As high streets across the world look to streamline, and businesses transform physical shops to online stores, being able to make the digital jump is crucial. As well as providing a platform for businesses to promote their products and services, the internet has lead to the rise of e-commerce, with giants like Amazon becoming household names and frequenting our bank statements.
It’s estimated that, by 2021, the e-commerce industry will be worth an incredible US$4.88 trillion dollars worldwide. This figure will continue to rise exponentially as access to affordable broadband and smartphones becomes widely available. As an entrepreneur, the internet simply cannot be ignored as a powerful tool to grow your business. Adequately investing in a web developer to create a powerful platform for your goods and services can set you apart from the competition. Additionally, an effective digital marketing campaign is critical to your business’ growth.
IT Expands to Latin America
Latin America is currently trending as a tech hub, with capabilities in information technologies. It has established its own ecosystem and become a key destination for startups due to the number of successful businesses emerging throughout the last few years. US firms are looking to Latam hotspots to offshore tech hubs. Those include technology services and the creation of software and hardware. One country that’s fueling the digital movement of e-commerce, marketing, and tech startups is Argentina.
Argentina, Latam’s New Tech Player
Argentina’s IT and software tech industry is expected to rake in by $7.33 billion by 2020. Not bad for a country coming out of a recession. Its economic revival is the source of further business opportunities, given the strength of the dollar against the Argentine peso, making it cheap to do business. Its government has already facilitated the creation of cloud technology centers and encourages the population to uptake these technologies. Government help has resulted in a growing educated population of IT savvy professionals and helped position Argentina as Latam new tech player. Therefore, Argentina seems like an increasingly good option to source web developing services.
If you’re looking to find new revenue streams, ways to turn a profit, hire a web designer this article will give you food for thought about your business expansion into the country.
What to Look For in a Web Developer
If you’ve decided to take your business digital, it’s important you hire the right people for the job. Perhaps you are considering launching a new company website, or maybe you’re growing a digital marketing company and want to offer web development services as part of your operation? It’s essential to understand what you should look for when hiring a web developer.
Design Experience
The most obvious skill to look out for is design experience. A developer that can code in multiple languages, whether that be HTML, Javascript, CSS or PHP, has an edge over the rest. Businesses, today more than ever, need to set themselves apart from the competition. Relying on themes and templates is not enough – a truly customized website designed by a professional is. Check out the developer’s client portfolio to recent examples of work. Services contract out at $25-50 per hour, with senior developers earning around $1000 monthly. The industry is competitively priced, compared with the US and Europe. Whatsmore, Argentina is well-endowed with a wealth of professionals specialized in design programming and informatics.
Bilingual
If you’re planning to launch a digital agency, language should also be a consideration. If you want to hire Argentinian web developers, they must be able to speak English so they can communicate with your customers around the world. Otherwise, you’ll need a middleman who can translate briefs, complaints, and information for your web development team. The good news is that around 6.5 million of Argentina’s 44 million citizens speak English so you should be able to find bilingual employees to work for your business. English is also compulsory all Argentinian schools, so the English-speaking population is constantly growing.
Creative Flair
Something else to consider is creativity and imagination. According to Netcraft, there are more than 644 million websites on the internet, and many look similar. Finding web developers that can bring a unique flair to your business will differentiate your offering from competitors and ensure customers keep coming back time and time again. Argentina’s education system offers over 200 IT degrees, creating a tech ecosystem at an educational level. As employment in this sector continues to grow, the quality of human capital will also increase.
Argentina’s Tech Scene
Argentina may not be the most prosperous nation in Latin America, but it certainly makes up for it in other ways – particularly in its technology sector. With a new government that’s focused on investment and growth, startups in Argentina are on the rise, the next generation of new businesses in the country, bringing in millions of dollars and boosting employment. The sector is supported by software industry chambers, CESSI, which aids collaboration between firms in the industry. Valuable alliances have resulted from active cooperation between public and private firms.
Because of the country’s harsh economic past, the population has learned to become self-starters. Many young people with experience in web design have launched their own businesses or offer their services on a freelance basis. Argentinian culture is undeniably entrepreneurial. Talented individuals are coming together to collaborate and build truly world-class businesses that can compete on a global scale. Although a cost-competitive, Argentina is creating high-value products, for domestic and foreign firms alike. Santiago Ceria and Carlos Pallotti term this “ValueShore,” which defines Argentina’s IT industry as a critical destination for foreign investment.
Government Support
As well as massive investments from some of the world’s biggest businesses, city governments have been working to encourage growth and innovation. In 2015, Buenos Aires’ city government launched the Academia Buenos Aires Emprende, which is designed to educate its citizens about business. More recently, the country passed “Ley de Emprendedores,” which is intended to promote entrepreneurship and encourage new businesses to flourish. This new law offers tax incentives and public funds for entrepreneurs to get started, as well as fast-tracked company registration so businesses can begin overnight. Likewise, Argentina’s “Copyright Law” extends to software, giving firms legal protection over their products.
The development of initiatives and programs have boosted the industry’s competitiveness. A public fund for R&D, scholarships for IT students, fiscal benefits for firms and industry awards have cemented the software and IT industry into Argentina’s economy. While innovation certainly takes place across the country, 60% of all IT related activity is based in the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires. Establishing operations in the capital would provide access to a vast talent pool and the ability to connect with other businesses in the area. However, if the big city is not for you, there is also substantial activity happening in Córdoba, San Luis and Santa Fe. These are vital destinations for startups and accelerator schemes and have lower living costs.
Setting up an Argentine business
For those looking to form a company in Argentina’s high value IT industry, there has never been a better time to do so. In 2018, the country’s currency plunged against the US dollar, and as a result, it’s cheaper than ever to invest and get started on a new business venture. Foreign companies are not restricted from participating in Argentina’s IT industry. What’s more, the average monthly salary for an employee in Buenos Aires is US$550, according to Check In Price, which makes recruitment and managing a team relatively inexpensive. When you compare that to the average cost of a customized website design package (US$5,000-US$10,000, according to Website Builder Expert), you can see how profitable a web development firm could be with the right sales strategy.
Furthermore, businesses in the United States can also benefit from establishing their company in Argentina. The average developer in the US commands a salary of $76,141 according to Salary.com, demonstrating the enormous potential markup which could be applied. Given the strength of the dollar, the returns are promising. You won’t be short of potential talent to hire. CESSI’s president estimates there will as many 134,000 people working in Argentina’s IT industry by 2020. There are exciting times to come.
Conclusion
There’s no denying that establishing a business in a new country can be stressful and hard work, but the numbers speak for themselves in this case. Do your research, calculate your return on investment and opportunity cost, and you could soon build a development empire that sets you apart from businesses around the world.
