| May 6, 2024
Panelists from Latin America and Puerto Rico shared their experiences for better online communication and growth.
With standing-room-only participation, and more than 25 experts in logistics, development, growth, and strategy for online stores, the E-Commerce Growth Caribbean Conference highlighted the need to strengthen digital entrepreneurship in Puerto Rico.
“The full-capacity participation … and the genuine interest of the attendees validated what we have been proposing for years: It’s necessary to renew and strengthen the information that is sent to entrepreneurs in Puerto Rico so they can exponentially increase the reach of their digital ventures,” said Andrés Álvarez, one of the organizers of the conference and co-founder of ED Digital.
During the event, Elías Manopla from Simplify E-commerce dispelled the myth that platforms like Shopify are only suitable for emerging or small-to-medium-sized businesses — pointing to major brands like Patagonia and Kylie Cosmetics, which achieve more than $1 billion in sales through this platform — and shared strategies for growth.
“There are three essential pillars to achieve success: Increase the customer base, increase the purchases and increase the frequency. And we achieve this by taking advantage of the available channels such as Instagram, TikTok and Facebook and knowing the audience well to maximize investments,” he said.
“Technology cannot be a headache; it must be a facilitator, as is the case with Shopify, which evolves quickly to adapt to current needs,” said Manopla, from Panama, noting the importance of having the correct platform.
From Mexico, Pancho Mendiola shared 40 attributes that digital companies should keep in mind in his talk “Ecommerce and the brands of the future.” Three of them were: having a powerful purpose as the basis of every endeavor, recognizing that today each company is a media company, and the value of customer service.
The lecturer was emphatic about the correct use of communication channels.
“It isn’t necessary to have a presence on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube if you only have time to respond to one,” he said. “If you cannot respond to your clients from each one, it’s better to limit the number of platforms where you have a presence so that the client doesn’t go unanswered.”
“Not responding to potential clients is the same as losing them,” he explained, adding that the response time in Latin America is seven hours, and the goal should be 10 minutes or less.
Another speaker who highlighted the importance of focusing efforts on the customer experience was Cristian Serrano from Advantage Digital in Mexico, who in his talk “Charla.com” said customers are increasingly more educated so it is increasingly difficult to capture their attention.
“Sales shouldn’t be the goal but the consequence. We speak to people, not demographics, so strategies must be built around the consumer. We’re in the ‘CX generation’ of consumer experience, which is more informed and hyperconnected than ever,” said the e-commerce strategist with more than 18 years of experience behind brands such as Under Armour and Grupo Martí in Mexico.
Other speakers were David Papaloni from GoDaddy, Lori Egozvue from Stanley Black & Decker, Max Trujillo from Palletized, Alexandra Palau from All About Email Marketing, Alan Taveras from Invest PR, Elena Manrara from Evertec and Laura Tirado from UVA.
“There’s still a long way to go to strengthen the economic development of the country through digital ventures, but we are undoubtedly on the right track. Our commitment is to continue expanding the local market while creating unique opportunities like this conference and together we continue to grow,” said Álvarez.
Artículo original: https://newsismybusiness.com/puerto-rico-digital-entrepreneurs-seek-ways-to-boost-their-online-stores/