We recently published a list of 10 Best Internet Retail Stocks to Buy Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) stands against other best internet retail stocks to buy now.
What’s Happening In The Internet Retail Sector?
According to a report published by FTI Consulting, the United States e-commerce is experiencing a revival after a period of stagnation post-COVID. After 18 months of slow growth, e-commerce sales began to pick up again in early 2023 as consumers resumed shopping habits that had been altered during the pandemic. The report notes that e-commerce sales growth represented 46% of total retail sales growth in 2023 and surged to 57% in the first quarter of 2024, marking its highest contribution since 2017, excluding pandemic spikes.
Consumers have adopted the trend of shopping online as despite the reopening of physical stores, many consumers continue to prefer online shopping. The report indicates that foot traffic in stores remains lower than pre-pandemic levels, with many Americans choosing to shop online rather than visit physical locations. This shift suggests a long-term change in consumer behavior, as evidenced by ongoing declines in in-store visits and increased e-commerce market share.
Talking about the pandemic era from 2020 to 2022 total retail sales in the United States (excluding auto and gas) increased by 31%, compared to only 12.2% from 2017 to 2019. The report suggests this translates to an additional $1.9 trillion in retail spending above pre-COVID norms. This increased spending benefited the e-commerce segment as it was able to capture 87% of the increase in total retail spending during the height of the pandemic lockdowns.
Looking forward, the United States’ e-commerce sales are projected to grow at a sustainable rate of high to mid-single digits annually. This is a significant slowdown from the mid-teens growth rates seen before COVID but still sufficient for continued market share gains against traditional retail channels.
Moreover, the report also highlighted that newcomers including Temu, Shein, and TikTok Shop are entering the US e-commerce market. These newcomers are disrupting the established players through a strategy of becoming low-cost retailers. For instance, Temu achieved $14 billion in global gross merchandise value (GMV) sales in 2023 and is targeting $30 billion for 2024. On the other hand, Shein captured 40% of the fast fashion market domestically and had an estimated global GMV of $42 billion in 2023. Moreover, TikTok Shop was launched in 2023 and is aiming for $50 billion in global e-commerce sales by 2024.
The report suggests that while these platforms may attract budget-conscious consumers, they may not significantly threaten established e-commerce giant’s dominance due to perceived differences in product quality and brand positioning.
Looking ahead as per FTI Consulting the US online retail sales are expected to hit $1.2 trillion in 2024 translating to a 9.8% increase year-over-year. Moreover, the e-commerce market share is also expected to increase from 21.6% in 2023 to 22.7% by the end of the current year.
Moreover, some of the key trends identified by the reports are a sharp increase in the closing of physical retail stores due to increased labor costs, rents, and the feasibility of selling online. In addition to this, another key trend is the use of artificial intelligence among internet retailers, which helps engage with customers more closely and enables a personalized shopping experience.
“E-commerce is growing faster than expected and as new avenues of selling online open up, companies are bound to keep up with trends and innovative strategies. According to a report by Forbes, the e-commerce industry is expected to grow to a valuation of $7.9 trillion by 2027 from $6.3 trillion in 2024. In 2027, 23% of retail purchases are expected to be made online, up from 20.1% in 2024.
Our Methodology
To compile the list of 10 best internet retail stocks to buy now we used the Finviz stock screener. Using the screener, we shortlisted the internet retail stocks by their market capitalization. Next we used Insider Monkey’s Q2 2024 hedge funds database to rank the stocks by the number of hedge fund holders. Please note that the stocks are arranged in ascending order of the number of hedge funds.
Why do we care about what hedge funds do? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI)'s Latin American E-Commerce Dominance: Revenue and User Growth
A customer using their phone to access an online commerce platform.
MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) is a leading e-commerce platform in Latin America, which originated in Argentina and is now based in Uruguay. It operates across 18 countries, providing a wide range of services designed to facilitate online buying and selling.
The company provides various services operating through two main business segments, e-commerce and Fintech.
The range of services provided by the company within its e-commerce segment includes a marketplace platform, where users can buy and sell products across various categories, and classifieds, allowing users to post and search for various listings, and Mercado Ads, an advertising platform enabling sellers to promote their products through targeted advertisements.
On the other hand, the Fintech segment provides digital payment services and credit (loan) services for buyers and sellers based on their transaction history.
MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) released its third quarter results for fiscal 2024 on November 6th indicating a robust financial performance. The company delivered $5.3 billion net revenue up 35% year-over-year and a net income of $397 million with a 7.5% margin. Management attributed revenue and net income growth to solid improvement in unique buyers and monthly active users (MAU).
Unique buyers for its commerce segment grew 21% year-over-year across the region reaching 61 million. On the other hand monthly active users for the quarter grew 35% year-over-year to 56 million. It is one of the best internet retail stocks to buy now and was held by 84 hedge funds in Q2 2024, as per Insider Monkey’s database.
Artisan Developing World Fund stated the following regarding MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) in its Q3 2024 investor letter:
“Top contributors to performance for the quarter included Latin American marketplace MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI). MercadoLibre reported an impressive acceleration in gross merchandise value (GMV) growth in its core Brazilian market, while acceleration in credit card lending and development of its digital advertising capabilities continued.”
Overall, MELI ranks 4th on our list of best internet retail stocks to buy now. While we acknowledge the potential of MELI to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for a promising AI stock that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
