Opportunities in electronic commerce: from Avera to Mercado Libre

Electronic commerce has become an excellent sales tool for startups such as the Avera online store to large giants in the sector such as Mercado Libre.

Globally, according to Insider Intelligence/eMarketer, online store sales soared in 2020 to $ 4.28 trillion, compared to $ 3.35 trillion the previous year.

In general, the impact of Covid-19 had a positive effect on most online payment flows, as electronic commerce expanded, which offset the effects of offline payments as a result of the blockages imposed by the pandemic.

For example, Mercado Libre invested 252.2 million dollars in 2020, despite the fact that the world entered a deep economic crisis. So it did not register a contraction in this indicator, after investing 672.5 million dollars in 2018 and 1,447.8 million in 2019.

E-commerce and 5G network

According to a recent ECLAC report, operators are reformulating their business strategies, focusing on the activities in which they present the greatest strengths and in the commercial segments with the greatest added value, in order, among other things, to take advantage of the opportunities that may arise. open thanks to future investments, particularly in the field of 5G technology.

Between 2019 and 2025, ECLAC projects, investments worth 99,000 million dollars are foreseen in the development of network infrastructure.

Currently, more than 50% of the total connections in the Latin America and Caribbean region have 4G technology, while the coverage of 5G networks could reach close to 10% in 2025.

In this context, the relevance of digital companies in the region has increased significantly.

An outstanding example of this dynamic is the spectacular increase that the market value has experienced precisely of the Argentine company dedicated to electronic commerce Mercado Libre, which currently ranks as the second company with the highest market value in the region.

Avera and facilities

Increasingly, factors such as technology, indirect exports, and electronic payment facilities allow companies like Avera to actively participate in online commerce.

Avera is a Mexican company founded in 2018. According to its own description, you can think that Avera is dedicated to the sale of products for the home and kitchen, and yes, but it is not limited to that, really what this company wants is to design an experience where the customer benefits the most.

From the angle of large companies, ECLAC highlighted that Amazon, Alibaba, eBay, Taobao and Rakuten facilitate transactions between buyers and sellers in electronic commerce:

• Airbnb connects homeowners with renters.
• Uber connects vehicle drivers with passengers for urban trips.
• Facebook links users with each other and with advertisers.
• Apple’s iOS unites app developers with their users.
• Google’s Android connects device manufacturers, app developers and users.
• Sony’s PlayStation and Microsoft’s Xbox consoles facilitate interactions between game developers and users.
• American Express, Paypal and Square connect merchants with consumers for electronic payments.
• Ticketmaster links event spaces with consumers.
• Kickstarter connects entrepreneurs with funders.
• Upwork connects freelancers with clients.