As part of Expo Innovation, the National Logistics Institute (Inalog) organized a panel on "Opportunities of e-Commerce for Uruguay Logistics", with the participation of Nicolás Fernández, director of the Chamber of Digital Economy (CEDU) and founding CEO of Supercomercio; Fernando Wins, Risk Control Manager of the National Customs Directorate; Marcel Barceló, director of CLC, a studio specializing in the design of distribution centers and logistics operations; and the president of Inalog, Ana Rey.
Fernandez gave a brief presentation on new trends and how the market has been developing in favor of online shopping.
In the first instance, he explained that currently many people think that e-commerce in Uruguay is "something new" and believe, for example, that Mercado Libre, created in 1999, is a recent platform. "Some companies have the conception that they are just starting to compete online, when it is something that has been working for 20 years," he emphasized.
On the other hand, he highlighted the evolution of mobile telephony as one of the "great drivers" of several of the technological innovations that have occurred in recent years. In this regard, he indicated that in 2006, when the woOw! brand was founded, only 170,000 people bought online and compared it with the more than 1,750,000 Uruguayans who in 2018 bought through the Internet, more than 80% through their cell phone.
"It is no longer alien to us. It is a total reality, the Uruguayan is completely digital and although the market conditions have been taking place, there is still a long way to go," he said. In that line, Fernandez revealed that of all Internet traffic in Uruguay "90% is through a cell phone" and emphasized that planning projects within the technological area without thinking about including mobile devices "is not possible".
Currently, for most people, the most powerful computer is the phone and the life of almost everyone in the country moves through them. On average, Uruguayans spend around six hours a day doing different activities on their smartphones.
On the other hand, the expert referred to the CIBERLUNES discount day and highlighted it as "one of the campaigns with more digital impact in Uruguay", with an important traffic of people and an exponential sale of products of the different participating brands. He indicated that around 40% of what is sold depends on a logistical delivery operation and that this organizational ecosystem still "needs to grow" in the country to contain the demand.
In this regard, he emphasized that this last step of "delivery logistics" is a fundamental part of the final experience of the consumer and essential key to the user's repeat purchase. "Companies can do a great job on their website, but if they then deliver the products badly and out of date, most likely that customer for their second purchase will prefer another page (...) so as delivery policies improve more people will choose to have their products delivered and not go to pick them up on their own," he said.
Finally, the director of CEDU referred to the advance of robotics as an important part in the future of logistics in the country and stressed the importance of private actors and associations "in the future regulation and legislation of robotics for delivery".
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