Buenos Aires — In an online context enhanced by the pandemic, in which consumer habits have been transformed and everything virtual is experiencing growth, almost 60% of entrepreneurs in Argentina choose e-commerce as their sole sales channel, and carry out their business without the need for a physical store, according to a private study.
During 2021, more than 48% of the entrepreneurs and SMEs surveyed by e-commerce platform Tiendanube said that the volume of online sales remained within expectations or even exceeded indicators of the previous year.
In contrast, 26% reported a drop in sales compared to 2020, while the remaining 26% reported no results.
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“Digitization is a key factor that shows a promising present and future,” the report resulting from the survey states. “E-commerce in Argentina has great growth projections for the coming years, which generates prospects of a positive impact on the economy and, consequently, on the generation of employment.”
Currently, more than 42% of those surveyed said that their online stores employ teams of between two and five people.
Debunking Myths
“It is not strictly necessary to have skills or production capacity. Entrepreneurship is, to a large extent, knowing the public, identifying their needs, and providing them with products or services that they might not otherwise obtain”, according to Tiendanube.
Asking to leave behind “myths”, it stated that the survey reveals clear data: “37.7% of the interviewees said that they buy their products from external suppliers”. In addition, “there is a large presence of the hybrid model: 25.6% stated that they are partly manufacturers, and they also buy from third parties”.
However, there is also plenty of room for those who want to carry out the entire end-to-end process: 35.7% of those surveyed manufacture and produce the products they offer.
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“SMEs are a fundamental part of the country’s economy, and at Tiendanube we work every day to empower them and encourage them to grow. The uncertainty and the adrenaline of taking the leap to entrepreneurship, as we seek to reflect in our new campaign, we experienced 10 years ago,” said Franco Radavero, Tiendanube’s country manager for Argentina.
“We were born as entrepreneurs, that essence is in our DNA, and from that moment we are committed to accompanying others in making the leap, giving them the assurance that they will have a service of the highest quality, but also a 100% dedicated professional team and the possibility of being part of various communities of entrepreneurs.”
Translated from the Spanish by Adam Critchley
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