Survey: E-Commerce Interest Runs High In Latin America, But Actual Use Still Low

Latin American companies are very interested in e-commerce, reveals a new survey-based research study published by International Data Corp. (IDC). In fact, results of the survey show nearly 85% of companies indicated they are using or will evaluate using e-commerce within the next two years. However, actual implementation rates are low, with only 11% of companies currently using e-commerce. The finance industry is the most active industry segment embracing e-commerce in Latin America. Mexican and Brazilian companies showed higher activity than Argentine companies. The IDC study found, however, that very few companies have real transactional capability. Most do not have full e-commerce functionality and some just have Web pages promoting their products. The e-commerce software market also is limited in Latin America -- which catches the attention of the U.S.-based e-commerce software vendor community.