53% of companies in Ecuador have incorporated, more frequently from 2020 to date, mobile applications, development of e-commerce platforms, chatbots and interactive catalogs to digitize their businesses, according to Justo Ecuador, a company that is responsible for of the creation of self -managed e-commerce platforms.

In a Deloitte survey of 1,000 consumers who dined at a restaurant in the last three months of 2021, almost two-thirds (64%) said that after the pandemic, they do not plan to consume in-person at establishments.

The firm cites, for example, that according to the Ecuadorian Chamber of Innovation and Technology (CITEC), since the start of the pandemic, electronic commerce has grown by 400% in Ecuador. Thus generating around $2.76 billion in 2020 and by 2021 it reached $3.22 billion.

For María José Aguirre, country manager of Justo in Ecuador, a digital partner for restaurants and businesses, which empowers digital channels, this trend is increasingly common, since the shopping experience is totally different, and she assured that several factors have an influence, ranging from packaging to customer service.

“There is no doubt that after these last few years, people have seen a new way of eating what they like at home, safely and without so many complications or wasted time standing in line. For this reason, restaurants have been forced to find tools that allow them to maintain the service on their physical site and continue to fulfill online orders,” said the expert.

The categories that have stood out the most during 2020 are food and hygiene, computing, fashion and beauty, food and delivery . In this sense, the restaurant sector grew by 42%, a representative percentage for the evolution of large and small restaurants.

In addition, a Deloitte study, which used 1,000 consumers who dined in a restaurant in the last three months of 2021 and through a survey, identified that comfort in service is a fundamental factor for this type of business.

Almost two-thirds (64%) said that after the pandemic they do not expect to consume in-person in establishments, forcing businesses to modify their marketing strategies. The study also reveals that 40% of those surveyed prefer to order their food through the virtual channels of restaurants; while only 1 in 10 users prefers to do it through third-party applications. (I)