The health crisis, quarantines and social distancing measures in Central American countries, forced individuals and companies to accelerate the adoption of new technologies, which caused the digital to become the center of all interactions.
In this scenario of covid-19 propagation, companies have had to migrate to the digital at great speed. The digitalization plans that companies were planning to implement in a period of 1 to 3 years are now being implemented in a few weeks, according to an analysis called "The Digital Agenda: Opportunities for the Service Sector", prepared by the Market Intelligence Unit of the Guatemalan Export Association (Agexport).
Less impulsive and more reasoned purchasing decisions and the search for product and supplier information on the Internet and social networks are some of the characteristics of consumers in the new business environment.
Given the spread of covid-19, health authorities in Central American countries have been forced to restrict the mobility of people and have chosen to close most commercial establishments.
Personal care items, vehicle accessories, food and beverages are some of the products most demanded by consumers, who have migrated to digital platforms to make their purchases.
In the current scenario of confinement due to the health crisis in the region, consumers have disappeared from physical stores and have migrated to digital platforms to buy their products.
The new commercial reality in which online shopping and changes in consumer habits have forced companies to rethink their sales strategies, so it is essential to understand how people behave in the digital environment.
The report "Internet in Central America", prepared by the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData, provides the most updated data on the presence of Internet users in the region, users by gender, educational level and other details. In addition to the behavior of the uses in each country and the channel where they connect.
In most Central American countries, vehicles are the main merchandise traded through web platforms.
According to the Guatemalan Exporters Association (Agexport), according to the OLX marketing website in Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama, vehicles are the most published product category.
Imbalances in the penetration of ICT services have created a significant gap allowing to continue to increase investment and the volume of resources allocated to broadband and the sector in general.
From the Executive Summary of a report by the CAF entitled "Expansion of Regional Infrastructure for Internet Interconnection Traffic in Latin America":
In Panama it is up to 5.12 Mbps, in Nicaragua 3.53, in Honduras 3.43, Guatemala 3.32, in El Salvador 3.10, and in Costa Rica up to 2.81 Mbps.
The data has been provided by Speedtest.net, which based on download speed controls made by million of users, maintains a ranking of 188 countries according to the average download speeds in Mbps over the past 30 days where the average distance between the client and the server is less than 300 miles.
At the Transcyberiano congress held in Costa Rica, one of the conclusions was that the success of new businesses depends on their Internet presence.
An article in Elfinancierocr.com reports that "the web has become increasingly vital for any new business seeing as daily internet consumption in the last year went from 45.5% to 53.8% of Costa Ricans, mainly due to cellular consumption, said Cathalina Garcia, vice president of Unimer Centroamérica.
After 56 years of history the weekly Costa Rican newspaper will continue to serve the interest of English speaking readers but only through its online edition.
From a publication on Ticotimes.net:
The story by now is well-known: Fifty-six years ago, a group of high school students at Costa Rica’s Lincoln School wanted to learn about journalism. So veteran U.S.
Executives of companies whose customers are other businesses, rely increasingly on the Internet to find information to guide them in the decision making process.
B2B (Business to Business) companies are a growing presence on the Internet, due to the fact that the number of its customers using the Internet for their business decisions is also increasing.
The first thing to communicate is what we sell. Then, we must make sure our possible client knows who we are.
But it is important to tell this "About Us" in an attractive way for the reader.
Few things are usually as boring as the "About Us" or "About our company" section in a website. However, this is an unforgivable strategic error. Your site is yours, and it costs a lot of work, and must not go to waste, especially if it gives you the opportunity to present your company to potential customers, visitors and staff. Therefore, it is necessary to reassess the institutional section, as it is an important resource for internet advertising.
Internet usage in Latin America is rising steeply and consumer purchasing patterns are being ever more influenced by the web.
In an article on Altonivel.com.mx, Google's general manager for Latin America, Alexandre Hohagen, comments that, "it is true that e-commerce in the region has somewhat lagged behind in comparison with more developed countries but the gap is closing and today there is evidence of a multi-channel purchasing dynamic when acquiring products or services".
Companies should be constantly alert to feedback from consumers, since their preferences and needs can change at any time.
There are three keys to current, but ever changing, consumer behvior:
1. Continuing growth in the importance of mobile devices. "Consumers are demanding ever more ability to be everywhere at once, with multiple interacting devices providing ever more convenience".
In this new breed of marketing to the “4Ps” (product, placement, price, promotion) the following been added: flow, functionality, feedback and loyalty (“4Fs” in Spanish).
The Internet, new information management tools and methodologies, combined with globalization, are redefining the way products are marketed.
Cristina Vílchez, writing for Americaeconomia.com, comments that, “new tools are available for companies to use to reach customers.
Online media continues to gain ground on traditional media, by combining and offering a single product featuring the best of both.
The television industry understands that audiences are shifting towards the web as their main information source, not only at the expense of print media, but also of television.
Their strategy is also clear: they are joining the enemy, in order to reach their audiences also through the web.