It is indisputable that the purchasing habits of the general population, worldwide, have changed in recent years. Now, the consumer has reduced the gaps in accessibility and use of new technologies, as they have acquired greater confidence in the use of virtual channels. The new trends in national and international trade are mainly oriented towards electronic commerce. Digitization has forced companies to evolve their customer service and the way in which they distribute their products and services. There are two fundamental actors involved in the logistics chain to achieve this type of trade, these are: International Logistics Distribution Centers and Free Zones.
Currently, the countries of Latin America are preparing to effectively develop this new business model. In several countries, new regulations have already been established in order to attract large virtual retail platforms, and thus potentiate the area as an efficient logistics hub.
With this new technological commercial boom, the Free Zones have the obligation to reinvent themselves, since they represent an essential link in the process of online transactions, thanks to their possibility of optimizing the costs that interfere in the logistics chain. Now, they will have the opportunity to expand their portfolio of services, taking into account that the operations to which the goods are generally subjected must become more efficient; considering how quickly deliveries must be met in a digitized world. Some of these operations are related to packaging, repackaging, cleaning, laboratory analysis, labeling, improvement or conditioning of the presentation, among others.
However, it is still necessary for the states to formulate legislation and regulations that reduce the processes, opening the possibility that the procedures are easier and more simplified. Also, it is imperative to adapt the legislation of the Free Zones, so that dispatch logistics can be carried out for small quantities of products when they are sold through e-commerce. We must take advantage of e-commerce to achieve international standards, considering that it has become a great driver of global economies.
E-commerce plays a very important role when it comes to generating competitiveness in SMEs, as it provides greater communication facilities between companies and consumers, allowing them to know in advance the needs and demands of the market, so that companies can satisfy them in an efficient way. more effective. Additionally, it allows customers to make small-quantity purchases, which sellers can ship through postal traffic or express delivery shipments.
The great advantages of physical and technological infrastructure must be taken advantage of for the export and import logistics processes that the Free Zones possess, since in this way they are able to generate efficiencies and economies of scale according to the demands of the new online consumption habits and offline.
Finally, it is important to emphasize that e-commerce in Free Zones not only covers product logistics, but also includes the service industry. Now, many service companies, such as call centers or data centers, are establishing themselves in the Free Zones, taking into account all the advantages mentioned above. This will provide greater competitiveness to the regions, since more employment will be generated, necessary to meet the high demands generated by a digitalized and even more globalized market.