Trinidad and tobago Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in trinidad and tobago, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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eCommerce
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General Overview

Amazon is the top online retailer in Trinidad and Tobago with buyers skewing younger.

Legal & Regulatory

The GoTT highlighted several priorities for its e-legislative agenda including amending existing legislation, updating the Data Protection Act, finalizing the Cybercrime Bill, amending the Telecommunications Act, and introducing legislation to introduce a national digital identity.  In 2011, the Electronic Transaction Act came into effect, providing the legal framework for secure electronic commerce.  Since then, and particularly due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, eCommerce has grown in significance, with a larger number of businesses (utilities, banks, and most recently retail establishments) offering the option to pay bills and make purchases online or via mobile phone.

Consumer Behavior

Internet shopping is popular in TT.  While the local eCommerce sector is still in its infancy, the largest eCommerce retailer is Amazon.  The COVID-19 pandemic forced local businesses to rethink their eCommerce strategies and has spurred local growth since 2021.  There are no local requirements for businesses selling online in the market, but foreign exchange limitations may impede growth.  The key digital statistics for TT in January 2023 indicate:

  • Population: 1.4 million
  • Internet users: 1.21 million
  • Internet penetration: 79 percent
  • Active social media users: 1 Million (65 percent of population)
  • Mobile connections: 1.93 million

Many people have more than one mobile connection, so the figure for mobile connections exceeds 100 percent of the total population.  The top eCommerce sites in TT are:

  • Amazon
  • Aliexpress
  • MyShopify
  • Alibaba
  • Ebay

Local service providers overview

Local Business Service Provider director: Gateway to Trade Catalogue - TTCSI

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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