At the end of January 2021, Nicaragua and El Salvador were the only two countries in the region where the number of people visiting establishments identified as supermarkets was similar to the figures reported before the pandemic.
As the months have gone by and in the context of the reactivation of commercial activities, more Central American consumers have visited locations identified as supermarkets and pharmacies.
Typical frozen foods, traditional beverages from the countries of origin and vacuum-packed fresh vegetables are some of the products that have sales growth potential in U.S. supermarket chains.
There are many opportunities for companies in the region, since it is estimated that two out of every three products placed on the shelves of U.S. supermarkets are of Latin American origin.
Products and services that allow companies to develop and implement applications anywhere, is one of the characteristics of technological solutions that in this new business reality are required for companies using the tools to be competitive.
With the outbreak of covid-19 and the restrictions imposed worldwide, the software industry was demanded, because in order to maintain the companies' operations, the implementation of technological solutions was required.
Brands offering a deeper and more emotional added value, delivering to their customers with immediacy and executing business strategies from a more local perspective are the most likely to succeed in this new commercial reality.
The outbreak of covid-19 and the mobility restrictions imposed by this pandemic significantly changed consumer behavior and perceptions of brands.
Regarding what is expected economically for 2021, in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama and Honduras there is more optimism among consumers, while in Guatemala and Costa Rica the percentage of people who believe that the situation will improve this year is lower.
According to the survey conducted by Kantar to measure the perception of households in Central America, at regional level 12% of consumers consulted believe that the economic situation in their country will improve during 2021, 23% expect it to be the same and 65% predict that it will be worse.
The amount of visitors arrivals to Central America and the Dominican Republic shows a downward trend since 2016, which was consolidated in 2019 and worsened in 2020, a phenomenon that is explained by the events recorded in the extra-regional market.
Between 2015 and 2019, the countries of the SICA region, the average growth rate of visitor arrivals was 4.9%, where only in 2019 there was a negative rate of -0.2%, highlights a document of the Secretariat for Central American Tourism Integration (SITCA) published in January 2021.
During 2020 in the Salvadoran market, bean imports increased by 122% and rice imports by 51%, a rise that is reported in the context of the health and economic crisis generated by the outbreak of covid-19.
Figures from the Central Reserve Bank specify that between 2019 and 2020, foreign purchases of beans increased from $33 million to $60 million, and those of rice increased from $30 million to $45 million.
During 2020, it is estimated that the average price of a ton of steel increased 19%, a rise that impacts the construction industry and is explained by the increase in logistics costs and the suspension of the extraction of the material due to the outbreak of covid-19.
Central American businessmen report that during last year, which was marked by the sanitary and economic crisis, the average price per ton of steel increased by $130, going from $670 to $800.
The use of predictive models based on artificial intelligence processes and automated collections are some of the changes that companies are already applying in this new reality to reduce operating, management and risk costs.
The spread of covid-19 changed the rules in almost all markets and business models, a situation that has affected the collections departments of companies, whose work teams are currently facing complex challenges.
During the last year, the revenues of delivery platforms have grown considerably in El Salvador, a phenomenon that has increased competition and forces companies to innovate in order to attract new customers and retain existing ones.
Due to the restrictions imposed by the covid-19 outbreak, the change in shopping habits and the preference of many people to avoid going to commercial establishments, mobile platforms dedicated to home delivery have exponentially increased their operations and sales.
In the new commercial reality in which customers value food free of any virus or bacteria, producers and international distribution chains are forced to reinforce their safety systems to reduce the risk of selling contaminated products.
Months ago, it was reported that in China, processed and frozen meat products arriving from abroad were detected with the presence of the coronavirus. Although there is no conclusive evidence that the virus affects humans when consuming infected food, there is mistrust among people.
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.
Strengthening trade between the US and the region, fighting corruption in the Northern Triangle and reducing illegal migration flows, are some of the axes on which Joe Biden, the US president who has been sworn in, is expected to focus.
Biden, representative of the Democratic Party and winner of the last US elections, whose results were close, arrives at the White House to replace Donald Trump.
Since it is expected that when the pandemic is overcome, 4 out of 5 companies will opt for hybrid working modalities, which contemplate face-to-face and distance activities, the offer of offices will have to be adjusted to the new market conditions.
Before the pandemic, it was estimated that only 30% of companies were betting on modalities that included face-to-face and telecommuting activities.
Following the reactivation of China's economy in mid-2020, the Asian giant has monopolized a good part of the raw materials demanded by industry, a situation that is pushing up costs and generating uncertainty among Central American businessmen.
Due to the pandemic generated by the covid-19 outbreak, production in China was considerably interrupted during the first semester of 2020. But, after it reactivated its economic activity, the Asian country began to hoard raw materials that are used in the plastic industry.
Recognized Brazilian company of backhoe loaders, telescopic, articulated and other types of cranes looking for companies interested in representing the brand and distributing their machinery in Central America and Mexico. The company manufactures and sells telescopic,...