• B2W has recently announced the test of drones to optimize logistics 
• The company seeks to attract local partners to broaden the services of its digital wallet, Ame

The Brazilian e-commerce firm B2W, a subsidiary of the popular retailer Lojas Americanas, is one of the biggest e-commerce of the country, running brands such as Submarino and Shoptime – and now it is planning its next step: to launch a superapp.

Following the steps of other local big players like Via Varejo and Mercado Livre, this endeavor will certainly be a challenge for the company to tackle, in a sector where another big player is already settled and growing – the on-demand Colombian superapp Rappi.

Also read: Via Varejo’s own fintech, BanQi, received investments and is betting on innovation

But the company is quite bullish in its approach, claiming that it is the right move. The owner of the digital wallet Ame, an app developed to give discounts and other shopping incentives for customers purchasing via the company’s online stores, B2W wants to turn Ame into an independent firm, which will later bring more features, besides the current ones on the app.

In an interview with the Brazilian media outlet Valor Econômico, Fabio Abrate, the CFO of B2W, explained that the plans are to speed up partnerships with players of other sectors, incorporating a wide range of services within the app. 

“We think that we can turn this business into a ‘superapp;’ that is, to include a series of services and features, so that in fact Ame can follow the customer’s journey from the time he wakes up, until he goes to sleep,” stated Abrate in a conference call with market analysts on the occasion of the company’s Q2 results report.

“There are a lot of good people around the world working very well with this kind of initiative, so eventually bringing in a strategic partner can be important for further accelerating Ame’s development,” explained the executive to Valor. And Abrates is certainly right, because there are, indeed, plenty of savvy players with their sights set on this trend.

Also read: The ride-hailing service Cabify plans to enter the fintech market in Brazil