DÚ, a digital platform that allows passengers to make online purchases at the Juan Santamaria Airport, began operating on February 22 at the air terminal.
The new "marketplace" platform operates on the website www.dushop.cr and for the moment only offers products from Britt Café Bakery and Britt Shop Costa Rica, of Morpho Travel Retail.
Mawi and Tenndo are recently created digital platforms that in the Costa Rican market will be dedicated to commercialize services and products of SMEs and independent professionals through the Internet.
Given the accelerated emergence of the new commercial reality and the change in people's consumption habits, online sales have gained ground, since due to the covid-19 outbreak consumers prefer to stay at home longer.
Although sales are not expected to exceed those of the 2019 Christmas season, businesses expect revenues to be robust in the context of the pandemic, a situation that could be enhanced by the dynamism of digital channels.
The spread of covid-19 generated an economic crisis, which for most of 2020 significantly affected the commercial sector. Despite the fact that in the context of the new business reality and changing consumer habits, commercial establishments are still in the process of adapting, there is optimism among businesspeople regarding end-of-year sales.
Lincoln Plaza began operating a virtual platform in which customers can purchase products that are sold in the physical stores that already operate in the property.
EPK, Uno Sports, Claire's, Totto, Xiami, Miniso, TOYS, Liberia Internacional, Opticas Munkel, Aldo Nero, Ibiza and GNC, are some of the stores that will offer their products through the new digital platform.
When mobility restrictions were decreed due to the covid-19 outbreak, interest in e-commerce services rebounded in all Central American markets, but, in the last few weeks a decrease in the number of Internet searches associated with the topic has been reported.
Through a system that monitors in real time changes in consumer interests and preferences in Central American countries, developed by CentralAmericaData, it is possible to project short and long term demand trends for the different products, sectors and markets operating in the region.
Starting in September, Hugo App will offer companies in the region an online store service, which will include a website, logistics, electronic invoicing and inventory management.
The new tool of the application of Salvadoran origin will be called Hugo Business, platform that will begin to operate from September 1st in Guatemala, and in the case of El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Dominican Republic, will begin in October.
The opportunities derived from the habit of buying online, together with the current business scenario, are creating an environment where the offer of different brands of clothing and restaurants are brought together in virtual platforms.
With the spread of covid-19, social distancing measures were decreed in the region's markets, a situation that led to radical changes in consumption habits and shopping methods.
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).
In the current scenario of changing consumer habits, interest in bicycle accessories, gardening items and beer has grown among Costa Rican consumers in recent weeks.
Through a system that monitors in real time changes in consumer interests and preferences in Central American countries, developed by CentralAmericaData, it is possible to project short and long term demand trends for the different products, sectors and markets that operate in the region.
Considerable investments in the digitalization of operations, the closure of small stores and the expansion of the commercial area of the best located sales points, is part of the strategy that companies are beginning to implement in the new context of business transformation.
Managers of large corporations agree that several companies were already making progress in digitizing sales and operations, but the pandemic ended up persuading decision makers of the need to focus on online sales, and simultaneously accompany it with a plan to transform physical stores.
Restrictions on the movement of people test the ability of companies to survive, since in the new business reality it is not enough to have a website to market products, as customers demand effective sales and delivery systems.
In early April, when Guatemala was just beginning its quarantine due to the covid-19 outbreak and the government began banning the movement of people after 4 p.m., some customers reported that the online sales systems of the country's large fast food restaurant chains collapsed in the face of increased demand.
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.
As a result of the exponential growth of e-commerce at the global level, the region's customs authorities will face multiple challenges in the coming years in order to carry out their functions properly.
The current context, with consumers changing their preferences and increasingly valuing ease, convenience and time savings in their purchases, has forced companies to strengthen their online marketing channels, which in turn makes it necessary for Customs to optimize their processes.
A growing trend in online shopping is forcing malls to rethink their business models and renew their strategies for attracting customers.
While Internet shopping trends in Central American countries are still a long way behind more developed markets such as the United States, businesses are already starting to feel the effects of increased consumer interest in online shopping.
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