More than 300,000 international parcels were received between January and June; It was the highest amount in the last five years, which is a consequence of the decrease in shopping tourism in Argentina.
Between January and June 2024, more than 300,000 international parcels were received in Uruguay and it was the highest amount in the last five years. The decrease in shopping tourism in Argentina was one of the reasons for the growth of online shopping abroad.
In the first six months of the year, 304,101 purchases were made via the web against 259,539 registered in the same period of 2023, with a year-on-year increase of 17%, according to information from the National Customs Directorate of the Uruguayan country (DNA). The monthly average of operations was 50,683, while the daily average was 1,689.
In June, the highest monthly number of transactions was verified with 60,017. In contrast, March was the lowest with 44,731. That was the only month that showed a decrease in the year-over-year comparison.
The first half of 2024 was the highest since 2019. In that period, 198,028 operations were registered and in 2020 (first year of covid-19) there were 152,091. In the following years the activity recovered: in 2021 there were 196,967 and in 2022 they reached 225,326.
The franchise for purchases abroad through the internet allows up to three annual purchases of up to US$200 per transaction per individual. Operations cannot be for commercial purposes or exceed 20 kilos at a time. If the user meets the requirements, purchases enter Uruguay exempt from import taxes.
The director of the Uruguayan Chamber of Couriers (CUC) and director of BuyBox, Andrea Fernández, told El Observador that one of the main causes of the year-on-year increase in purchases abroad was the decrease in the price gap with Argentina.
Last year there was a kind of weekly exodus of thousands of Uruguayans who traveled to Argentina to buy cars attracted by the exchange advantages between the official dollar and the blue.
This situation can be verified with data provided by the Ministry of Tourism. During 2023, 3,883,667 trips were made by Uruguayans to Argentina. The figure visibly contrasted with what happened a year ago when there were 1,824,203 crossings. The year-on-year difference in trips was more than double.
In 2023 the gap between the official Argentine dollar and the blue dollar approached 200%. Currently it is 52%.
One of the measures that the current government of Javier Milei established when it took office in December 2023 was to clarify the value of the official dollar, bringing it closer to the price of the informal one. This began to discourage shopping tourism, something that was again observed in official data.
In the first quarter of this year - the latest figure available - 679,303 departures were made to Argentina compared to 902,620 in the same period of 2023. The year-on-year decrease was 25%, equivalent to 223,317 fewer trips.
“Last year Argentina was very convenient and international online purchases were lower than this year. That Argentina is less economical now is beneficial,” said Fernández.
The stable exchange rate in Uruguay so far this year was another cause that led to the increase in web purchases. The dollar ended 2023 at $39,022 and that Tuesday it operated at $40,173, in the interbank average, according to the Electronic Stock Exchange (Bevsa). In that period, the US currency had a variation of 2.9%.
This year also favored the arrival of some platforms such as the Chinese Temu, which boosted activity. “Online shopping in general, both local and international, continues to grow,” said the BuyBox executive.
ONLINE SHOPPING: ORIGINS AND ITEMS
The main origin of operations in the semester was the United States, closely followed by China which, through the new options with which it can operate from Uruguay, showed significant growth.
The most searched products in the first part of 2024 were technology items and then clothing. Fernández explained that during the year more specific purchases are made. For example, for Mother's Day the most requested items are women's accessories, while for Children's Day the purchases are basically toys.
The couriers ' forecast is that activity during the second half of the year will behave in the same way. “Everything indicates that it will remain the same because comparing it online has already become a habit,” Fernández concluded.
