In the midst of Cyber ​​Monday, and the complications that it brings as a result of the increases in demand to take advantage of the promotions, Business integration interviewed Javier Santi and Javier Cominotti, respectively Digital Channel and Marketing Managers at Megatone.

The executives commented that they are working “hard” on the development of the company's marketplace, “which will be 100 percent productive in a short time,” in their words. On the other hand, they highlighted that they continue to develop the proximity model under the name “Megatone Express”, which already has 450 active points throughout the country.

"We plan to close 2020 with more than 500 of the 4,000 agents that currently belong to Cobro Express, and with agreements with other partners to extend coverage. It is a format that is becoming more relevant every day and today already represents 5 percent of the company's sales pareto," Cominotti said.

-What is the evolution of the company's sales since the pandemic broke out?

-Santi: The evolution is very great. Particularly, all e-commerce had an explosion due to several factors, and as the months went by, growth of around 400 percent was consolidated compared to last year. It can be said that we went from being primarily a physical company to a company with equal balances between the physical and digital business. Reality is very dynamic, far exceeds expectations and gives us surprises every day in different categories, due to the effect of the pandemic. Currently, for example, garden items or those linked to the outdoors are experiencing exponential growth.

-How was commercial management and the famous omnichannel modified, based on the restrictions to avoid the spread of COVID-19?

-Cominotti: At Megatone, we have been integrating the concept of omnichannel for some time. This allowed us to quickly adapt to this present in which, in some cases, there are branches that had to act almost exclusively as pickup points. We were able to readjust all our processes under strict protocols as a result of the pandemic. In addition to e-commerce itself, we expanded the areas of Telephone Sales and Customer Service, which today have a greater participation in the purchase funnel, and need a query channel that supports demand.

-Did you have to reallocate resources based on all this?

-Cominotti: Yes. We doubled the customer service team. As we have large amounts of inquiries, both pre-sales and after-sales, and as our customer is at the center, we want to provide them with the best purchasing experience.

-In that sense, how did you manage logistics management, which presents serious challenges when distributing sales from the online channel?

-Santi: It is one of the weak points in national e-commerce. Already, Argentina is a large country and it is difficult to get everywhere, especially when we talk about the last mile. With the pandemic present, in fact, there were places where it was not possible to travel, which made product deliveries difficult in some cases. But logistics is one of the most important topics on which we have been working and in which we have achieved the greatest improvements lately.

-How do you see the post-pandemic future for the company?

-Santi: Extremely promising. The pandemic found us prepared to face the challenge and, meanwhile, we were carrying out developments that prepare us for the incorporation of new sellers within Megatone, strongly expanding our product mix. And also, to take leaps in quality with the launch of our marketplace.

-Are you so optimistic despite the uncertain macroeconomic scenario that our country is experiencing?

-Santi: It is difficult to project with the variability of the pandemic and such a volatile situation. What we do foresee is to continue growing in terms of online sales. This reality is here to stay.