It’s no secret — e-commerce has soared during the COVID-19 pandemic. But in few places has the surge so strongly impacted an economy as in Latin America. There, millions of people have taken to the internet for the first time. The result: Four trends your business can capitalize on now.
An exciting Latin America has emerged from the global pandemic, reshaping consumer behavior forever. With millions of people shopping and banking online for the first time, the marketplace is similar to Southeast Asia during the previous decade, when expanding access to connectivity helped create one billion-dollar company after another.
Explore the four trends that reveal the region’s vitality in our e-book, Building Value in Latin America.
Latin America had to adapt during the pandemic. You couldn’t pay with cash, so companies had to reinvent themselves and provide new ways of collection. People switched from cash to digital wallets. This adaptability represents huge untapped opportunities for the market—like blockchain and digital currencies.
Ignacio Munoz De Cote
Head of Latin American Solutions, J.P. Morgan Payments
Technology indicators and smartphone adoption
Regional infrastructure continues to evolve rapidly in Latin America. Those who never had landlines now have smartphones with internet connectivity. Choosing markets with high smartphone penetration may be a winning strategy for your business.
E-commerce expansion
Latin America is now the second fastest growing market for e-commerce after Southeast Asia, with multinationals entering the region. Yet there are ample opportunities for those who understand local needs and customs, and those who can merge the brick-and-mortar world with online purchasing.
Venture capital investment
Venture capital investment can help drive and solidify a regional digital agenda and launch new success stories. As connectivity infrastructure comes online across Latin America, startups have more opportunity to flourish. In fact, startups raised more than $9 billion in the first six months of 2021. Coordinating across different markets remains challenging, however, due to different currency controls, politics and cultures.
Internet of things
The smart-home industry is starting to gain momentum in Latin America. Smart security and energy devices are still in early stages of adoption. While the trends are important, no company has yet emerged with a breakout connected device.
Multinationals generally enter through Brazil and Mexico and then expand across the region. Sometimes, they choose a smaller country to limit initial investment. Once they prove the model, they can expand to the bigger markets.
Renata Vilanova Lobo
Managing Director of Global Clearing, J.P. Morgan Payments
With 50,000+ dedicated technologists and more than $12 billion in innovation investments globally, we deliver industry-leading1 connectivity solutions and Greenwich award-winning1 product capabilities, security and customer service — all of which can help meet your needs in Latin America and beyond both today and tomorrow.
From digital onboarding and implementation to intelligent services, we move quickly to deliver customized solutions when and where you need them — all with the backing of knowledgeable, global service teams.
Pulling from best practices and deep experience in Latin America and around the world, we build digital solutions across the entire payments ecosystem that can help clients securely make and receive payments.
No matter where you do business, our core platforms help you have a unified experience that provides your business with global capabilities and locally relevant digital solutions.
2021 Coalition Greenwich Digital Banking Benchmarking Study: https://www.jpmorgan.com/solutions/treasury-payments/insights/Access-platform-scores-digital-innovation-study
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