The bad economic news continues without giving truce: the poverty index rose, inflation remains at very high levels, consumption does not recover and more companies have had to suspend personnel.
In the supermarket sector, the deep crises evidenced by the big chains, such as Carrefour and Walmart, are eloquent proof that things are not going well. The malls do not fare any better, to the point that some have had to apply heavy budget cuts and others directly closed their doors, as is the case of Villa del Parque.
The urban landscape gives account of it: the closing of premises was increased and, in what it goes of the year, more than 2,500 commerce only in Federal Capital they lowered the blinds. The same happens in the main cities of the interior: in Mendoza there were more than 1,000 closures in recent months, in Rosario about 400 and in Cordoba, almost 180.
As part of this decline, Walmart put an end to its establishment at DOT shopping and was forced to part with 31 branches in the country. Musimundo already "kissed the canvas" and 32 points of sale were out of the ring.
Given this harsh panorama, supermarkets, shopping malls and retail chains are appealing to new sources of income that come hand in hand with the "digital economy". Specifically, it is about "renting" part of their surfaces to other companies whose businesses require physical spaces (of a network) to expand their customer base.
Moving
One modality that has broken into these months is the car rental or carsharing system, which allows users to have a car by minutes, hours or days, requesting it directly from an app.
This incipient business - at least in Argentina - requires accessible, well-distributed and safe places. The network of service stations, shopping malls and supermarkets and other strategic spaces play a fundamental role in this business.
The last one to arrive in the country was Awto, from the hand of Nissan Argentina. This carsharing company announced an investment of 50 million pesos for its shared car service, which allows the delivery of a car only for the necessary time.
The interesting thing is that the car is searched at a point close to the user and can be returned in a different one, without time limitations. The units are ready to be used in more than 60 stations in and around Buenos Aires City: universities, shopping centers, large food chains and airports are part of this move.
"Our expectation is to reach 500 cars in Buenos Aires in the next four years," says Mariano Segarra, general manager of Awto Argentina.
Toyota is another of those that has joined what many call "collaborative economy".
"We are experiencing a complete transformation of the business, for example, YPF went from being an oil company to an energy company, and we are converting ourselves from an automotive to a mobility company," says Diego Prado, director of Corporate Affairs at the Japanese
The Toyota executive also reveals that they are exploring new businesses jointly. "For example, we aim that our rental vehicles -which are now being withdrawn from the concessionaires- can be withdrawn from the YPF stations," he adds.
If materialized, Toyota could boost its rental business exponentially, if one takes into account that the state has 1,500 sales outlets throughout the country.
Another of the oil companies that have a "digital plan" to adapt to the technological transformation is Axion, which has launched a plan to provide Mercado Libre with the "pick-up" service: those who buy a product can withdraw it in the service stations instead of going to the seller's home, which gives greater security to the operation.
Parking for rent
Also within the automotive industry are emerging platforms that allow buying and selling used cars online and safely.
In 2018, vendetuauto.com.ar, which belongs to the American Car Group, began to operate locally. In this framework, it sealed an agreement with Walmart Argentina for the use of the parking lots of the chain, in order to expand the inspection points. For next year, the platform plans to have 20 places strategically located.
"The main benefit is the facility that is provided to the client, as it is a known reference point, which in turn allows us to make rapid progress in the expansion of our network." Finally, for the supermarket it is a service that complements its offer, "affirms iProUP Alejandro Romero, marketing manager of Americas Car Group.
According to the manager, this service has the potential to become an important income for the chains, insofar as they can monetize traffic, becoming a destination for multiple consumption.
Small companies also join the business
With an Internet sales that day by day acquire more prominence in the mix of sales of a company, the delivery has become a fundamental piece.
That is why several companies have emerged that offer the withdrawal of products and that, precisely, base their strategy of "pick it up" in agreements with local chains, shopping centers and supermarkets.
One of them is Pickit, which integrates online sites to offer its customers a large network of points of withdrawal, so that they can choose the option that suits you best by time or proximity.
"We have more than 750 Pickit Points strategically located in coffee shops, paint shops, bookstores, gyms and maxikioscos throughout the country, such as Staples, Walmart, Chango Más, Havanna, The Coffee Store, Pintecord Pinturers and Maxikioscos El Jevi", points out Martín Machado, company manager.
"Each of these businesses receives a fee per package delivered and also benefits from the influx of people we generate," he adds.
The operation of the system is simple. Companies offer a retirement network on their platform, which can be Pickit, Packasap or similar, which contains several points.
It is not the only one that advances in this subject. From the firm Packsap, its commercial director, Noelia Jurisic, points to iProUP: "The user can choose to have his / her things always housed in the same eLocker." When the shipment arrives, the cell phone is notified and a withdrawal code is given. "
"We have signed agreements with shopping centers, service stations, gyms and kiosks that remain open 24 hours a day, what we see is an increasing interest of physical stores to add this solution and complement the offer of services, inviting the online buyer to to retire in your business, "he completes.
For Machado, the main benefit that his firm offers to the establishments is the attendance of a public that, otherwise, would not have gone.
"At present, the concern of the merchants is the fall in sales and how to attract customers, in Pickit they see a strategic partner, since every day a lot of people of interesting profile approach them," he says.
And, on the side of the brands or companies that market products, they receive the benefit of greater geographical coverage and scope throughout the country. "We provide them with the means to get more and faster to more customers, in the place and time that each one decides", assures the commercial manager of Pickit.
The companies Pickit and Packsap are joined by Jurisic. Its managers coincide in pointing out that the advantages of the eLockers are very broad and are framed in two main pillars: savings in logistics costs and an improvement in the customer's shopping experience.
"For the chains, adding this solution is to bring the online world to the physical store, so that online customers, who are more and more, can continue with their self-service experience, enabling them to have their products in a very short time. hands what they bought ", remarks the executive.
"It is an ideal alternative for shopping, as they can attract more potential buyers to their spaces, it is also an excellent option for supermarkets that sell products of all kinds for their web pages and mobile applications." This goes beyond the conjuncture : it's about the present and future of e-commerce, "he says.
This just started
But this seems to be only the beginning. All the companies consulted assure that they are in full expansion stage adding retirement places. "At the local level we have a plan to continue expanding the network throughout the country and reach 1,500 Pickit points this year," the manager of this company said.
The same goes for Cin Packasap. "We are going to add quality locations for our users and corporate clients, today we have eLockers in GBA and we plan to reach the whole country", reveals the commercial director.
Romero, meanwhile, anticipates that Americas Car Group is already working on the second phase of expansion with Walmart.
The rental of skateboards also promises to be an income route for businesses with "idle space" available for rent. In effect, Rappi plans to launch at mid-year to Grin, an e-scooters rental system that will use the premises as points for withdrawal and delivery of these vehicles.
The system is simple: the user must find the nearest "Grin station" through the app (available for Android and iOS). Then, by scanning with the cell phone a QR code, the vehicle will unlock and can be used.
The service will be paid with the card associated with the application and the final price will have a scheme similar to that of taxis: a base rate (equivalent to the "flag drop") plus an amount per kilometer traveled.
Rappi will be able to take advantage of its commercial portfolio (restaurants), so that they become "Grin points": businesses will receive part of the profits in return for offering space and recharge to the skateboards.
The Argentine crisis puts commerce on the ropes, but the collaborative economy is opening new business opportunities. With an additional: many of these companies will be better off than their competitors to face and take advantage of the digital transformation.
