Stephanie Chevalier
E-commerce research and editorial expert
E-commerce in Colombia – statistics & facts
The COVID-19 pandemic compelled people worldwide to shift numerous daily activities into the virtual sphere. In Colombia, millions of individuals who previously favored in-person shopping and payments abruptly transferred these tasks to online platforms. In 2022, the country boasted over 26 million online buyers, accounting for nearly three-quarters of its internet-using population. That year, Colombia ranked as the third-largest e-commerce market in Latin America, trailing only giants Brazil and Mexico.
A habit that is here to stay
Online shopping thrived during the lockdown and continued to be popular even after lifting restrictions, greatly benefiting e-commerce vendors in the South American country. While the number of online transactions barely surpassed 100 million in 2019 before the pandemic, by 2022, this figure more than tripled, reaching 332 million. Furthermore, e-commerce sales value experienced a twofold increase between 2020 and 2022, exceeding 55 trillion Colombian pesos in the latter year. E-commerce has now become an integral part of the daily routine for many Colombians, with over half of internet users in Colombia having made weekly online purchases in 2022. The primary driving factors behind this trend? The availability of free delivery services and a seamless checkout process during purchases.Event-driven e-commerce
Although online shopping events were held before the COVID-19 outbreak to boost internet sales, they emerged as an opportunity to reactivate the Colombian economy during the pandemic and subsequent economic crisis. In addition to the traditional year-end sales events, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the National Government and the Ministry of Commerce aimed to strengthen Colombia's e-commerce calendar by introducing "días sin IVA" (VAT-free days). These sales days had three dates scheduled in 2020 and 2021 and took place online and offline. However, in 2022, it was scaled back to two editions and marked the event's end by government decree. That year, días sin IVA resulted in approximately 3.5 million online transactions and nearly 1.4 trillion Colombian pesos in e-commerce sales. Responding to the discontent over the discontinuation of this event, the Colombian Chamber of Electronic Commerce scheduled its own organized Cyberlunes for three dates in 2023.
