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The Importance of Digital Adoption in the Caribbean

“We have this fear about what digital looks like (in the Caribbean). I always say ‘blame the movie, The Terminator – 134’”, Pauline Joseph, CEO of AC Marketing Caribbean.  

In honour of International Women’s Day 2022, we featured three Caribbean entrepreneurs on the #FACLive Show to discuss how women impact digital adoption in the Caribbean.  

According to Michele Marius, Director – ICT Pulse Consulting Ltd, Digital Technology Adoption really is about how businesses – in this context – leverage technology in order to optimize their systems and processes which in turn makes a difference in terms of customers and their experience. Founder of SiliconCaribe, Ingrid Riley, added to the discussion by stating that Caribbean consumers are tech-savvy and know what they want. The data shows that Amazon.com is one of the top most visited websites in several countries in the region, therefore, Caribbean consumers are already shopping online. Riley suggests that the businesses that are nimble and actually use the data to understand the digital consumer will win. 

Here are the 4 Top Lessons from this episode of the #FACLive Show: 

  • Caribbean marketplaces have the opportunity to capitalise on the data from their customers to increase their global competitiveness and should not be discouraged because of other existing marketplaces such as Amazon. The Caribbean has many unique attributes and marketplaces within the region should seek to include this in their unique selling positions.  
  • It’s valuable for international companies who set up shop in the Caribbean, to invest in the production of content that appeals to the different subsections within the region. 
  • Women make a considerable number of financial decisions for themselves and their families and they contribute significantly to the global economy.
  • If Caribbean women are empowered more, in the context of digital transformation, it will ultimately benefit the region. 

Check out our video below to learn more about how women impact digital adoption in the Caribbean.

This article is based on a discussion with Pauline Joseph, AC Marketing Caribbean, Michele Marius, ICT Pulse Consulting Ltd & Ingrid Riley, SiliconCaribe. Sign up to be notified when our CEO, Christopher Burns, goes live on LinkedIn & YouTube to discuss all things e-commerce in Latin America & the Caribbean, on the #FACLive Show.