The pandemic has not only given eCommerce a boost: it has also accelerated the process of converting online businesses. Commercial chains, banks and supermarkets, among others, open their electronic platforms to companies from other sectors so that they can sell for a commission. It is the same recipe used by Mercado Libre and Amazonwho now face a new kind of competition, many of whom are his own clients. This is the market model. It is fashionable in the United States and Europe and now also in Argentina.
It is a commercial paradigm shift and represents a qualitative leap compared to the classic electronic sales portal. “An advantage for the retailer is that he uses his traffic to diversify the assortment and attract new customers.S. For brands, it’s a way to get the product to you more efficiently and at the best cost,” explained Guido Shama, director of eCommerce at Samsung.
The marketplace is an evolutionary leap compared to the old eCommerce portals of companies. It can be associated with a virtual shopping mall, where a household appliance chain, for example, sells furniture, mattresses, perfumes, crockery and even clothing. With the advantage of not having to invest in goods or store them. In addition to charging a commission, you can bounce an audience that was looking for products from other categories.
The mention is not accidental. One of the pioneers in dabbling with this model was Frávega. In addition to televisions, cell phones, refrigerators and air conditioning, The chain offers swimming pools, sofas, bicycles, bazaar items, wardrobes and box springs, and beach chairs. From Frávega they trusted that they had more than 200 active “partners”, who Today they represent 5% of your sales. For this reason, they plan to expand their distribution center located in Esteban Echeverría and improve logistics to speed up the delivery of purchases.
In the country, the model emerged 5 years ago, but is expanding significantly in commercial chains (Frávega, Megatone, Musimundo), delivery platforms (PedidosYa, Rappi), clothing (Dafiti), pharmacies (Benvida and GPS Farma), in supermarkets (Día, Carrefour, Changomás) and especially in banks. Almost all entities have adopted the modality, among which Tienda BNA, ICBC Mall, Tienda Ciudad, Macro Premia, BBVA and Galicia “Productos quiero” stand out. In the financial sector, logic is to offer a broad catalog of products to place loans, insurance and other financial servicesSt.
As mentioned, the effect of the pandemic has boosted eCommerce in a way never seen before. According to a report by the CACE (the Electronic Chamber of Commerce) in 2021, half of companies sold through a marketplace. Not only that: these sales represented 45% of the total turnoveragainst 43% in 2020 and just 31% in 2019. This happens because the alternative channels to Mercado Libre, the leading platform in the country and throughout the region, have multiplied.
Shama defines it as the transition from omnichannel to multichannel. Brands, manufacturers, shops, distributors and SMEs come together on the same platform. “Samsung has its offer on its own site, on that of the manufacturer, in specialized chains, in banks and in some supermarkets”, listed the manager, noting that marketplaces represent 5% of online sales “without calculating those of the Free Market “.
The financial sector is one of the fastest growing sectors in this regard. The case of Tienda BNA is known. Launched just two years ago to channel plans into subsidized installments (such as the Mi Moto Plan), Today the market has 195 vendors (including Newsan, Frávega, Diggit -Mirgor’s multi-brand chain- and Megatone) and in 2022 its sales increased by 57% compared to the previous year. Tienda Ciudad indicates another company profile, much smaller. In his portal he has 60 and the best-selling items are technology, household products and personal care.
“Creating an online store is easy, the hard part is getting traffic”summarizes Gustavo Sambucetti, head of the CACE. That’s why marketplaces, with nuances in their business models, have established themselves as a magnet for companies of all sizes. In the banking circuit, two major technology providers compete: Avenida+ and Aper. Both offer portal assembly and also vendor management and administration.
To companies that sellThey charge a commission between 8 and 15%, with which they cover the costs and then share them with the bank. “The vast majority of retailers around the world are moving towards this model,” says Daniel Jejcic, of Avenida+. The axis is to mediate with customers to offer new services (collateral credits, insurance, etc…) with a catalog of products at hand. “The trick of the markets is not to touch the goods”adds Sambucetti.
Santiago Cabanes, CEO and founder of Aper, interprets that the financial sector is going the other way than retailers, who are now trying to mimic fintech companies. “They have the database, the financing and the customer trust, but they lacked the product. People don’t want a credit card, what they want is to buy a television,” exemplified the entrepreneur. Jejcic adds that, in many cases, the marketplace is the conversion of old loyalty programs, which “banks can monetize”.
Source: Clarin
