The gleaming LG washing machine that Jenny Hernandez picked out on Friday at Artefacta, a Madrid household appliance shop, will be delivered next week not to her small Madrid apartment, but to her home in Quevedo, Ecuador.

For Ms Hernandez, Artefacta offers a secure means of sending home part of her €700 ($920, £470) salary. Goods paid for in Madrid can be delivered in Ecuador or Peru.