Welcome to Tambo

Did you, growing up, have a small corner store that you loved going to?

In 2015, in Peru, the concept of corner stores or bodegas  was forever revolutionized: Tambo came to life.

In case you were wondering, the word Tambo, which comes from the Quechua language, was an Incan structure that contained several supplies.

Taking this into a 21st-century scenario, the founders of the Tiendas Tambo  have adapted the original definition into a chain of convenience stores like 7-11, currently running in Lima, Peru.

Just to provide you with a little context, convenience stores in Lima have kept a traditional, old-school vibe. 

It is common for families and individuals to go to the small corner store in the block and buy some daily products.

At the same time, big and medium-sized supermarkets have grown and made their way into the market, especially in the past 20 years.

This enduring change in the supermarket industry in Lima, Peru, and in other South American countries is perhaps what has given Tambo the room to find its audience. Up to this date, there are close to 200 Tambos in Lima.

From a marketing perspective, lets consider two factors that have made Tambo a success: its Facebook presence and its own website.

FaceTambo

In almost three years, Tambo has been able to capture over 353,000 likes on Facebook. That is about 322 new likes every day.

But a high number of likes on Facebook is not what has ensured Tambo's success. It has to do with their engagement with us customers.

Tambo shares interesting posts that gain attention in terms of likes/reactions, comments, and shares. For example, now that Peru has made it to the FIFA World Cup after 35 years, Tambo announced that the sticker albums for the tournament would be sold at their store.

If we look through their posts, we can also see that Tambo answers to a lot of comments, with the use of hashtags and memes.

Tambo Web

From the first click, the Tambo website looks visually-appealing, interactive, and easy to access.

In addition to showing their promotions, Tambo also includes an interactive map in their website, where we can take a look at where the bodegas or tiendas are located in Lima.

The Future of Tambo

Given its tremendous success, we should expect Tambo to expand and keep growing, potentially opening up new stores in other Peruvian cities.

There is something to consider. As stated, many Peruvians are still used to more traditional corner stores. 

While Tambo seems to be taking over, there are also people who prefer to support their local neighborhood bodega. There is a great article about this clash, unfortunately it is only available in Spanish.

Despite this consideration, Tambo is only getting started. In addition to their physical expansion, it will be interesting to see if they continue to engage their audience through Facebook and whether they decide to be more active on other social media platforms.

Los Tambos han llegado para quedarse. The Tambos have come to stay.