Buenos Aires, November 27 (NA) – The official launch of Black Friday, this Friday, comes with a novelty no one expected: a Chinese e-commerce platform, not Shein, Temu, or Aliexpress, will offer a 15,000 peso discount on purchases over 30,000 pesos, free shipping with no minimum order, and flash deals of up to 50% off. This is about the Singapore-based Shopee, which had a brief experience in the country for nine months of 2022 until it ceased operations at 11:59 p.m. on October 30 of that year, in a context of global economic uncertainty and high costs that affected its profitability, as reported by the Noticias Argentinas agency. The current explanation for pausing operations in 2022 is that the decision was part of a broader business prioritization exercise, during which they consolidated their resources for Latin America in markets like Brazil, which at the time had a more mature operational profile. "With that stage concluded, and Brazil now playing a strategic role as a pillar of our regional presence, we are returning to Argentina with a stronger base and a more robust operational experience," they stated. In Brazil, they are one of the main e-commerce platforms, with a third of the population visiting the app monthly and the highest order volume nationally. The decision to return to Argentina has to do with prioritizing markets where they believe they can create sustainable, long-term value. Local e-commerce already represents 25% of the total sales of companies surveyed by CACE and Kantar, a significant jump from the 15% recorded in 2023. The platform is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Founded in 2015 in Singapore by entrepreneur and billionaire Forrest Li Xiaodong, who is the chairman and CEO of Sea Limited, a technology company with subsidiaries like Garena, Shopee, and Monee, it has already launched an extensive catalog of products from China, Asia in general, and Brazil, such as beauty, stationery; home, furniture, and garden; men's bags; mobile phones and gadgets; health; women's clothing; mother and baby; baby and children's fashion; men's footwear; jewelry and watches; video games; sports and fitness; women's footwear; travel and luggage; women's bags and wallets; men's clothing; electronics; pets; fashion accessories; toys and hobbies; appliances and computing. "In Argentina, we see a highly connected population with great digital skills, open to new shopping experiences in e-commerce," the company said. "The expansion into the country will leverage our logistics infrastructure between Brazil and Argentina and our network of trusted sellers, already established to serve other Latin American markets," they continued. To conclude: "In this initial phase, operations will focus on expanding the product assortment available to Argentine consumers." A new Chinese player. The presence of a new Chinese player in the online offering adds more elements to those raised by the Argentine Chamber of the Garment Industry (CIAI) and the Argentine Chamber of E-commerce (CACE), who are calling for the growth in 2025 of door-to-door imports—which represented US$90 million in September—and their impact on SME sales. An absolute record of over 4,000 finished products entered the country in October, mostly dispatched by online Chinese platforms like Shein and Temu. The list includes food—such as meats, dairy, fish, vegetables, fruits, and baked goods—, beverages, hygiene items, bazaar goods, clothing, footwear, appliances, and musical instruments. The entry of consumer goods grew in volume by 62% year-on-year, surpassed only by vehicles (115%) and the "other" category, which includes courier shipments and items purchased on platforms like Shein, Temu, Aliexpress, or Amazon, with a jump of 237%. The CIAI is promoting an "anti-Shein" bill to regulate the massive import of products from Chinese platforms like Shein and Temu, while the CACE pointed to the need to reduce the local tax burden, especially on Gross Income, since some products sold online have double withholding. But none of that will get in the way of consumers visiting brands this Black Friday and the e-commerce and marketplace festival of discounts and offers, where Chinese companies lead in commercial aggressiveness. In the first half of 2025, local e-commerce reached a billing of 15 trillion pesos including VAT, representing a 79% growth compared to the same period in 2024, according to the Mid Term 2025 report (CACE and Kantar). At the same time, inflation accumulated in that period was 39%, thus showing a real improvement in billing. The categories that contributed the most to e-commerce billing were White Line, Tools and Construction, and Motorcycle and Auto Accessories. In addition, 204 million units were sold, and the average order ticket stood at 102,449 pesos.
