2020: The Rise of E-Commerce
The pandemic reshaped consumer habits in Colombia. Online shoppers jumped from 5.1 to 8.9 million per month according to Forbes. Here's why your SMB should be online.
The pandemic significantly reshaped consumer habits. According to Forbes, monthly online shoppers grew from 5.1 million before the pandemic to 8.9 million in July 2020. Compared to the first seven months of 2019, shoppers, transactions, and sales all grew by more than 50%.
Faced with this new reality, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) were pushed to embrace e-commerce, complementing their brick-and-mortar stores with online platforms.
Why your SMB needs to be online
The advantages of running an online store are clear:
- 24/7 availability — your products keep selling while you sleep.
- Low costs — domain, hosting, and promotion cost a fraction of a physical store.
- Nationwide reach — no opening hours, no geographic limits.
The global numbers
According to Statista, 21.8% of the world's population shops online, and the count was expected to top 2.14 billion buyers in 2021. E-commerce sales were projected to hit 17.5% of global retail sales.
That means nearly 1 in 5 dollars spent on retail moves through the internet. If your business isn't there, it simply doesn't exist for that slice of the market.
How to go digital without losing your mind
Plenty of SMBs have made the digital leap using tools like Google My Business, social media, and custom online stores. The trick is to start simple and grow on real traction — not on vanity features.
At RV3 we deliver manageable stores with an optimized shopping cart, integration with Colombian payment gateways, and built-in digital marketing. From brand to launch, one team handles it all.
Is your site still optimized for the 2019 market? Let's talk.