Digital Business and E-commerce for Beginners

More than a survival tactic, the digital presence of businesses and electronic commerce is an essential element to give them greater visibility and the possibility of having an impact that transcends the region.

Social networks, web portals, marketplaces and e-commerce platforms were a lifeboat for thousands of businesses that had to remain closed in 2020 intermittently due to confinement measures. But these additional sales channels will continue to capture consumer buying attention, even as business closings begin to relax.

The search for products and services through the internet and online purchases have increased among Mexican consumers, which generated an economic spill of 316 billion pesos, according to the Mexican Association for Online Sales (AMVO).

It is even expected that these habits lead to a “phygital reality”, that is, where digital and physical interaction are required elements of businesses to satisfy the needs of their consumers, according to the study “The 10 main Global Trends in Consumption by 2021 ”.

Brigitte Brousset, head of SMEs Marketplace at Mercado Libre, lists the “essentials” for businesses to make the much-needed digital leap.

DIGITAL PLATFORM

The generation of accounts in social networks or the creation of a web page are in many cases the most common spaces to take the first digital step of small and medium-sized companies. However, specialized spaces for the sale of products known as "marketplaces" are the most common link between sellers and buyers of a product or service.

In platforms such as Mercado Libre, it is necessary to generate an account, either individual or of companies, a process that requests a name, an email and a password.

Another important piece of information requested by this page is the Federal Taxpayers Registry (RFC), since the platform makes the sales tax withholding.

"Depending on the regime with which it is registered, it is the withholding percentage on the sale. If it is a legal person, the withholding is zero percent, if it is physical or physical with business activity it is nine percent, but if the user does not have the tax document, the withholding is 36 percent ”, explains Brousset.

Once this requirement is met, it is necessary to publish the product catalog either individually or all at the same time.

IMPECCABLE PRESENTATION

Brousset explains that integrating a business into electronic commerce is like having a physical store open every day of the year at all hours and that can reach any customer. But like a "physical store" in electronic commerce there are a number of elements that can ensure a better performance of "digital businesses".

In the case of platforms like the one to which Brousset belongs, the first element is the image with which the product or service to be sold is presented. The head of SMEs Marketplace in Mercado Libre recommends taking photos with good lighting, clean backgrounds and where the characteristics of the product are observed.

Another essential element is the title and description of the attributes of the items to be sold, since it is the first point of contact between what is typed in search engines such as Google and users. The specialist also suggests being careful with the definitions of the products in the title taking into account the context of the target buyers.