CDP Institute

In this very different time, retailers are trying to do whatever they can to survive as more shoppers move to the online world to purchase products and services. While having an online channel is necessary for today’s retailers, many transactions still happen in their physical stores. Hence, retailers must leverage their data collected from both the online and offline worlds. The retailers that successfully do so will stay relevant in this era, as they can seamlessly provide an omnichannel retail experience to their customers.

InstaCarro, a digital marketplace that connects used car sellers to dealers in Brazil, has raised $23 million in a Series B round of funding. Until this year, the startup operated only in São Paulo. In the first half of this year, it launched operations in eight new cities, and is now also live in Campinas, Curitiba, Joinville, Santos, Brasília, Goiânia, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte.

The distribution of the marketing budget is changing due to digital acceleration, according to industry analysis firm IDC. In Latin America, that means a change of priorities for Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs). Sixty-four percent of the CMOs surveyed in the study responded that their top priority today is increasing the quantity and quality of their leads.

As the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted everyday life in Latin America, the region saw a rapid increase in the adoption of digital services. While this digital transformation has expanded access to financial, medical and educational services to people across the region, it has also increased privacy and cybersecurity concerns, driving the need for governments and companies to ensure adequate protections.

Latin America is the fastest growing eCommerce region in the world. The pandemic has caused shoppers in this region to spend 36.7% more online in 2020, with 52 million people buying online for the first time.

In a bid to expand its worldwide impression, Vodacom Business Africa has moved into Brazil, South America, in this way expanding its fixed-network inclusion to five mainlands across the globe.

Customers of Kenya’s eminent telco Safaricom can now buy shares listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange using their Bonga Points. This marks the first investment option for redeeming the Bonga Points loyalty reward, which can be used for a multitude of other options in the past.

MaxAB, the largest Egyptian B2B e-commerce platform that serves food and grocery retailers, has secured $40M in a Series A round, led by RMBV, a prominent impact investor in North Africa.

In the Middle East, no less than ten startups offering BNPL services have launched within the past three years. The launch of tabby as a buy now, pay later solution was to specifically target economic problems of the MENA and wider GCC region. Global Founders Capital and STV led the funding round, with participation from Delivery Hero and CCVA.

yellow.ai, the leading customer experience automation platform, announced that it has raised $78.15 million in Series C, led by WestBridge Capital along with Sapphire Ventures, and Salesforce Ventures. Lightspeed Venture Partners again participated in this round, which brings total funding raised so far to $102.15 million. yellow.ai will strengthen its dominant leadership in 50+ countries including India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.