E-commerce growth drives customs challenges and digital pharmacy expansion

The rise of e-commerce presents significant operational challenges for customs administrations, such as those in Costa Rica. The fragmentation of imports into millions of small, low-value shipments complicates identification and analysis. Customs authorities face risks including commercial fraud, undervaluation, illicit goods, counterfeiting, and products requiring special controls, all while managing high volumes and short intervention windows.

To address these issues, the World Customs Organization (WCO) has developed frameworks to support secure cross-border e-commerce. This includes the WCO Framework of Standards on Cross-Border E-Commerce (MCE) and technical specifications like the E-Commerce Framework of Services (FoS) to balance trade facilitation with national security.

In the digital health sector, online parapharmacies are evolving to meet consumer demand for cosmetics and personal care. Platforms such as PromoFarma, OK Farma, and Atida|Mifarma are competing based on catalog breadth, delivery speed, and customer service models, ranging from large digital ecosystems to services that replicate the experience of local neighborhood pharmacies.