Amazon is scaling operations and services across Latin America

Contxto – E-commerce giant Amazon has been very busy in Latin America as of late. 

Earlier this month, it announced plans to open its biggest distribution center yet in Brazil. And this week it stated it would open 2,000 jobs in Colombia, mainly in customer service. 

Meanwhile in Mexico, it’s kicked off another payment option that makes it even easier for users to complete purchases using cash. 

With so many developments going on it’s clear Amazon is not only growing, but it’s sprinting to oust Mercado Libre on its own Latam turf.

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Jobs and e-commerce platforms

E-commerce platforms have seen a surge of activity as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.

As a result, they’ve been opening jobs where they operate. It’s something Mercado Libre has seen in its native Argentina where it’s temporarily taken in partners’ furloughed employees.

In Colombia, Mercado Libre also reported it would open a tech and innovation center which would translate to around 200 jobs in IT. While competitor Amazon doesn’t have a tech or software development center in Latam, it’s been expanding its customer service ops in the region.

For example, in Spring of this year, it announced it would open 2,000 jobs in Costa Rica to garner support to Amazon users in Europe, North America, and Latin America.

More recently, in Colombia it also wants to boost its ops and offer support 24/7 to users in three languages: English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Amazon and cash

The Seattle-based company had launched Amazon Cash in Mexico as a payment option. Through it, users were allowed to fund their Amazon account by paying in cash at participating convenience stores. 

And as of this week, users have another option.

When shopping on Amazon, they can choose to pay in cash. After which, the platform sends them a barcode. The person then has 48 hours to visit the convenience store, show the barcode, and pay the amount owed.

If they fail to do so within the established time, the order is cancelled and they’ll have to undergo the process again.

It’s a simple but effective way to connect with users who know exactly what they want to buy and don’t want to pre-pay anything. But above all else, it extends Amazon’s reach with Mexico’s cash-loving population.

Your move, Mercado Libre.

Related articles: Tech and startups from Colombia!

-ML