To date, the efficiency of e-commerce throughout the COVID-19 disaster throughout Latin America provides extra nuances than certainties, as a result of, like different sectors, on-line gross sales are additionally affected by a change in habits.
In keeping with information from the Brazilian e-commerce affiliation (ABComm), some digital shops, primarily for meals, drinks, health and beauty merchandise, elevated gross sales by 180% within the first weeks of March.
The survey, carried out between February 24 and March 18, detected a 111% progress in purchases of well being gadgets, 83% of magnificence merchandise and perfumery and 80% of grocery store items.
The Compre e Confie community, which belongs to the Clearsale group, mentioned on-line gross sales grew 40% in Brazil within the first two weeks of March. Well being gadgets have been up by 124%. The well being and wonder section as complete grew almost 37.7%.
Pushed by shelter-in-place measures, laptop gross sales rose 112% as of March 16 – equal to the overall offered throughout the 2019 Black Friday week.
For a similar purpose, gross sales of sport consoles have been up 137%, and of video games and peripherals by almost 103%.
In January, e-commerce represented 6.7% of complete retail gross sales (besides automobiles, auto components and development supplies), in response to Brazilian e-commerce chamber camara-e net.
Whereas up-to-date figures are usually not but obtainable, this proportion definitely went up within the wake of the pandemic.
BITS VS BRICKS
Nonetheless, the rise in on-line gross sales couldn’t offset drops in gross sales in bodily shops, the Brazilian commerce confederation (CNC) mentioned in a report launched on Tuesday.
The entity estimated that social isolation and the closure of companies throughout Brazil translated into 53.3bn reais (US$10.5bn) much less for retailers by April 7.
However Nielsen mentioned total retail gross sales elevated by 23.3% from March 16-22, in comparison with the week earlier than, pushed by the classes commodities (meals normally, 66.1%), cleansing (43.1%) and grocery (34.5%).
This surge appears to be associated to shoppers who, fearing shortages, purchased provides for stockpiling, Nielsen mentioned.
FIRST TIMERS
The variety of on-line first-time consumers has additionally grown in several markets throughout the pandemic.
In Argentina, 90% of latest on-line consumers have been adults, together with senior residents.
Argentina e-commerce chamber (CACE) secretary Mario Grinman informed the Clarín newspaper that these prospects purchase largely grocery and pharmacy merchandise through digital platforms.
In Chile, on-line gross sales grew by 119% over the last week of March, the Santiago chamber of commerce mentioned.
Analyzing debit and bank card information, digital commerce rose from 6% of complete retail gross sales to 13% within the final days of March, in response to the chamber.
In an interview to BNamericas on the finish of March, Lucas Goycoolea, head of regional e-commerce options at VTEX mentioned the corporate’s gross sales elevated too.
“Many consumers who use VTEX are rising their gross sales significantly, a few of them have reported a rise of as much as 450% in contrast with an extraordinary day, primarily pushed by meals and alcoholic drinks,” he mentioned.
“On the different excessive, gross sales of non-essential gadgets have fallen as much as 50%, however we count on that this development will reverse as bodily shops shut for quarantine, leaving e-commerce as the one obtainable gross sales channel,” Goycoolea added.
After closing 2019 with a mean 35% improve in digital gross sales over the 12 months earlier than, Mexican e-commerce purchases registered three-digit progress in sure areas, in response to information from the Mexican affiliation of on-line gross sales (AMVO).
AMVO mentioned e-commerce provides “alternatives for firms in Mexico to take the most effective practices applied in markets which have confronted or are at the moment dealing with an emergency state of affairs and benefit from that for his or her progress.”
But, Lindsay Lehr, funds apply director at analysis agency Americas Market Intelligence (AMI), told BNamericas lately that “2020 would be the first 12 months that e-commerce as an entire when it comes to quantity really declines.”