5 Minutes with… Renan Mota

In July 2022, WPP announced that it had acquired Corebiz, an e-commerce digital solutions company based in Latin America. The move came about as part of a strategy to strengthen the network’s digital commerce capabilities in the region, especially in the remit of VTEX implementation, which Corebiz also specialises in.

As well as leading in that area, the agency creates digital campaigns, using targeted SEO, full stack development, CRM system implementation and more to help clients like Whirlpool, Walmart and Estée Lauder to reduce time-to-market and reach new multi-channel audiences in Latin America and beyond.

To discuss how Corebiz started and how it’s now working alongside VMLY&R COMMERCE and the rest of WPP’s network, as well as the recent developments in the e-commerce world, LBB’s Ben Conway caught up with the company’s co-CEO and founder, Renan Mota.

LBB> You began as a web designer - how did you make the leap to the world of e-commerce? Does your web design experience influence your approach to work today?

Renan> Initially, my focus was always on the general web market, and doing a bit of everything was the rule, not the exception - this included web design. But within the overall web market, one particular area began to interest me more and I had the vision it would be promising for the future. It was through some clients, who were e-commerce businesses and did basic web design, that I realised the potential this market would have in the future. From then on, I thought it would be worth directing my efforts to learn more about e-commerce.

LBB> You founded Corebiz in 2012 - tell us a bit about the creation of the business! What problems was the company aiming to solve?

Renan> In 2012 in Brazil, many companies did not have e-commerce, but understood the need to have an online sales channel. This seemed like a great opportunity to us because companies needed to develop their e-commerce platforms, and we knew how to do it – from the best user experience interface to technology and expertise in logistics operations. At that time, if you had a purchasing interface with an online catalogue, combined with the ability to deliver the product to the customer's home, basically, you could have an e-commerce business. Our role was to bring all these pieces together into one platform.

LBB> How has Corebiz evolved since then? What doors has the WPP acquisition opened for you?

Renan> The e-commerce market was growing, integrating with the physical world and demanding new services. We took advantage of this growth and added more services and complexity to them. We became experts in Latin America but it was still very difficult for us to reach more mature markets. 

Becoming part of the WPP network, and specifically part of VMLY&R COMMERCE, has opened a lot of important doors for us. We’re now able to work with larger clients and markets outside of Latin America – such as the United States and Europe – bringing our market-leading knowledge of enterprise commerce platforms to clients across a much larger network.  

LBB> Corebiz’s e-commerce solutions focus on three pillars - acquisition, conversion and loyalty. Tell us a bit about what each means and how you help brands in 2023!

Renan> We understand that by focusing on our clients' customers, we provide the best service for our clients. That's why we work on enabling and optimising every step of the customer's journey in e-commerce and their omni-channel connections. This involves building e-commerce channels (websites, apps, marketplaces...), services to acquire more qualified traffic for these channels, the best user experience aiming for conversion within these channels, and finally - once the customer is converted, they need to be retained - so we have services focused on loyalty for this customer base. In the end, the customer gains a complete, more personalised experience, our client benefits from increased sales and long-term customer relationships, and as a result, Corebiz benefits.

LBB> You’re also a VTEX implementation specialist. For the uninitiated, can you please explain what VTEX is and why it’s important for brands to implement?

Renan> E-commerce was born in the digital realm and is based on various integrated and ever-changing technologies. So, it's essential to have a platform that is always up-to-date and brings new tools to support our clients' e-commerce strategies. VTEX is one of those platforms, always at the forefront of the market and serving various types of industries globally. That's why we decided to become partners with VTEX, and since then, it has been a great success for Corebiz, VTEX, and our clients.

LBB> Corebiz has recently expanded to Colombia - why is now the right time? How is the Colombian market similar and different to your other markets, and what excites you about this move?

Renan> Colombia has always been part of our expansion plan in the Latin American market because it has one of the fastest-growing e-commerce sectors. It is an extremely important market for e-commerce, and with several of our clients already in operation there, opportunities were already present. It made logical sense to be the next step in our expansion. I am very excited about the possibilities we already have with some of our clients, the partnership with VTEX, which already has a good market share in Colombia, and especially the new possibilities of working with the VMLY&R network locally.

LBB> What are some of the key challenges facing the e-commerce sector today? How are you helping brands overcome them?

Renan> E-commerce emerged as an additional extra channel, which later became a mandatory additional channel for business. Now though, we believe e-commerce should be part of the core business of most companies. As a result, e-commerce has started to integrate with various areas, in different ways and with different objectives. For IT, it needs to be scalable and integrable; for marketing, it needs to support off-site sales and make online sales; for logistics, it needs to be integrated throughout the supply chain. And there are new areas that have emerged too, such as marketplace management. 

The integration between all areas of the company is the main challenge, and if done well, the result is exponential. By providing services and helping with this integration, Corebiz has been successful with clients.

LBB> What are you looking forward to most for your business in the remainder of 2023? Any exciting projects or developments?

Renan> 2023 has been a fantastic year. It is our first full year in WPP, and new horizons are being opened rapidly. We are working very hard on retail media in the e-commerce sector and expanding all our services to the United States and Europe, partially executed through Latin America. We are experts, provide a high-quality service and have a super competitive cost. Working together with the group, we see our expertise is highly valued, and the growth potential is enormous. We hope to take what we are doing best here to outside of Latin America.