Essentials of Brazil’s E-Commerce Market

A data portrait of Latin America’s online shopping powerhouse

Andreas Farge

Director – E-Commerce And Payment Methods Specialist

Recently, Americas Market Intelligence highlighted how currency appreciation and a dramatic increase in per-capita consumption is benefiting Brazil, among other LatAm countries. This will likely translate into e-commerce growth, and in fact NielsenIQ Ebit’s Webshoppers #47 report notes that:

• E-commerce in Brazil grew by 1.6% in 2022
• E-commerce orders in Brazil grew by 7.9% in 2022
• The amount of e-commerce shoppers in Brazil increased by 24%

Below we highlight some key data from PCMI’s 2023 E-Commerce Data Library and other sources in order to offer financial services, marketing and ecommerce professionals an understanding of Brazil’s e-commerce market in 2023.

2023 Growth Forecast for E-Commerce in Brazil

Driven by our proprietary methodology (which includes transactional data to maximize accuracy), PCMI analysts forecast that e-commerce in Brazil will grow by 27% in 2023.

PCMI further projects that e-commerce in Brazil will grow with a CAGR of 17% between 2023 and 2026 to reach a total volume of US$435.4 billion by 2026.

While these overall projections are important, focusing on consumer behavior delivers a deeper understanding of the market drivers.

How They Buy

According to PCMI’s E-commerce Data Library, the primary payment methods used by e-commerce shoppers in Brazil in 2023 are:

1. Domestic-only credit card: 40%
2. Pix: 29%
3. Cash vouchers: 10%
4. Internationally-enabled credit card: 9%
5. Digital wallet: 8%
6. Debit card: 1%
7. Bank transfers: 1%
8. Buy Now Pay Later: 1%

Note: PCMI differs from other sources in that it bases its figures on transactional data, as opposed to surveys with customers or merchants.

The data in Webshoppers #47 regarding payment methods differs significantly from PCMI’s, as does its methodology. According to the report, the top payment methods used in Brazil’s e-commerce market are:

• Credit card: 80%
• Cash voucher: 14%
• Store credit card: 3%
• Mobile payment: 2%
• Pix: 1%

The Global Payments Report 2023 from Worldpay also features data on top payment methods used by Brazilians for e-commerce:

• Credit card: 39%
• Account-to-account payment (including Pix): 24%
• Digital wallet: 18%
• Debit card: 13%
• PostPay: 3%

Another key aspect of the purchase process is the device used. According to PCMI:

• 30% of Brazilians make e-commerce purchases using a desktop
• 70% of Brazilians make e-commerce purchases using a mobile device

Data from other sources differs. For example, the Confederação Nacional de Dirigentes Lojistas (National Confederation of Retailers or CDNL) indicates the following breakdown for devices used to shop online in Brazil:

• 87% use mobile phones/smartphones
• 40% use notebooks
• 28% use desktops

This is based on a survey done by CDNL and SPC Brasil, in partnership with a local research firm.

What They Buy

According to Webshoppers #47, the top products purchased via e-commerce in Brazil are:

1. Cosmetics and perfumes
2. Home décor
3. Food and beverages
4. Health products
5. Appliances
6. Clothes and accessories
7. Sports and leisure products
8. Baby products
9. Phone products
10.  Software

What They Do

Recent survey data from Opinion Box (in the report Ecommerce Trends 2024) is helpful to understand e-commerce consumer behavior/preferences in Brazil, such as:

• 85% of Brazilians surveyed said that make online purchases at least once a month
• Top motivators to shop online include lower prices (58%), convenience of not needing to leave their homes (57%), deals that can only be found online (56%), the ability to compare prices easily (49%) and greater product variety (38%)
• Factors that influence online purchasing decisions by Brazilians include free shipping (73%), sales promotions (64%), delivery times (48%), coupons (46%) and payment methods (39%)
• Search habits for online shopping in Brazil include Google searches (61%), searches on online stores or using store apps (47%), searches on price comparison sites like Zoom or Buscapé (28%) and searches on brand reputation sites like ReclameAqui (27%)
• 65% of Brazilians surveyed by Opinion Box say they use social media sites to search for products, with 67% using Instagram, 51% using YouTube and 37% using Facebook
• 69% of Brazilian consumers say they bought products after seeing ads for them on social media
• 48% of Brazilians surveyed do NOT buy products recommended by influencers vs. 41% who do buy products recommended by influencers
  
  

Go Further

While the data shared here can be helpful, both payments companies and ecommerce companies may benefit from a deeper dive into Brazil’s e-commerce data, which they can obtain by acquiring the PCMI E-commerce Data Library for Latin America.

The Library covers not only Brazil but also 14 other countries in Latin America, featuring e-commerce market data such as:

• Historical volume of Brazil’s e-commerce market for 2022, 2021 and further back
• Projections of Brazil’s e-commerce market volume for 2023-2026
• Breakdowns by merchant vertical for e-commerce in Brazil: retail, travel, ride-hailing, digital goods and services like streaming
• Data on both cross-border and domestic e-commerce purchases in Brazil for 2022 and projections for 2023 and beyond
• Breakdowns and projections of payment methods used in Brazil e-commerce (international/domestic credit cards, Buy Now Pay Later, digital wallets, Pix and others

And much more.

But other key advantages make the PCMI E-commerce Data Library for Latin America a uniquely powerful tool for companies that seek a fuller understanding of e-commerce in the region:

1. It’s customizable to client needs: you can obtain additional data you need for your company’s specific business concerns, beyond what the Library offers
2. It’s budget-friendly: while detailed reports are available for 15 Latin American countries, you can just buy data on just 1 or save money by purchasing a country bundle
3. It includes personalized guidance: every purchase of the Library entitles you to a free 1-hour consultation about the data with one of PCMI’s industry experts
4. It offers unlimited sharing: there is no single-user license with the PCMI E-commerce Data Library for Latin America, so you can share it freely with your organization

Next Steps

Contact us to find out more about what the Library offers, how we can customize it to your needs and how you can purchase it.