by Luis Rojas
MEXICO CITY, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- MercadoLibre, a leading e-commerce company in Latin America, is expecting more partnerships with Chinese firms, a senior executive of the Argentina-headquartered company said.
Omar Galicia, marketing manager of Mercado, said the company has identified some 50 firms worldwide, including in China, to establish business ties with.
"We are definitely opening the door to Chinese companies, Chinese brands, Chinese manufacturers and many (businesses) there," Galicia told Xinhua during a recent interview in his Mexico City office.
MercadoLibre Mexico and JD.com, which Galicia described as "one of the biggest Chinese sites in the world," signed an agreement earlier this month to provide Mexican consumers easier access to Chinese commodities.
The companies will initially offer 6,000 items, ranging from electronics and jewelry to musical instruments unavailable in the local market.
The long-term goal is to provide Mercado's more than 25 million users in Mexico access to between 2 million and 3 million Chinese-made products, and boost sales, Galicia said.
JD.com is one of the most popular online shopping platforms in China that enjoys an advantage in electronic device sales over its domestic competitors. Mercado is Latin America's most visited e-commerce site.
In May, MercadoLibre Mexico also partnered with U.S. e-commerce giant eBay. So far eBay and JD are the company's only international partners.
Galicia said the partnership benefits both companies.
"They (JD.com) win because they are entering a new market and we win because we have more to offer our clients, so technically ... everybody wins," he said
According to the executive, the company will improve purchase delivery, which now takes 20 to 25 days.
He also said e-commerce has notable potential for growth in Mexico and other Latin American countries, where the level of penetration is still relatively low.
Today in Mexico, e-commerce accounts for just 2 percent of total retail sales, Galicia said.
"If in three years we account for 4 percent, or 7 percent like in Brazil, or 12 percent like in Argentina, that is clearly the parameter we are pursuing to see how far we can go," he said.
