In Ecommerce, Payments

Brazil is one of the most advanced e-commerce markets in Latin America, with consumers spending 17% of their personal private consumption on buying online, according to Americas Market Intelligence (AMI), while the average for LatAm is barely 8%. AMI analysis also points out that e-commerce in Brazil is 18% of the share of retail in 2022.

That said, Brazilian retailers are the most sophisticated and capable when it comes to entering marginal areas of e-commerce and physical products, even leveraging new channels, e.g. social media and apps.

As a complement to this article, please read Infographic: How Brazilians Buy Online.


The LatAm E-Commerce Datapack, 2020-2024

The LatAm E-Commerce Data Library

Strategic data on market volumes, purchase habits, payment methods, demand drivers and more for +15 countries


Market Overview

According to the Ebit/Nielsen and Bexs report Webshoppers (45th edition), e-commerce sales increased by 27% in Brazil in 2021 and reached R$183 billion (US$33.8 billion). Almost 13 million new consumers started buying online in Brazil, creating a total of 87.7 million online shoppers in Brazil in 2021.


At Americas Market Intelligence (AMI), we use a different methodology than Ebit/Nielsen and Bexs to calculate market size, working in all merchant verticals, PC, mobile and in-app purchases, crossborder e-commerce transactions using a locally issued card and all card-not-present transactions, such as recurring payments.

AMI analysis indicates that in 2021, the e-commerce market in Brazil produced US$153 billion in sales. The 2021 e-commerce growth in Brazil was 38%.


Brazil E-commerce Projections

According to AMI analysis, the e-commerce market in Brazil will grow by 22% between 2021 and 2025 to reach US$341.7 billion.

By the end of 2022, e-commerce in Brazil will reach US$197.6 billion on sales, according to AMI, which represents 29% growth over 2021.

Makeup products. Close up

Best-Selling E-Commerce in Brazil

According to Ebit/Nielsen and Bexs, the top 6 most popular types of stores for e-commerce in Brazil in 2021 (in terms of order growth) were:

  1. Home and decoration
  2. Perfumery and cosmetics
  3. Fashion and accessories
  4. Household appliances
  5. Foods and beverages

As for Food and beverages, that category “stood out with significant growth and gained importance in 2021.”


On the other hand, a report from Neotrust shows that during Q2 2022 the top-selling categories in Brazil (in terms of orders) were:

  1. Fashion and accessories
  2. Beauty, and Perfumery
  3. Health
  4. Foods and beverages
  5. Household utilities

The “Health” category presented a 125% order growth over 2021, the highest. Fashion and accessories, as well as Household utilities, had negative growth of -3.7% and -11% respectively.


Top Payment Methods Used in E-Commerce in Brazil

According to Global Payments Report 2022 from FIS, by the end of 2021 the most common payment methods used for e-commerce shopping in Brazil were:

  1. Credit card/charges (45%)
  2. Mobile/Digital wallet (16%)
  3. Debit card (14%)
  4. Postpaid (11%)
  5. Bank transfer (11%)
  6. Other methods (3%)
  7. Direct debit (1%)

AMI uses a different methodology for this analysis, so as per AMI the most common payment methods used for e-commerce shopping in 2021 in Brazil were:

  1. Credit cards (57%)
  2. Pix (16%)
  3. Wallets (12%)
  4. Cash vouchers (11%)
  5. Debit cards (2%)
  6. Bank transfers (1%)
  7. Others* (1%)

*Includes gift cards, cash-on-delivery, direct carrier billing, and other miscellaneous payment methods.



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Devices Used for E-Commerce Purchases in Brazil

Ebit’s data indicates that mobile devices accounted for 59% of the e-commerce orders in Brazil in 2021, while 41% of e-commerce orders were made by desktops.

Also, according to Ebix, by the end of 2021, e-commerce orders made by mobile devices accounted for 53% of total volume, which represented a 32% growth in comparison to 2020.

AMI analysis indicates the following breakdown of devices for e-commerce purchases in Brazil:

  • 65% of e-commerce purchases in Brazil in 2021 were made with mobile devices
  • 35% of e-commerce purchases in Brazil in 2021 were made with a desktop

By the end of 2022 the percentages will shift even further in favor of mobile, according to AMI projections:

  • 69% of e-commerce purchases in Brazil in 2022 will be made with mobile devices
  • 31% of e-commerce purchases in Brazil in 2022 will be made with a desktop

Customer Insights into Brazilian E-Commerce Shoppers

According to Ebit/Nielsen and Bexs data, some key factors to consider with Brazilian e-commerce shoppers include:

  • The food and beverages category showed significant growth in Brazilian e-commerce in 2021, growing 107% in orders versus 2020.
    • Practicality and special prices are the main purchase drivers for supermarket delivery apps. 69% of Brazilians prefer to buy by a delivery app because “I don’t need to leave home,” and 55% of Brazilians prefer to buy mobile because they receive special promotions.
    • Free shipping (82%), Discount coupons (67%), and Price discounts (62%) are the most preferred promotions among delivery app’s Brazilian users.
  • The average amount spent per order on Brazil e-commerce is R$441 for recurring consumers and R$454 for new consumers. Specifically for mobile commerce, the average ticket for e-commerce in Brazil is R$398.
  • Search engines, social networks and typing in the store name are the main avenues for e-commerce stores in Brazil, but it differs among segments. Construction and tools, for example, got reached mainly through search engines (35% of orders). Fashion and accessories got reached mainly through social media (29%).

Other Factors to Consider

AMI analysis offers other important data points to consider with regard to Brazilian e-commerce shopping:


The LatAm E-Commerce Datapack, 2020-2024

The LatAm E-Commerce Data Library

Strategic data on market volumes, purchase habits, payment methods, demand drivers and more for +15 countries


Going Further

To learn more about Brazilian e-shopping, recent AMI research may be helpful. Our LatAm e-commerce Data Library contains extensive data on Brazil. Click here to find out how to order a copy.

For more specific data, AMI specializes in research and market intelligence for the Brazil and LatAm e-commerce markets in a number of key areas:

  • Identifying the major payment methods used in Brazil’s e-commerce markets to help merchants with strategic planning, market-entry, and market expansion
  • Helping merchants understand the cross-border e-commerce potential in Brazil and the practices that can increase cross-border sales
  • Using artificial intelligence and machine learning to help e-commerce merchants focused on Brazil to analyze their customer data for a deeper understanding of e-commerce shopper behavior and tendencies so as to refine their marketing tactics, messaging, and consumer outreach

Contact us

if your company has specific data, market research or market intelligence needs regarding the e-commerce market in Latin America or in specific markets such as Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Peru.


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