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Cical is a vehicle dealership group with more than sixty years of experience in the offline market, with a strong presence in the Midwest and Southeast regions of Brazil, particularly in the states of São Paulo and Goiás — the latter being the group’s place of origin. In light of the growth of e-commerce in Brazil, the company recognized the need to expand its operations to digital platforms.
Just one click away from Cical’s digital sales transformation
The partnership with Alephee emerged after a meeting with General Motors. With data and insights shared by the automaker, Cical realized it was the perfect time to increase its presence where the consumer is. Thus, the company joined forces with Alephee to lead its digital sales transformation and launch an omnichannel strategy, integrating its digital operations with Mercado Livre.
Odin Hipólito points out that Alephee became a great ally, as one of its solutions is the creation of bulk listings, a functionality that enables product optimization within the e-commerce platform. He explains that the company already had a store on Mercado Livre, but it had been “abandoned” between 2017 and 2022. With great effort, consistency, and well-defined strategies, they saw that it was possible to grow and become a consolidated brand in the online environment as well.
After intense daily dedication, the results were positive. Cical not only managed to recover its reputation on the platform, but also achieved a positive return in the very first month. E-commerce manager Odin highlights that in the first month of active operation on Mercado Livre, the store billed around R$30,000, increasing to R$70,000 the following month. When asked about this rapid performance, he said: “Without Alephee, we wouldn’t have achieved what we already have or what we still aim to achieve.”
After two years, revenue grew significantly, reaching between R$400,000 and R$500,000 per month. The company’s goal is ambitious: to further strengthen its presence on the leading e-commerce platform in Latin America. To achieve this goal, Cical continues to rely on the support of Alephee, which has been and continues to be its main partner.
The main challenges faced by Cical
One of the main challenges Cical faced was understanding the particularities of the Mercado Livre ecosystem, such as how the algorithm works and the importance of offering quality products and responding quickly to customer demands. Consistency in this process is essential to avoid penalties.
Excessive moderation, for example, can even result in the company’s account being banned from the marketplace. Odin Hipólito emphasizes: “The lack of a clear guide at the beginning led us to a trial-and-error process, until the team found the right path to improve sales.”
Another challenge was adapting to Alephee’s integrator platform. Despite being powerful, it required time to be fully understood and used to its full potential. Odin explains that in the early stages, everything was new and the company had to study both platforms to extract the best from each.
Looking ahead to the future of e-commerce
Cical knows that e-commerce is just beginning. Over the coming years, it plans to expand its operations to other platforms such as Magalu, Amazon, and Shopee. Odin highlights: “The more marketplaces we are on, the more visibility we get, which helps strengthen the company’s presence and, consequently, boost sales across digital channels.”
And of course, to meet its current and future goals, Cical intends to continue with Alephee, since, as Odin himself states: “If it weren’t for Alephee’s integrator, we wouldn’t have come even close to the results we have today.”
