People in Costa Rica are increasingly turning to the Internet when looking for jobs, new and used automobiles, real estate, deals on electronics, home appliances, pets, and more. A number of competing online classified portals have cropped up in the last few years, all looking to get a sizable piece of this lucrative pie.

The latest entry comes from Grupo Nacion, one of the largest media conglomerates in Costa Rica. Grupo Nacion is no stranger to classifieds. Their flagship publication, La Nacion, has long been known for its extensive classified ads section on their print editions. La Nacion’s online classified portal -Economicos- dominated the marketplace until other Internet portals such as Craigslist and Encuentra24 came on the scene.

Grupo Nacion recently announced the revamping of its Economicos site with Buscomi, a site that aims to consolidate all of Grupo Nacion’s classifieds. Using a catchy name, which in Spanish is a fragmented version of “I’m looking for”, Buscomi will appear in the daily print editions of the stately La Nacion and the salacious La Teja, starting today.

According to an article in La Nacion, Buscomi will run separate, color-coded categories each day of the week. The red category runs from Monday through Thursday, and it is for miscellaneous ads for services, tourism, pets, etc. Friday will be automobile day, identified by a blue label. The green category is for real estate, on Saturdays, and the orange employment section will run on Sundays, just in time for job seekers to submit their applications and seek interviews on Monday.

The online portal is already up and running, and is being tested by readers of La Nacion. While some comments cheered the new, clean look, most readers found Buscomi slow, and some complained that there are too many clicks involved now. Just like in the past, basic classified ads are free in some sections, while more elaborate ads require the user to contact customer service via a toll-free phone number.

Encuentra24

Buscomi is just one of the online classified sites that Ticos can flock to. Over the last few months, Encuentra24, a site that started in Panama, has greatly expanded its online presence in Costa Rica. More than a million unique visitors browse the site each month. What is interesting about Encuentra24 is that it has grown organically, much like Craigslist in the past, but its various community features make it less likely to fall prone to the pitfalls that tarnished the reputation of Craigslist.

Publishing ads on Encuentra24 is free, and there seem to be no limits as to the number of ads or the length of time they are online. The social media features in Encuentra24 allow ads to stand out. Users can indicate their preference for a classified ad, or they can report ads that seem fishy or too good to be true. The commenting and public messaging features can bring transparency and “social media worth” to each classified. More than 39,000 users follow Encuentra24 on Facebook, meaning that publishers of classified ads can find an even greater audience.

Encuentra24 also offers paid premium features that allow publishers to get more responses.

While Encuentra24 seems to be enjoying the upper hand for the time being in the battle over online classifieds supremacy in Costa Rica, the company should not rest on its laurels too soon. Ticos are becoming more adept at finding what they need online, and thus it is up to web outfits like Buscomi and Encuentra24 to look for ways to capture audiences and build loyalty.