital Stores are from traditional Resellers that have added their digital option. “Furthermore, 7 out of 10 digital customers who buy through our platforms are new,” he adds. The data is conclusive: the Avon online store had a growth jump between 2020 and 2021 of 1,174%. According to statistics from the Digital 2022 study -carried out by WeAreSocial and Hootsuite- almost 60% of the population buys products or services online weekly. The era of the online consumer is no longer an emergency exit.
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by Marcelo Alfano
