RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – If on the one hand there was a drop in retail sales in physical stores, on the other there was an increase in demand for e-commerce nationwide.
The National Confederation of Commerce (CNC) estimates that e-commerce in Brazil will close 2021 up 38%. “In terms of revenues, we project R$304 (US$55) billion,” says CNC economist Fábio Bentes.
Federal Treasury data, analyzed by the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV), show that Brazilians bought more online during the pandemic and that a large part intends to continue doing so. The change of habit is here to stay and online sales in June 2020 grew 73% compared to the same period in 2019.
The survey points out that companies that sold online performed better in the period than physical stores.
To trace the consumers’ profile, residents of 1,946 households in 7 state capitals were interviewed. Of this total, 59.4% said they bought more online, through websites or apps.
Of these, 44.4% said they intend to continue buying online for the next 12 months; 19.4% said they will go back to buying in person, thereby reducing internet purchases.
The FGV survey also points out that online purchases grew more among higher-income consumers. While consumers earning over R$9,600 a month represent 71.8% of shoppers, those earning around R$2,000 a month account for 41.1%.
“The differences between income brackets may be explained because access to the Internet and the capacity to purchase equipment that enables online browsing are different. Low-income households find it difficult to afford internet and smartphones or computers that would help browsing. There is also unemployment and inflation,” explains FGV’s Brazilian Institute of Economics researcher and economist Cláudia Perdigão.