The Finance Ministry this week reported that problems with Customs duties in the past year resulted in the seizure of thousands of packages, most of them online purchases made between October and December, boosted by Black Friday and Christmas.
Despite having an Internet coverage of some 88 percent of the country, only 12 percent of consumers in Costa Rica shop online, a study on e-commerce released by consultant company Kantar Worldpanel showed.
While Christmas is the shopping season par excellence, most workers in Costa Rica say they will leave their Christmas bonus, or aguinaldo, in their bank account, according to results of a survey released by consulting firm Unimer.
While two of the biggest shopping days – Black Friday and Christmas – are quickly approaching, Costa Rican lawmakers are working to pass legislation that improves controls and consumer protection of e-commerce transactions, an area where the country lags.
Latin American countries are projected to be among the fastest-growing business-to-consumer e-commerce markets in the world, according to EMarketer. Sales in Brazil, Mexico and Argentina are all estimated to rise by 19 percent or more this year.
