For many brands in Latin America, expanding into the United States represents the ultimate growth opportunity. The U.S. market offers scale, purchasing power, and global visibility. However, entering this market without a clear logistics strategy can be costly and risky.
In this article, we’ll outline the most common mistakes brands make when expanding from LATAM to the U.S., and share how Kiki Latam’s integrated solutions can help you avoid them.
1. Misunderstanding U.S. Regulations and Compliance
One of the most frequent mistakes is underestimating the complexity of U.S. regulations. From FDA requirements for supplements and beauty products, to labeling standards and customs compliance, failing to meet U.S. standards can delay or block your shipments.
👉 Solution: Partner with a provider that offers Merchant of Record (Mor) services to ensure your sales and compliance are fully managed.
2. Overestimating Demand and Overstocking
Many brands believe they must ship massive amounts of inventory to the U.S. right away. This often leads to overstocking, higher warehousing costs, and cash flow problems.
👉 Solution: Start with fulfillment centers in the U.S. that allow flexible scaling of inventory as sales grow.
3. Ignoring Customs and Transit Times
Shipping directly from LATAM to the U.S. can involve complex customs processes and unpredictable transit times. Delays at the border not only increase costs but also harm customer trust.
👉 Solution: Use a hybrid model—store inventory locally in the U.S. while leveraging LATAM production for replenishment. Kiki Latam helps coordinate both ends of the supply chain.
4. Neglecting Last-Mile Delivery Expectations
U.S. consumers expect fast and reliable delivery—often same-day or next-day in major cities. Brands that cannot meet these expectations risk losing customers to local competitors.
👉 Solution: Work with an integrated partner that manages last-mile delivery through trusted carriers and ensures real-time tracking.
5. Underestimating Hidden Costs
From import duties to fulfillment fees and last-mile surcharges, costs can quickly add up. Brands often miscalculate pricing, leading to reduced margins or uncompetitive products.
👉 Solution: Kiki Latam provides full transparency and integrated cost management, allowing brands to price confidently for the U.S. market.
6. Not Localizing the Customer Experience
Beyond logistics, many brands forget that U.S. consumers expect local payment options, invoicing, and customer service. Without these, even strong products may fail to scale.
👉 Solution: Through our MoR model, Kiki Latam not only manages logistics but also acts as your legal seller in the U.S., enabling local payments, invoicing, and compliance.
How Kiki Latam Supports Expansion into the U.S.
Kiki Latam helps LATAM brands expand to the U.S. with a fully integrated model that includes:
- MoR (Merchant of Record) for compliance and local sales operations.
- U.S. fulfillment centers for faster deliveries.
- Customs coordination to minimize border delays.
- Last-mile delivery solutions adapted to U.S. consumer expectations.
- Production and private label support to align products with market demand.
With Kiki Latam, you can enter the U.S. market confidently and focus on growing your brand instead of navigating logistics complexity.
The U.S. is a market full of opportunities, but only for brands that prepare the right logistics strategy. Avoiding mistakes like overstocking, ignoring compliance, and underestimating last-mile demands is critical to success.
With Kiki Latam’s integrated logistics model, brands from LATAM can sell, ship, and scale in the U.S. without borders.
👉 Ready to grow in the U.S.? Contact us today and discover how Kiki Latam can become your strategic partner for expansion.