Marketplaces in the Era of Unified, Intelligent Commerce

Marketplaces today are vibrant ecosystems where companies of all sizes, brands, retailers, entrepreneurs, and increasingly demanding consumers converge.

Today, with the rise of artificial intelligence and automation, we face a new turning point: the consolidation of collaborative and unified commerce, where technology acts as the key growth catalyst.

According to INEGI data, in 2023, the Gross Value Added of E-Commerce (VABCOEL) reached MX$2 trillion (US$99 billion), representing 6.4% of the national GDP. This confirms that digital commerce in Mexico is much more than retail: it spans from marketplaces and food delivery to business services, software, online education, and advanced logistics.

Marketplaces play a central role in this growth. The 2024 Online Sales Study by AMVO indicates that marketplaces in Mexico continue to expand, accounting for 58% of online purchases.

With giants like Amazon and Mercado Libre, global players like Shein and Temu, and leading retailers like Walmart, Elektra, and Coppel dominating the market, there are also specialized players emerging in niches like fashion, appliances, business supplies, and logistics services.

But digital commerce doesn't stop. Consumers demand hyper-personalization, efficiency, and frictionless experiences, and this is where AI comes into play.

From Marketplaces to Intelligent Ecosystems

AI is transforming these platforms into dynamic and predictive spaces, where data, automation, and user experience come together to create more efficient and personalized commerce.

Amazon and Mercado Libre have taken personalization to a new level. Thanks to AI, they can anticipate consumer needs, offering precise recommendations based on behaviors, preferences, and market trends.

Walmart and Liverpool have revolutionized logistics. Their advanced algorithms allow them to predict demand and optimize deliveries with impressive accuracy, reducing time and operational costs.

Customer service has also changed radically. Chatbots and virtual AI agents handle up to 70% of real-time inquiries, resolving questions instantly and learning from each interaction to continuously improve the user experience.

Prices, meanwhile, are no longer static. Today, AI enables real-time adjustments, analyzing demand, competition, and seasonality. This maximizes profitability without compromising competitiveness.

All of this leads us to a new era. Marketplaces are no longer just digital storefronts, they are now the heart of collaborative and intelligent commerce. They orchestrate data, actors, and technology in an ecosystem where efficiency and the shopping experience enhance each other. In this new scenario, innovation is not an option but the only path to the future.

Despite these advances, the major challenge for marketplaces today is the unification of the shopping experience in an increasingly fragmented digital ecosystem.

This is where collaborative commerce platforms are setting the trend. Instead of competing for attention across multiple disconnected channels, marketplaces are adopting an omnichannel approach, connecting physical stores, digital commerce, social networks, and messaging apps into one seamless experience.

For example: Mercado Libre integrates WhatsApp Commerce and digital payments to facilitate conversational shopping, while Amazon is exploring social media shopping experiences with generative AI.

In the future, with AI and machine learning, marketplaces will be able to predict consumption patterns, anticipate needs, and create more personalized, self-managed, and human experiences, fostering loyalty and conversion.

Mexico: How to Compete in an Augmented AI-First Ecosystem?

For companies in Mexico to capitalize on this transformation, they must adapt to the new paradigms of intelligent marketplaces. How?

• Leveraging AI to automate operations and improve conversion rates.

• Integrating omnichannel strategies that unify the customer experience.

• Using real-time data to make strategic decisions.

• Investing in collaborative commerce models with marketplaces as strategic partners.

The digital ecosystem in Mexico is evolving rapidly, and marketplaces are at the center of this transformation. This is the moment to evolve, from simply selling on marketplaces to orchestrating a collaborative, intelligent, and customer-centered commerce ecosystem.

In this new scenario, augmented AI is not an option but the driving force behind growth.