01_RESEARCH/payments/tigo-money-mercado-pago-bank.md
Payments — Paraguay Landscape for Intimate-Product E-commerce
Date: June 19, 2026
The 4 viable payment methods
Method 1 — Bank transfer / SIPAP
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| What | Direct transfer from customer's bank to Sarah's PY bank account |
| Customer experience | Generate order, customer receives Sarah's bank details, customer transfers, sends receipt via WhatsApp, Sarah confirms and ships |
| Pros | Zero transaction fees, no processor needed, fully discreet (no card statement) |
| Cons | Friction (customer has to go to bank/app), not instant, manual reconciliation |
| Best for | First 30 days, low volume, high-discretion purchases |
| Discreet billing | Bank statement shows Sarah's business name (e.g., "Sarah Importaciones") — customer chooses what to tell their bank |
Method 2 — Tigo Money
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| What | Tigo's mobile wallet, dominant in PY |
| Customer experience | Customer opens Tigo Money app, sends to Sarah's Tigo Money number, screenshot receipt via WA |
| Pros | Massive user base in PY, instant transfer, low fees (~1–2%), discreet |
| Cons | Limits on transfer size (verify with Tigo), not all customers have Tigo Money |
| Best for | Default payment method, especially for younger / unbanked customers |
| Discreet billing | Tigo Money statement shows "Transferencia a [Sarah's business name]" — not "Sexitive" or "lubricant" |
Method 3 — Mercado Pago
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| What | MercadoLibre's payment processor, widely used in PY |
| Customer experience | Checkout on site, choose Mercado Pago, pay with card / Tigo Money / bank transfer / Mercado Credito |
| Pros | Familiar to most PY e-com buyers, multiple payment sub-methods, buyer protection |
| Cons | ~5–6% transaction fee, MercadoLibre has restrictions on adult content (checkout may work but listings get pulled), discreet billing concern: card statement shows "MERCADO PAGO *SARAH BUSINESS" |
| Best for | Customers who want buyer protection or don't have Tigo Money |
| Discreet billing | ⚠️ Test before relying on. Card statement descriptor is configurable but goes through Mercado Pago's approval. |
Method 4 — Stripe / international card processor
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| What | Stripe or similar for international card acceptance |
| Customer experience | Standard card checkout |
| Pros | International cards accepted, professional UX, dispute handling |
| Cons | ~4–6% + Gs 2K per transaction, Stripe has policies on adult content (allowed but flagged), Payouts in USD only (Sarah needs to convert), tax complexity in PY |
| Best for | If Sarah later expands to UY/BO/AR customers |
| Discreet billing | Configurable statement descriptor — Sarah can set "Sarah Importaciones" |
Recommended payment stack for launch
| Order | Method | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tigo Money | Default. Highest adoption. Lowest friction in PY. |
| 2 | Bank transfer (SIPAP) | High-discretion customers. Zero fees. |
| 3 | Mercado Pago | Customer preference (some want it). Test discreet billing before promoting. |
| 4 | Stripe (later) | Add when international traffic or larger average orders justify it. |
Stack for launch: Tigo Money + Bank transfer. Add Mercado Pago in month 2 after testing discreet billing.
Discreet billing — what "discreet" actually means
| Layer | What shows on customer's statement | Control |
|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer | "[Sarah's business name]" | Sarah controls business name (use neutral name like "Sarah Importaciones" or "LubriPY S.A.") |
| Tigo Money | "Transferencia a [Sarah's business name]" | Same as above |
| Mercado Pago | "MERCADOPAGO[business name]" or "MERPAGO[business name]" | Test before relying. If Mercado rejects "intimate" descriptors, fall back. |
| Stripe | "[business name] + city" | Sarah sets descriptor in dashboard. |
| Card statement (any processor) | Depends on MCC code | Sarah's business is registered as "retail cosmetics" or similar — not "adult." Use correct MCC. |
Critical: Sarah's business registration (RUC) should be in a neutral category ("venta de cosméticos y productos de higiene personal" or similar), NOT in any "adult entertainment" category. This affects what shows on card statements and what MCC Stripe assigns.
See questionnaire §1.6 — RUC activity code.
Payment collection flow (recommended)
1. Customer adds to cart, hits "Comprar por WhatsApp"
2. Site sends pre-filled WA message to Sarah's WA Business
3. Sarah (or AI agent) replies with: order summary + total + payment options
4. Customer chooses: Tigo Money / Bank / Mercado Pago
5. Customer pays, sends receipt screenshot via WA
6. Sarah confirms receipt, asks for shipping address
7. Sarah packs, ships, sends tracking
8. Post-delivery: Sarah asks for review / repeat order
No card-on-file. No saved payment methods. Maximizes discretion. Minimizes PCI scope.
What Sarah should ask her bank
- "¿Puedo abrir una cuenta empresa sin tener RUC todavía, o primero RUC y después cuenta?" (In PY, RUC first.)
- "¿Cuál es la comisión por recibir transferencias SIPAP desde otros bancos?" (Often 0, but verify.)
- "¿Puedo asociar la cuenta a Tigo Money para recibir pagos en la cuenta?" (Usually yes.)
- "¿Emiten tarjetas corporativas? ¿Cuál es el costo anual?" (For ad spend on Meta/IG later, may be needed.)
- "¿Tienen API o webhooks para confirmar pagos automáticamente?" (Not needed for launch; useful later.)