Guatemala

Central America: Linking women business enterprises (WBEs) with the global gifts and home decoration market
Contact
First name
Beatriz
Last name
Rodriguez Perez
Body

Context

Supporting women entrepreneurs through e-commerce  

The demand for handicrafts has grown exponentially in recent years, especially in Europe and the United States, with international e-commerce opening an important market opportunity for Central American women artisans.  

Yet many women lacked the digital skills to take full advantage of online sales. ITC’s ecomConnect team stepped in with trainers and coaches to help 200 small businesses and 24 local trade and design support institutions. Participants learned about product design and export management for online sales. From 2018-2021, ITC helped in the development of 580 new on-trend handicraft products for the international market.   

ITC also organized several tailored e-labs for the most qualified businesses and launched an E-commerce Leadership Programme offering peer-to-peer e-commerce coaching.   

The project helped businesswomen open successful commercial websites, improve shipping times, and track sales metrics. From 2017-2021, businesses assisted by ITC generated more than $USD 86,000 in revenue, 125 companies received more than 2,400 orders online from 21 markets, and created and optimized 119 websites and stores on Etsy, eBay and Novica.   

    

 

Women producing handmade accessories in Guatemala to be sold online 
Misle Films
This project helped businesswomen open successful commercial websites, improve shipping times, and track sales metrics. 
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By leveraging targeted online campaigns and continuously tracking sales metrics, I was able to successfully promote my brand abroad, especially in the United States.
By leveraging targeted online campaigns and continuously tracking sales metrics, I was able to successfully promote my brand abroad, especially in the United States.
Soledad Borel 
Founder of Soledad Art Jewelry, Costa Rica 
Jewelry
Jewelry
Thanks to the partnership with DHL, I was able to reduce my shipping time from 3 to 4 weeks to 3 to 4 days, without changing my pricing. DHL's preferential shipping rates have also allowed me to offer free shipping to my customers, and we have since sent several products to Houston, Texas, which was previously an issue due to shipping. With ITC's support, I can now send customers my products quickly and securely.
Thanks to the partnership with DHL, I was able to reduce my shipping time from 3 to 4 weeks to 3 to 4 days, without changing my pricing. DHL's preferential shipping rates have also allowed me to offer free shipping to my customers, and we have since sent several products to Houston, Texas, which was previously an issue due to shipping. With ITC's support, I can now send customers my products quickly and securely.
Elena San Martín 
Founder of Nicteel Ceramics, Honduras 
Ceramics
Ceramics
Supporting someone at a distance is not easy. Our collaboration has been an adventure, and dedication and motivation have been key. The tutor learns as much as the student. Undoubtedly, I would repeat the mentoring experience.
Supporting someone at a distance is not easy. Our collaboration has been an adventure, and dedication and motivation have been key. The tutor learns as much as the student. Undoubtedly, I would repeat the mentoring experience.
Lucreacia de González 
Founder of Casa Cotzal, Guatemala 
Handmade articles
Handmade articles
That a team of professionals with such dedication helped me make my own website is the best gift that I could have received. I couldn't have done it alone. Having been prepared to sell online in 2020 has made sales possible since the beginning of the pandemic. And it continues to be like that.
That a team of professionals with such dedication helped me make my own website is the best gift that I could have received. I couldn't have done it alone. Having been prepared to sell online in 2020 has made sales possible since the beginning of the pandemic. And it continues to be like that.
Rebeca Zamora 
Founder of Gato Negro, Costa Rica 
Jewelry
Jewelry
I am very excited to be able to pass on experience and knowledge to a motivated colleague. It would be great to replicate the E-commerce Leadership Programme at a wider scale, including more mentees. I really like to see how my student responds to the advice I give her.
I am very excited to be able to pass on experience and knowledge to a motivated colleague. It would be great to replicate the E-commerce Leadership Programme at a wider scale, including more mentees. I really like to see how my student responds to the advice I give her.
Anna Sophia Reyes 
Founder of Achiote, Guatemala 
Food company
Food company
This project has managed to drastically change the vision of businesswomen and their way of doing business. Today, they are businesswomen with a more open mind, more confident of their abilities and much more motivated to be the pioneers in Nicaragua in entering the world of electronic commerce.
This project has managed to drastically change the vision of businesswomen and their way of doing business. Today, they are businesswomen with a more open mind, more confident of their abilities and much more motivated to be the pioneers in Nicaragua in entering the world of electronic commerce.
Yudyth Cerda 
Business Intelligent Specialist at Association of Producers and Exporters of Nicaragua (APEN) 
Import-Export
Import-Export

Sustainable Development Goals

This project contributes to the following Sustainable Development Goals, as defined by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

<p><strong>Central America: Women and E-commerce</strong></p><p>The project Linking Central American Women Business Enterprises (WBEs) with the Global Gifts and Home Decoration Market aims to improve the export performance of women-led-enterprises from Central America to sell online.</p><p>The project beneficiaries are women-led-companies involved in the sale and export of handicrafts for the gift and home decoration industries from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panam&aacute;.</p><p>The project funded by the European Union (EU) has been implemented between 2018 and 2021 by the International Trade Centre (ITC) in collaboration with the Secretariat for Central American Economic Integration (SIECA) and in partnership with national organizations.</p><p>To achieve its objective, the project has produced five immediate results as follows:</p><ul><li>WBEs have increased their export business management skills for online commercialization.</li><li>WBEs&rsquo; products and services have exhibit enhanced design, quality and compliance with market trends and customers&rsquo; demands</li><li>WBEs have developed high quality digital and promotional material.</li><li>WBEs have established connections with business partners through increased presence on the Web</li></ul><p>WBEs have acquired the technical know-how to fulfil electronic buyers&rsquo; orders.</p>

Type
Project
Social media
Date
-
External ID
A314
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Enhancing Transparency and Traceability of Sustainable Textile Value Chains
Contact
First name
Duc
Last name
Dang
Body

Sustainable Development Goals

This project contributes to the following Sustainable Development Goals, as defined by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

<p>Clothing is one of the largest industries in the world economy employing 60 to 75 million people worldwide. The negative social and environmental impacts of the fashion industry have been well documented, demonstrating that these impacts mostly occur within the upstream portion of the value chain. Improving traceability is a priority in order to determine how and where parts and components in production processes have been sourced and what are the environmental, social and health risks in the value chain. The action will support enhanced transparency and traceability in garment value chains, through the development of an IT &apos;track and trace&apos; platform that offers customized and open self-assessment and data sharing solutions for value chain stakeholders. Alongside the implementation of this platform, ITC will deliver a training and continuous improvement programme and, in collaboration with private sector partners, implement in a subset of textile and garment oriented countries.</p>

Type
Project
Date
-
External ID
B893
Latin America and The Caribbean
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ITC supports interregional trade in Latin American and Caribbean countries as the most conducive to productive and export diversification. Investment in trade facilitation, sustainable production and digitalisation of commerce will propel the region forward and contribute to gender equality. ITC’s programmes specifically  foster the creation of quality employment for women and female-led enterprise in international trade in the region.

Region (for relations)
Header color
Cyan
Import hash
-1385588640
External ID
RLA