Bloomberg Businessweek MercadoLibre Taps Into Pharma and Food With Regional Pilots
Sep 10, 2025
Martin de los Santos, Chief Financial Officer of MercadoLibre, dives into the company's bold steps into the pharmaceutical and food delivery sectors. He reveals how low e-commerce penetration in pharma presents unique opportunities and discusses the frequent purchase nature of food products that can boost revenues. The conversation also touches on the competitive landscape with Amazon's recent moves in Latin America, while highlighting MercadoLibre's innovative use of AI and logistics to enhance their operations.
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E‑Commerce Penetration Still Low
- MercadoLibre sees large upside because e-commerce penetration in Latin America is still only in the mid-teens.
- The company expects sustained growth as financial inclusion and online adoption rise across markets.
Small Pharmacy Buy To Test Pharma
- MercadoLibre acquired a small pharmacy in Brazil to run experiments in the highly regulated pharma category.
- The purchase is tiny for now but intended to test opportunities in a large, frequent-purchase market.
Pharma Is Low Penetration, High Potential
- Pharmaceuticals have very low e-commerce penetration but represent a large and frequent-purchase category.
- MercadoLibre views pharma as a complex, regulated area that nonetheless offers significant long-term potential.