During the first quarter of 2021, consumption of household cleaning products increased in five of the six Central American markets, with Honduras and Panama reporting the highest year-on-year variation rates.
Data revealed by Kantar Worldpanel Division highlights that between January and March 2020 and the same period of 2021, consumption of indulgence and cleaning products increased 28% in Honduras, 17% in Panama, 13% in Nicaragua, 6% in Guatemala and 3% in El Salvador.
Through the management of large volumes of data, it is possible to understand the pedestrian mobility of an area or city, and from this, predict the sales potential of a business according to its location and the characteristics of consumers who pass through the surrounding area.
Currently, companies in the retail and mass consumption sector that have opted to develop "data driven" work teams have found in Business Intelligence and Geomarketing solutions a new way to understand the dynamics of their business models.
As a result of the global trade imbalance that has become evident in the last year and the considerable increase in logistics costs, Guatemalan importers are beginning to look to Brazil as an option to replace purchases from Chinese companies.
In early March of this year, CentralAmericaData reported that as a result of the imbalance faced by world trade flows, shipping lines have changed their routes and prefer to move empty containers to Asia, a situation that at that time already generated shortages and caused increases in transport rates.
In recent years, cement from Vietnam has gained importance in terms of amount purchased, as in 2016 it represented just 0.01% of total regional imports and in 2020 it became the main supplier, as the share went up to 32%.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graph"]
During 2020, Central America's imports of pharmaceutical products containing insulin totaled $35 million, and purchases from Danish companies increased 11% over what was reported in 2019.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphic"]
In the last week of May 2021, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Dominican Republic and Guatemala were the economies in which the number of people visiting establishments identified as supermarkets was considerably higher than the figures reported before the pandemic.
In the first five months of the year, and in the context of the reactivation of commercial activities, more Central American consumers have visited locations identified as supermarkets and pharmacies.
During 2020, Central American vegetable exports totaled $318 million, 34% more than what was reported in 2019, a rise that is largely explained by the performance of sales to U.S. companies.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graph"]
During 2020, companies in the region allocated $134 million for the import of vaccines for human use, and purchases from Russian companies increased 54% over what was reported in 2019.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graph"]
For the international organization, during 2020, Guatemala's economy showed resilience, since in the context of the crisis caused by the Covid-19 outbreak, the GDP contracted only 1.5%.
According to the International Monetary Fund, in a context of favorable specialization of production and exports, resilience of remittances, and unprecedented support from monetary and fiscal policies, the drop in Guatemalan production was minimal compared to that reported in other Central American countries.
Through solutions based on the analysis of satellite photos and machine learning models, it is possible to optimize the process of identifying the best land uses and analyze the areas where a construction project will be developed with a high level of detail, in order to find the optimal location and minimize investment risks.
The accelerated growth in the availability of data and the solutions and technologies being developed to take advantage of it is directly impacting all industries, and the real estate and construction industry is no exception.
In 2020, Central American countries spent $460 million to import bakery, pastry and biscuit products; of the total amount purchased abroad, Guatemalan, Honduran and Panamanian companies represented 62%.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graphic"].
Last year, trade in paints and varnishes between Central American countries amounted to $123 million, which is 10% lower than in 2019, a drop that was reported in the context of the economic crisis resulting from the Covid-19 outbreak.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graph"]
During the first months of 2021, 20% of the automobile-type vehicles circulating on the streets of Central American countries were Honda, Mazda, Chevrolet and Ford brands, while of the total number of light-duty vehicles, Isuzu, Hyundai and Hino accounted for 10%.
The report "Vehicle fleet in Central America", from CentralAmericaData's Business Intelligence area, gathers the most updated information on the automotive market in Central American countries.