Guillermo Varela, president of the Chamber of the Digital Economy of Uruguay (CEDU) participated in the digital event "Living in the future", organised by the newspaper El País, to contribute to thinking about consumer trends and trade in the years to come.
Varela was accompanied by Teresa Cometto, Country Manager of Unilever Uruguay; Pipe Stein, CEO of the advertising agency Notable; and Héctor Bajac, academic secretary of the Faculty of Communication and Design of the ORT Uruguay University; in an instance that was moderated by journalist Ana Laura Pérez.
All participants agreed that the COVID-19 pandemic meant a change in people's daily lives, with greater use of technology, and consumer habits were no stranger to this reality. "The experience of accessing a product has been enriched because the customer is at the centre, he or she is the one who makes the decision," Varela emphasised.
According to CEDU projections, electronic payments were expected to overtake face-to-face payments by 2025. This "dream" of those working in e-commerce was achieved earlier. The goal was achieved in May 2020 because the pandemic accelerated the processes.
The chamber's president pointed out that there was a favourable scenario for the growth of digital commerce. However, the abrupt increase in interest in e-commerce found companies in different situations. Some already had experience and others needed to start their development from scratch. "It is here to stay and there are sectors of the economy that will not survive if they do not reconvert," he emphasised.
On the future of digital commerce, Varela said biometrics, the internet of things and the use of personal data will soon be key. "We have to accept that there will be more traceability on each of us, but it will be for the sake of greater convenience.
The blockchain is another important step that has already begun. However, Varela indicated that there is still a lack of awareness of how important it will be in the near future.
Regarding the topic addressed, Stein said "the technology already existed, what happened was a cultural change", and that led people to opt for the use of new platforms to communicate, work and even shop.
For his part, Bajac said that the growth of digital commerce was so important that it led the academic sector to the need to create new university degrees to cover the knowledge required to attend to e-Commerce.
"Everyone wants to go back to the holidays, to the football match, to the barbecue with friends, but online shopping will never be the same again," said Cometto. Unilever's Country Manager indicated that brands usually have e-commerce as just another sales channel within the company's structure, but that this is not what happens with customers. "People are not compartmentalised, they tend to mix physical and digital purchases", she concluded.
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