Although the restrictions imposed by the pandemic have been relaxed, consumers continue to show signs of mistrust in the current situation, behavior that could put pressure downward on spending on products and services considered to be discretionary.
In 2020, when the effects of the pandemic that caused the spread of covid-19 began to become evident, it was anticipated that consumer habits would change, since in a complicated economic scenario full of uncertainty, people would be more careful when spending.
Promoting a risk management culture, defining possible scenarios by turning uncertainty into a variable and preparing to safeguard the company's operational continuity are some of the most important strategies for facing the coming year.
The pandemic that generated the spread of covid-19, caused changes in all business sectors and also generated an environment of uncertainty regarding the future of the economy.
Guatemalan exporters report that President Trump's warning about export tariffs and taxes on remittances and transfers is raising doubts among U.S. buyers.
Uncertainty prevails among most Guatemalan businessmen after President Trump reacted to the provisional protection established by the Guatemalan Constitutional Court, which limits the functions of the Executive Branch to negotiate or sign any foreign policy agreement.
The slowdown in the region's economies and political uncertainty are changing the way consumers in markets such as Guatemala, Costa Rica and Honduras make purchasing decisions.
The White Rabbit group carried out a study on buyer behavior in Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica, called "A New Guide to Understanding the Consumer", which analyses the perceptions prevailing in these markets in the region.
The pessimism expressed by consumers in Costa Rica and the constant deterioration of business expectations in Guatemala reflect part of the complex challenges faced by Central American economies this year.
A report prepared by the School of Statistics of the University of Costa Rica (UCR) shows the negative trend that come showing the economic expectations, because between February 2018 and the same month of 2019, the Consumer Confidence Index (ICC) fell 15%.
The world today is Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity: job security and long-term retention concepts are doomed to extinction.
EDITORIAL
Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity (VUCA) is a concept originally used by the military which defines "those situations where strategy, planning and decision-making take on extraordinary levels of difficulty, because the decision maker lacks minimum parameters required to guide their judgment. "