Increased demand for cleaning products, the use of e-commerce as a purchasing channel and the preference for functional foods are some of the new trends that will prevail in the medium and long term, once the pandemic is overcome.
According to a study prepared by the Foreign Trade Promoter of Costa Rica (Procomer), the outbreak of covid-19 has caused changes in consumer behavior and to take advantage of the opportunities one must begin to understand those that will come after the pandemic is overcome.
Between February 2020 and Easter Week, visits to shops decreased between 40% and 90% in Central American countries, but since April 13 a change in the trend has been observed, reflecting a greater movement of people to shops and other businesses.
According to the "Information System for the Impact Analysis of Covid-19 on Business", prepared by the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData, Costa Rica is the country with the most pronounced change in trend, since as of April 12th the reported drop in physical visits to stores was 79%, while on April 17th the reported reduction was 57% from the levels prior to the health crisis.
Applying cleaning and prevention protocols in workplaces and shops, such as those stipulated by the health authorities, are the proposals of Costa Rican businessmen to resume the commercial activity that has been restricted since mid-March.
Following the spread of covid-19, in Costa Rica and the other Central American countries, governments have decreed mandatory quarantines and have also restricted the movement of consumers at certain times.
Lomas de Guijarro, Colonia Florencia and Villas del Real are some of the sectors where the consumers with the highest purchasing power are concentrated in Tegucigalpa.
Through a geomarketing tool, developed by CentralAmericaData and based on interactive maps, it is possible to identify where people are and what characteristics they have as consumers.
Between the end of February 2020 and Easter Week, visits for shopping or recreational activities fell between 40% and 90% in Central American countries, with Panama recording the largest drop and Nicaragua the smallest.
Since the effects of the crisis generated by the spread of the covid-19 in Central America began to be felt, and more specifically, since mobility restriction measures were tightened, visits to shops in Central American countries have fallen dramatically.
The location of a sales point in any city in Central America can yield significantly different results, since the concentration of people on site, the expense they incur and the estimated time for home delivery in the area all have a significant influence.
In CentralAmericaData we developed a geomarketing tool based on interactive maps, through which it is possible to identify where people are and what characteristics they have as consumers.
The restrictions on mobility decreed in the region open up new opportunities for sales points such as small self-service shops, grocery stores and corner shops, which can make use of home delivery service schemes to boost their sales in this context.
In the current context of health crisis, large supermarket chains have implemented safety and hygiene protocols, which force consumers to assume long waiting times to do their shopping.
Locating customers and estimating their potential consumption, choosing strategic locations for distribution points and calculating product delivery times are some of the tasks that occupy companies in this context of changing consumption patterns.
Many of the changes in purchasing patterns resulting from the crisis generated by the Covid-19 virus in the region will not be temporary; several of them are here to stay.
In Central America it is expected that the covid-19 crisis will reduce retail sales of household items, a decline that will be explained partly by the expected fall in sales of articles for interior decoration.
The "Information System for the Impact Analysis of Covid-19 on Businesses", prepared by the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData, measures the impact that the crisis will have on companies according to their sector or economic activity, considering different scenarios for the coming months.
Costa Rican businessmen support a bill that seeks to modify or suspend payment methods and other contractual conditions of leases in cases of force majeure, such as the current health emergency.
In the context of the propagation of covid-19, the Costa Rican Chamber of Commerce (CCCR) sees with total positivism the plan of relief in the leases, as much for the families, as for the commercial activity, proposal made by the deputy Pedro Muñoz in the Project, file No. 21.851, reason why we requested to be convoked in extraordinary sessions for its discussion.
Because of the health crisis generated by the spread of covid-19, shopping centers, restaurants, clothing and footwear stores, among other businesses, began to report a decline in commercial activity in Nicaragua.
Not all businesses in the commercial sector have been affected by the advance of the pandemic, as in recent days’ supermarkets and pharmacies have been crowded by consumers.
In the context of the covid-19 crisis, the Salvadoran authorities decided to establish a maximum price for all products in the basic basket.
The Consumer Defense Office has selected beans, corn, rice, milk and eggs as essential products, which must be kept at accessible prices in the local market.
Due to the spread of covid-19, from March 21, 2020 and for a period of 30 days, the government has ordered the temporary closure of shops and businesses in the country, with the exception of pharmacies, supermarkets, banks, gas stations and others.
The Ministry of Health considers it necessary to apply additional health measures to reduce, mitigate and control the spread of the disease COVID-19, in view of the pandemic declared by the WHO, explains the decree published in the Official Journal.
Retail sales in the automotive sector in Central America are predicted to be significantly affected by the covid-19 crisis, which would be partially explained by the drop in tire sales.
The "Information System for the Impact Analysis of covid-19 on Business", prepared by the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData, measures the degree of impact that the crisis will have on companies according to their sector or economic activity, during the coming months.
In order to contain the spread of covid-19, the Ministry of Health announced that cinemas and theatres will have to be closed, and in the case of shopping centers, half of their operations will be allowed.
The government informed that police operations will be carried out throughout the country to ensure compliance with health measures.
Daniel Salas, head of the Ministry of Health said that in the coming days "...