Profitability, the dispute with the informal sector, as well as the search for strategies that build customer loyalty even before purchasing the product are some of the biggest challenges.

E-commerce has drastically changed the rules of the retail sector. When balancing digital sales and physical stores, it is worth asking what role these should play nowadays. Also, planning how sales channels should be implemented to adapt to the needs of each client in an era where traditional market studies have given way to the buyer persona --a representation of the ideal client, based on data and conjectures about motivations and people's goals.

In this context, omnichannel and stock keeping units (SKUs) are key tools to improve customer service in modern retailers. This was highlighted by Marcos Pueyrredon, CEO of Vtex, in the discussion panel “Connecting the dots: the era of unified commerce” at E-Commerce Day Lima 2024, on June 26.

The first term refers to a marketing strategy that is fluid across all channels and touchpoints of the company. While SKUs are the unique codes used to identify each product within an inventory, which simplifies the ordering and sales analysis processes.

“Omnichannel or unified commerce is when companies develop their digital channels in some way in order to serve their consumers in different ways, but when they are unified, the experience that can be experienced by the client or consumer is really the same. In all, its channels,” described Gabriel González, former regional director of digital businesses at Femsa, from his perspective as a director of Femsa Salud.

The executive admitted that it is difficult to integrate this business structure in pharmacies, because customer service is based on the premises. “They are those who supply, those who give digital functionality to the world of e-commerce. So, I think it is very important to achieve that unified trade and it is not an easy task,” he added.

Doubt emerged amongst speakers on strategies to compete with the success of the pure players --the transnational companies dedicated exclusively to e-commerce, such as Amazon and Aliexpress. José Antonio Iturriaga, CEO of the EFE Group, stated that to deal with the consolidated presence of these players in the market, the EFE appliance stores seek to leverage their strengths, such as national logistics capacity in Peru, the training of their team in technological products and the customer's willingness to accept digital sales from stores for practical reasons. “From a distribution point of view, you have to give the customer more options to choose from depending on the mood they are in at that moment. I think that is the recipe that will prevail,” he says.

On the other hand, Pedro Mont, general director of Platanitos, a store chain specializing in women's footwear added that the most important thing is not which sales channel the customer chooses, but that their data, which is recorded both in physical and virtual stores. This slogan helps to solve problems such as buying a defective shoe, but when making a complaint with the call center operators refuse to help because the customer's visit to the in-person store is not recorded in their database.

Platanitos' strategy not only seeks to individualize each client, but also each product. As an example, Mont mentioned that while in traditional SKUs two water bottles of the same brand share the same code, in his company's system each shoe has a unique record. An advantage that allows you to follow the history of the product, from who bought it to what its appropriate price should be in case of error.

“What we handle is physical stock. The big problem is that the data that you have or that the system that you have in inventory uses does not match what the physical system is. We were already able to solve that problem, so we continue doing it with our own system, which we are going to give free of charge to other clients,” explained Mont.

It should be noted that the Platanitos representative presented other ideas that would take advantage of the database to motivate greater sales. For example, a client who receives a notification on his wife's birthday to purchase some models of shoes, which she consulted days before, but did not buy at the time.

Subsequently, profitability was mentioned as a priority for entrepreneurs who turn to e-commerce as technological progress make many tools obsolete. “Investment requirements in technology are increasing every day. And it is a virtuous cycle, but at the same time it generates expenses in an impressive way, because systems that five years ago were first-class technology, today are automations, but they are intelligent and need to be relevant. So, I think the big key to complying with the structures is efficiency,” declared Iturriaga.

The CEO of EFE added that leading retail companies should face competition from the informal sector through strategic alliances that integrate logistics processes. “Today investments are increasing and rents are rising every year. So, if we don't find those spaces to share and convince ourselves that the business is enough for everyone, I think the threat of low profitability will always be there," he warned. In addition, Iturriaga cited a study by the consulting firm Domain that maintains that by 2030 retailers and brands such as Platanitos and EFE will receive 70% of income ouitside their current business.