Forrester Research has forecasted that E-Commerce in Latin America will grow to US$82 billion by 2004. According to Forrester Research, the Latin American Internet economy will be principally powered by business-to-business (B2B) trade. Online B2B-related transactions and business activities which surround the growth of the Internet in Latin America could reach up to US$76 billion by 2004.(1)

USDOC (2)
US Department Of Commerce is working on an automated early warning systems for weather in Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. This will aid in the security of doing business in these countries as external investors can better monitor the conditions.

Common Sites: These are the most common types of Guatemalan e-commerce sites.
Most common: Tourist information : http://www.tradepoint.org.gt/travelguate.html and http://members.aol.com/guatemala1/html/guatunl.htm
Less common: US companies (amazon.com in spanish) offering sales to Guatemala.
Very few: Coffee exports: http://www.lucidcafe.com/cafebystate/guateforum.html and http://www.timeforcoffee.com/espanol.htm
Flower exports
Agricultural product exports

Obstacles:

The obsticles to e-commerce in Guatemala are considerable. It will take a great deal of effort to overcome these obsticles.
Education (literacy)
Education (computer/internet usage)
Access to both computers and internet.
Lack of commonality of credit cards and e-payment technology
Lack of trust

Listings: (3)
Here is a brief list of the first 10 submenus for commercial area sites in Guatemala and the number of sites found under each heading. For a complete listing of commercial sites go to http://www1.guate.net/directorio/MenuL1/DirectoriodeNegocios.asp

Latest Developments:

By Carlos González(4)

“Despite all the talk about electronic commerce, few Latin American countries have yet to see concrete examples of this new way of doing business.
In Guatemala, however, one of the most time-consuming aspects of the current, paper-based system of international trade is about to get much quicker, thanks to a program run by the Association of Non-Traditional Product Exporters (Agexpront).
The new initiative will consist of an Internet-based Electronic Authorization of Exports Service (EAES), which will make it possible for Guatemalan businesses to acquire export licenses on-line, eliminating a big piece of the paperwork that has traditionally slowed international trade.
The EAES, which will be connected to governmental agencies that control the license authorization process, will be available to users 24 hours a day everyday, year-round. Arnoldo Beltrán, an IDB specialist at the Bank’s Guatemala City office, says the new system will free exporters from having to travel to the limited number of governmental offices that offer such licenses, thereby saving a great deal of time. The EAES system will also help fulfill the government’s long-promised “one-window” service goal by centralizing license requirements through the Internet.
“This system will definitely help promote Guatemala’s economic development,” says Beltrán. Guatemala’s government will also benefit because the system will generate a detailed and up-to-date export database. “The system is connected to the central bank, known as Banguat, the Superintendence of Tax Administration, and any other agency or ministry involved in the process,” says Jorge Cruz, general manager of Agexpront. This interconnection means that if a certain export product requires authorization from the Ministry of Health, for example, the ministry can issue its approval online, without having to print and handle its own forms.
The EAES initiative is being underwritten by the Guatemalan government through its Food and Agriculture Sector Program, which is financed by the IDB. Other initiatives financed by this program will complement the EAES.”