Given the gradual return to physical stores, customers will appreciate it if businesses disinfect stores several times a day, if other visitors are required to clean their hands before entering, and if employees use protective equipment at all times.
Although in this context of the spread of covid-19, digital channels have gained ground in Central American markets and this trend is expected to continue in the coming months and years, there are commercial establishments that will have to adjust their face-to-face sales strategy to the demands of the new normality, since there will always be customers who prefer to continue shopping in person.
In recent weeks, Central American countries have reported an increase in the number of people who have moved to locations identified as supermarkets or pharmacies.
Due to the quarantines decreed by the governments of the region because of the covid-19 outbreak, in mid-April the concentration of people in residential areas of the cities registered its maximum level, but in the last weeks this trend has started to reverse, as consumers have visited more shops.
Reaching consumers in a confined scenario has been a complex task for companies distributing mass consumption products, since the operation of some of the commercial channels has been limited in the region's markets.
In Panama, companies engaged in the wholesale distribution of food products such as oats, beverages, snacks and others have faced challenges during the weeks of home quarantine, which was decreed by the authorities following the outbreak of covid-19.
Ensuring customer supply, adjusting protocols to maintain store operations and supporting suppliers with more frequent payments are all part of the strategies supermarkets are applying in this new business environment.
Maintaining store operations in this scenario of health crisis and the spread of covid-19 is a real challenge for supermarkets in Central America. For example, in Guatemala, until May 19th the chain La Torre reported that in six of its stores, some employees had tested positive for the medical tests that establish if people are carriers of the virus.
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.
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 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.
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 a situation where consumers are less and less willing to spend their time on the move, and where they value the convenience businesses provide when shopping, digital supermarkets are beginning to gain market in the region.
New companies that have emerged as supermarkets that do not have physical sales areas and are operated entirely online have found acceptance in some Central American countries.
In the retail business, large distributors boost the sales of their own brand products through strategies aimed at consumers who prioritize the price factor over other elements when buying.
Globally, the tendency to buy private label products is becoming more and more evident in markets, as companies engaged in the retail trade of other products, such as supermarket chains, are capitalizing on their experience by placing their own products and competing with their suppliers.
In order to grow their brands, one of the bets that restaurants in Costa Rica are making is to market their products in supermarkets.
In the Costa Rican market there are companies that have taken several years to begin the process of marketing their products in supermarkets, because they must meet multiple requirements, such as health records, labeling standards, bar codes, among others.
Walmart plans to invest $48 million in Guatemala during 2019, of which $25 million will be used to open new stores and remodel existing ones.
According to information provided by representatives of Walmart, the investment projected for this year in the country will double that invested in 2018, since last year the amount disbursed totaled $24 million.
In Costa Rica about 30% of supermarkets are in San Jose, Guatemala, the metropolitan area concentrates 45% of establishments, while in Panama, 32% are in West Panama.
An analysis of the Trade Intelligence area of CentralAmericaData provides interesting results on where they are located, who they are, if they operate independently or if they belong to a chain or business group.
On September 26 and 27, 2018 companies from various sectors will be gathering together in Antigua to take part in business conferences and showcase different types of products.
The event is being run by the Organizing Committee of Manufexport 2018, which is inviting small and medium-sized Guatemalan companies to be part of the SME pavilion, to participate in the international retail fair.
In the past 12 months, 165 environmental impact studies, valued at $350 million, were submitted for the development of shopping centers, supermarkets, department stores and other types of commercial buildings in the region.
Data from the interactive platform "Construction in Central America", compiled by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData:
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