Merama

About Merama

Merama is part of Latin America’s dynamic e commerce ecosystem, managing and scaling digital brands with high growth potential. At different stages of its evolution, the company has operated with structures of more than 150 employees distributed across Finance, Legal, Commercial, Operations, and highly specialized profiles in e commerce, data analysis, and digital performance. The work model is clearly cross functional. Each team understands its metrics, its impact on profitability, and its role in the growth of the business. It is not an organization that operates by intuition. It operates through data. In a digital market where margins can change quickly and competition is intense, that internal discipline makes a meaningful difference. With that level of external demand, the internal structure also has to respond. Operational efficiency is not a luxury. It is a requirement for sustainable growth.

Organizational culture

Merama’s organizational culture is built for speed and execution. Decision making is supported by data, continuous improvement is part of everyday work, and accountability is expected across every team. As Valeria Chao Lagler, People Director, explains, “Our culture is focused on results, in a fast paced and flexible environment where agile decision making and continuous improvement are part of everyday work.” That mindset creates a very clear expectation for areas such as Finance and Human Resources. Internal processes cannot operate at a slower pace than the business itself. If commercial operations move quickly, payroll must do the same. Without delays, without unnecessary manual work, and without uncertainty.

How did they manage payroll before Runa?

Before implementing Runa, payroll was managed manually and remotely. The process required collecting information from different sources, validating data repeatedly, running calculations in spreadsheets, and reviewing everything several times before issuing payroll receipts. It was a process that worked during earlier stages of growth, but became increasingly difficult to sustain as the organization expanded. In a company with variable compensation structures, specialized talent, and constant operational changes, manual payroll management became an operational risk. The challenge was not necessarily the process itself, but the level of human intervention required to keep it running accurately. In addition, the lack of automation limited visibility into employee information and made it more difficult to generate consolidated reports for strategic planning. For a company that relies heavily on performance metrics and real time information, this created friction that eventually needed to be addressed.

What problems did Runa solve?

The implementation of Runa marked an important step in the professionalization of payroll management. Automation significantly reduced the margin for error in calculations, while centralizing information provided greater visibility, consistency, and traceability throughout each payroll cycle. Beyond improving efficiency, the platform strengthened confidence in the process. The team gained certainty that calculations were accurate and that compliance requirements were being handled correctly, allowing attention to shift away from operational concerns and toward strategic priorities. Another important improvement came from reporting capabilities. For a business operating in a competitive e commerce environment, understanding labor costs and monitoring their evolution is essential for workforce planning and growth decisions. As Valeria explains, “We came to Runa to make our payroll processes more efficient and automated; it allowed us to reduce errors and significantly improve control over information.” That level of control supports the financial discipline necessary to sustain long term growth.

Why did they choose Runa over other providers?

The decision was based on practicality. Merama evaluated different alternatives by looking at cost effectiveness, implementation speed, ease of use, and the overall user experience. They were not searching for a complex platform filled with unnecessary features. They needed a solution with strong payroll capabilities in Mexico, clear information management, and a simple adoption process for the team. Runa stood out because it offered exactly that. The intuitive user experience became an important differentiator, especially in an organization where speed matters and lengthy implementations are not an option. The company also understood that Runa’s primary strength is payroll rather than serving as a complete Human Resources suite. For their objective of automating and strengthening a critical process, that specialization was an advantage. In a fast growing company, leadership attention is one of the most valuable resources. Reducing administrative friction and having reliable labor information may not always appear immediately in financial results, but it plays a critical role in enabling organized and sustainable growth. For Merama, that combination of efficiency, visibility, and control made Runa the right strategic choice.