On March 7th, the sixth edition of the eRetail Day Mexico 2019In the framework of one of the best Internet business training events in Latin America, we talked with Marcos PueyrredonPresident of the Latin American eCommerce Institute eCommerce Institute & Global VP Hispanic Markets VTEX who will talk about the event, its importance and his vision for eCommerce in Mexico.
Interview with Marcos Pueyrredon
Tell us about the eCommerce Institute. What are your main objectives?
The eCommerce Institute is a second-tier regional non-profit organization that brings together the main chambers or business associations in more than 20 countries in the region, which develops and supports the Digital Economy in the different countries of Latin America with the objective of promoting initiatives that consolidate and promote the Internet business world.
One of the main objectives is to weave an open network of entities and institutions at the regional level that will enhance the initiatives of each of its members and of the group as a whole.
Our focus is on companies with the objective of to enhance and accelerate the development of product and service offerings through digital channels that comply with best practices and generate a positive shopping experience for end consumers.
With the vision and that of taking Latin America to the world through e-commerce, the eCommerce Institute has been developing for more than 10 years, in a constant and consistent manner, a Regional Action Plan under the guidelines of a strategic development matrix.
Among its main initiatives are the development of regional studies of the sector, numerous actions to develop/promote/accelerate the training and professionalization of human capital in the industry, actions to share knowledge, success stories and best practices, develops the
eCommerce Day Tour
since 2007 with uninterrupted presence in 18 countries in the Americas, celebrating its 100th edition in 2019 and active participation as a permanent member in international and multilateral organizations at a global level that work in the field of eCommerce and eCommerce. promotion and development of E-Commerce and Internet Business among other important initiatives.
We are about to experience a new edition of eRetail Day in Mexico. What can you tell us about this event?
Mexico will be the first destination of the year, eCommerce Day Tour 2019 will reach 17 countries in the Americas this year: Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, United States, and Uruguay.
The eRetail Day Mexico 2019 will take place next Thursday March 7 in the Sheraton Maria Isabel Hotel & Towers. The event will be attended by professionals, executives and leaders of the largest companies in the retail sector, who will give lectures and conferences, and attendees will be able to participate in workshops that will enable them to gain knowledge about current industry trends.
Throughout the day, the eRetail Day will offer a series of activities, to which the public can pre-register, train and learn according to their specific interests: Doctor Web Cycle, Omnicommerce Experience, Crossborder Workshop, Email Marketing Workshop, Quick Wins Workshop, Omnicommerce Experience.
Simultaneously with the afternoon agenda of the eRetail Day, will be held the
Mexico eFashion Summit
. The 3rd edition of this event will feature a special agenda for the beauty, fashion and online apparel sector. In addition, businessmen and entrepreneurs may be honored for their contribution to this market. eCommerce AWARD’s Mexico 2019 and the eCommerce Startup Competition will be held.
What are the novelties to be found at eRetail Day for this edition?
In addition to the contents mentioned above, we can mention that we will have for the first time in Mexico the edition of the
Regional eCommerce KIDS Contest
, which aims to value the creativity of the new generations. recording through innovative videos the experience of an online purchase with the “eyes” of the children as protagonists, and the participation of their tutors in secondary roles highlighting the message from a different perspective on the digital commerce industry.
What has been the progress of eCommerce in the region and worldwide?
2018 has been a very positive year globally. A high degree of penetration has been achieved indicating that we are already entering the a maturity curve which will really bring very rapid growth in the next three to five years, mainly in Latin America.
From your perspective, what has been the progress of eCommerce in Mexico, and how is it doing today?
Mexico is one of the “turbines of ecommerce growth in Latin America”: If we analyze how m-commerce has grown in Mexico, Argentina and Brazil we see that is following in the same footsteps as China, and that will lead to a very significant acceleration if the supply side adapts quickly and leverages its customer-centric omnichannel capabilities and leverages physical stores as a comparative and competitive advantage.
On the other hand, online shopping in Mexico is consolidating along with demand, according to the study on online sales in Mexico, recently presented by AMVO, where it is revealed, among other trends, that in 2018 the average number of monthly visits to e-commerce sites increased by 30% and that the online shopper is increasing the frequency with which he or she purchases products over the Internet.
What is the importance of participating in eRetail Day for companies in Mexico?
Meeting with other industry players, exchanging ideas and knowledge is important for synergies for the growth of the industry. It is important for professionals to attend in order to continue their training and thus be able to work on continuing to professionalize the offer, so that the Mexican consumer’s shopping experience is positive, and thus return and increase the “conversion or repurchase”.
Working for and by the industry is part of the objectives of this event where we invite professionals to participate in order to learn from best practices and lead the companies they work for or manage to successfully achieve digital channel strategies.
How do you think the digital world and specifically eCommerce in Mexico will evolve?
Undoubtedly, the ecommerce will continue to evolve much more rapidly than in recent years. The massification of the 5G connection (100 times faster than 4G) will boost the use of voice recognition, internet of things and artificial intelligence in a much more intuitive and simple way, which is why will corner the market in such a way that it will replace smartphones,becoming the secondary device with which we will access all the services and products that will be offered through the Internet in the same way that today smartphones have replaced PC/notebook screens.
This evolution will be so profound that we can anticipate that in the very near future, depending on the country and its maturity, no more than 5 to 7 years, eCommerce as we know it will disappear to merge with commerce. and we will only talk about touch points and sales channels, with a focus on the consumer.
Marcos Pueyrredon: quick questionnaire
What is the first social network you open during the day?
Youtube
Slack
iOS or Android?
iOS
App or web?
Web in its REACT evolution
In which eCommerce and how long ago did you make your last online purchase? And what was it?
eCommerce in almost everything where the channel adds value to me, gives me comfort/convenience and allows me to make better use of my time. I would almost say it’s impossible to say what my latest purchase is because with the applications I have installed, subscriptions or use of UBER/Cabify is a daily activity.
But if the question is when was the last time I shopped doing traditional ecommerce and adding to a shopping cart, it would be last night, when I made several purchases. The nicest to mention was the book in traditional hardcover format.
TRIBAL LEADERSHIP
(Highly recommended), for the office library in duplicate, as I got the option to buy the new edition and a used one at a very good price.
Last book read? (ebooks are valid)
Audiobook:
The Innovators: The Geniuses Who Invented the Future
by Walter Isaacson, the same author of the official biography of Steve Jobs (highly recommended).
Book in paper format:
Good to Great
by Jim Collins (A must-see, must-read, must-read for understanding the culture of successful, sustainable, innovative companies).
Recommend a fiction series
Good Place at Netflix is very entertaining, with deep messages and where you can also learn philosophy without realizing it, with short chapters and three seasons that give you a couple more.
What website have you come across lately that has surprised you for the better?
The Jumbo’s online store in Colombia, where you can live a food (supermarket shopping) and non-food (e.g. technological products) shopping experience, with a very well achieved, simple and dynamic omnichannel vision.
What is your favorite thing to do that has nothing to do with digital?
Opera, with a summer 2019 challenge that includes 8 operas in 21 days while I’m doing an executive course in New York, but has its online connection through his website, where my wife and daughter and I share with other “music lovers” our passion for opera.
Let’s make a magic chain: Which acquaintance of yours (from another company) do you think we should interview? Why?
My partners and friends, Mariano Faria and Geraldo Tomazbecause they are the “tropical version of Jobs and Wozniak”, which together with Marcos Galperin, Wenceslao Casares, Alex Oxenford to mention only a podium of three Argentines, have marked a very deep course in our industry that has allowed us to talk about ECOMMERCE in capital letters in Latin America.
