Efficiency of the monthly budget became a key issue in a scenario in which the increases and the dispersion of prices do not give a break in the pocket. After an inflation of almost 48% in 2018, the Survey of Market Expectations (REM) prepared by the Central Bank - based on the survey of 50 economists - raised the prospects for this year to 32%.
The reduction of the purchasing power of the salary has made it usual task to maximize the savings in the daily purchases. In this framework, to have greater control over expenses, today technology becomes a fundamental ally.
Not only to compare prices of goods and services "premium", such as air tickets or hotels, but also for products of everyday economy. And best of all: they are free.
According to figures from the Argentine Chamber of Electronic Commerce (CAECE), the use of mobile devices to conduct searches before deciding a purchase grows rapidly: last year, one in two Argentines checked prices through cell phones, a figure that speaks clearly of how important the care of the pocket has become.
Options
Among this universe of solutions is the app of Spanish origin Tiendeo, which offers digitally all catalogs of shops of the most varied items: from supermarkets to clothing stores, car dealerships and electronics and household goods
Thanks to technology, you can obtain immediate information on the different prices, which makes it possible to make the purchasing process more efficient. In addition, it facilitates the assembly of listings and the possibility of finding nearby offers quickly, thanks to its geolocation option.
From Tiendeo explain to iProUP that seven out of 10 users who consult the digital catalogs no longer do so on paper, behavior that accounts for the ease of use and change of habits that has experienced much of the population.
"Our user uses the cell phone as an assistant during their daily tasks and then plans to make an intelligent purchase, that is, it is an informed and hyperconnected profile," they say from Tiendeo to iProUP.
And they complete: "Nine out of 10 people who consult the digital catalogs do so because they have the decision taken and must choose what is most convenient for them." From the firm they report a strong growth in the use of the app, coinciding with the sharp drop in the purchasing power of the salary.
In this app, supermarket catalogs are the most dynamic and also the most sought after, according to research. They are followed by computers and electronics, home and furniture and toys.
Another pioneer in comparing prices is MuyShopper, a platform that was born four years ago and confronts values ââand shares of different online stores. When looking for a product, it reflects all the businesses that sell it and which of them offers greater savings.
"The idea came when I went to live alone and I had to buy an air conditioner, I made an Excel spreadsheet and began to list the values ââthat each trade offered to find the best one", says Ari Lapidus, its founder, to iProUP, who remembers: "I saved myself a very good money and so this idea was developed to help people find better prices".
Today, MuyShopper has the information of more than a hundred businesses. Although most of them directly provide their quotations, the site is responsible for making that collection by visiting each ecommerce platform and for surveying the price of a product between two and three times a day.
From the startup, they identify two user profiles: on the one hand, young visitors with the ability to spend; on the other hand, the typical savers, who are users of coupons and discounts and wait for the offers to advance in certain consumptions.
"There is a complex background work that includes the search, compilation, ordering, artificial intelligence and a lot of will to be able to provide the prices and products of all the reliable stores, whether or not they are registered in our site", explains Lapidus, who also gives an account of the remarkable growth in the number of users that enter to look for prices before buying.
Currently, MuyShopper works in an alliance with the Skycanner air promotions site to finally enter the world of tourism.
Another of the most used comparators is Comparacity. It was created by the owners of Turismocity and focuses on household items. You can compare in a single search the different prices that different retail chains have for the same product.
The operation is simple: just enter an article and the platform will show the best options of each establishment without having to enter each website or review one by one.
In addition, it has a history of amounts thanks to which you can monitor if the product went down or increased at the time of purchase and thus assess whether the offer is convenient.
"Users not only want to save, they look for prices because they do not want to pay more", emphasizes Julián Gurfinkel, one of its founders, to iProUP.
"There are people who get to save up to $ 10,000, but only save $ 100 and feel they 'won the system'," completes the manager of ComparaCity, who adds that most users are individuals who live alone.
Also, Gurfinkel explains that at present the consultation to this type of technological platforms has grown exponentially. And it provides as data that only in January Comparacity surpassed the visits registered in Cibermonday.
Compared insurance
In addition to the need to find good prices for basic necessities and household items, another is added because of its impact on the monthly expenses of individuals and families: the most convenient insurance policies.
One of them is Comparaencasa.com, a platform that originated under the "low cost" concept and verifies the offers of just over 70 insurers.
Lucas Lezcano Vélez glimpsed this portal while living in London and was looking for a life coverage that he finally hired through a website.
"I realized that both in Argentina and Latin America there was a very large market in the insurance segment, but there was no system that would benefit those who wanted to hire these services," explains Lezcano Vélez to iProUP.
Thus, in 2010, Compararencasa became the first startup to offer an important insurance proposal in one place. Today, that offer covers 70% of local producers.
Currently, an auto policy averages 2,000 or 3,000 pesos, and Comparaencasa offers the possibility of paying up to 40% less. However, the most noticeable savings occur in the first month, which is when the insurer changes.
The procedure is simple: after answering only five questions, the user can get 70 quotes. And access the technical verification of the vehicle just by uploading some photos.
"Not only do we provide a price comparison, we also pass through the market, the commissions charged by the producers are substantially reduced, benefiting the final consumer, who is ultimately the platform," says the executive.
The official "price search"
The Government also bet on the comparison of products. As a result of the great dispersion of values ââexisting between one trade and another, in 2016 launched the "Precios Claros" program.
Both from the official website and from the app, each person can consult the amounts of several articles. It is enough to enter a product to obtain as a result the four closest stores in which it is located and its corresponding price.
In turn, it is possible to put together a shopping list and see the special promotions of the supermarkets on the day.
The "Clear Prices" lists are made based on information sent by businesses throughout the country and include a total of 9,000 products grouped into 109 categories of food, beverages, cleaning items and hygiene items.
In the same line, the Ministry of Energy and Mining of the Nation launched "Prices in Surtidor", an application that allows to know, in a geo-referenced manner, the values ââof naphtha, diesel and CNG of 4,600 service stations throughout the country.
Thus, each individual could consult the map or the list of the amounts of the retail outlets that are nearby. You can filter the search by brand or fuel type.
"Walk, lady, walk" was updated to "navigate, lady, navigate". In short, the technology came to the rescue of Argentines who are now looking for cell phones how to reduce the inflation shock in each purchase.
