How the shopping experience changed

In the last three years, the x-ray of consumption in Argentina has changed dramatically. And not only due to the outbreak of the pandemic, which accelerated a process of adopting new forms of behavior in the purchase process with the familiarization of electronic commerce for categories previously prohibited, the modernization of distribution and the acceptance of digital payment methods. . What followed with the return to “normality” was a reconsideration of what, how and where to buy.

High curtains. Juliana Monsalvo is the Marketing Manager of IRSAheThe leading shopping center management company in the country (it has 8 in the AMBA and another 6 in the interior of the country) still remembers how difficult it was to get out of the nine months of closure imposed by the health emergency. “We had to show what the value is in the mall. Not only in transactional value but in living situations. PFor example, for the World Cup we chose to show the games live in the shopping centers, with a community celebration included”, comment. The irruption of online sales became irreversible, so shopping centers also began to become something synergistic and not in competition with e-commerce. “There is healthy competition with online, because they are different types of buyers”, he adds. One of the high points of this transformation of thematic spaces in the different centers and of the food establishments, which went from the old closed patios to use terraces, understanding all this item as part of a customer “experience” beyond the gastronomic consumption.

An industry also greatly affected by the forced inactivity was the organization of events and outreach activities that companies carried out with their clients. oscar garona is the managing partner of in motiona group company Travel Services which saw how the return to normal brought with it a growing demand for the creation of hybrid contact spaces to take advantage of the presence of sales agents or clients and do not waste the streaming experience that they finished developing during 2020 and 2021. “We went from 10 employees to 55 and virtuality allowed us to extend the hearings to the entire country and to be able to satisfy the need for personal contact that is irreplaceable in these cases.yes,” he explains.

The thread. This fine tune between the virtual and the face-to-face is a pending issue that the post-pandemic marked with fire. For the consultant Ximena Diaz AlarconCEO of youuniversal, focusing on the experience is a trend that frames the experience according to what people put into each sphere of relationship (face-to-face or online). “YouIt has to do with a reassessment of the fact that deep down there is nothing that replaces the senses and the experience with a differentiation that can be made to e-commerce” Explain. This generally requires large investments on the part of the brands to improve both the experience in all sensory aspects, as well as the offer and the attention (which is the most difficult) within a consistent “omnichannel”.

In the case of kavak, the new and used car dealer, opted for a model that came out of the purely virtual experience, as it was born. Mixing the physical with the digital, the invitation to its clients who are looking to buy or sell guaranteed vehicles is that they can have that experiential experience in addition to the technological ingredient. “Those who need to physically see the car can do so in our commercial showrooms that are located in some of the main shopping malls and hypermarkets in the City and Province of Buenos Aires.”, details its general manager in Argentina, Mariano Segarra. The choice of these locations (for example, in underground beaches of the Dot or in hypermarkets like the Carrefour de San Martín, are due to its strategic location, its comfort and its natural influx of public in an alliance with those shopping centers to also provide more circulation of people and to be able to exhibit hundreds of cars in each one of them. “Our main obsession is the customer experience and being able to interact in a direct and personalized way. This type of interaction makes all the difference and allows us to create a bond with each of our clients in a business where trust is essential”, she concludes.

The choice of premises as a meeting point rather than “sales” was the reason why another recently well-positioned brand changed its business model. thermomix, the German company that sells high-tech kitchen robots, inaugurated five new places last year (Vicente López, Benavídez, Canning, Punta del Este, Montevideo or Córdoba) that add to the commercialization points in shopping malls to congregate and strengthen the network of about 1,000 sales agents. Your CEO for Argentina and Uruguay, Beatriz Macaya, points out that proximity to the client’s place of residence is privileged. Not surprisingly, the latest measurement of the Consumer Confidence Index carried out by the Di Tella University showed that while in CABA it had fallen 12% compared to 2022inside that shrinkage was only 2%. The numbers also show that for another pattern of consumption, proximity, the pandemic, was also a hinge. One more.

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