In 1999 Marcos Galperin began his venture in a garage in Buenos Aires, Argentina, starting an online auction site that 25 years later would become the most important marketplace in Latin America, which is how Mercado Libre (Meli) was born .
David Geisen, general director of Mercado Libre México, said that the yellow marketplace was born with the objective of democratizing electronic commerce, which is why, over time, it has been transformed in favor of the needs of users.
“The vision of democratizing electronic commerce was there from the first days and at the launch of Mercado Libre 25 years ago we only had about a thousand products and the concept was different, it was an auction,” Geisen highlighted.
In this sense, throughout its history the platform has been governed by four main axes : innovation, growth, inclusion and security and avant-garde.
Mercado Libre has a presence in 18 countries , so, as of the second quarter, it had 56.6 million active buyers in the region , 54 purchases per second and 12.6 billion dollars in total volume of products sold, thanks to its more than 70 thousand employees.
In Mexico, the exponential growth of electronic commerce which, according to data from the Mexican Association of Online Sales (AMVO) , has grown by double digits in recent years, growing 24.6% in 2023 , compared to last year, has allowed Mercado Libre to grow, achieving historic investments in the last year.
In 2024 alone, Meli’s investment in the country increased 48% vs. last year , with an investment announcement of $2.45 billion this year.
“To really stay on that growth trajectory, we see it as important to continue transforming the way in which users transact. Thanks to technology and the logistics network, millions of people have access to products and solutions that they did not have before,” said David Geisen.
Currently, Mercado Libre has a logistics network that incorporates nine fulfillment centers and 90 logistics facilities , which allow same-day delivery in 24 cities; as well as 900 electric vans that minimize their impact on the environment.
On the other hand, in May it opened its first distribution center in the United States , with the aim of giving customers access to more product options marketed in the neighboring country.
In addition, David Geisen highlighted that using tools such as artificial intelligence to develop solutions and make better decisions such as route optimization or risk calculation in credit solutions, have promoted free market operations.
Throughout these years, Meli has expanded its services and logistics network; incorporating apps such as Mercado Pago, Mercado Shipping and Mercado Ads , creating an ecosystem that makes it easier for users to coexist with the online store, while democratizing payments.
The impact of Mercado Libre has allowed 1.8 million families in Latin America to see the platform as their main income, of which 414 thousand are Mexican; In addition, the marketplace already has more than 2,209 stores, 20 categories.
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