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 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.

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:
- Home and decoration
- Perfumery and cosmetics
- Fashion and accessories
- Household appliances
- 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:
- Fashion and accessories
- Beauty, and Perfumery
- Health
- Foods and beverages
- 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:
- Credit card/charges (45%)
- Mobile/Digital wallet (16%)
- Debit card (14%)
- Postpaid (11%)
- Bank transfer (11%)
- Other methods (3%)
- 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:
- Credit cards (57%)
- Pix (16%)
- Wallets (12%)
- Cash vouchers (11%)
- Debit cards (2%)
- Bank transfers (1%)
- 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.
- Southeast is the most important region for e-commerce in Brazil, such region contributed 58% of e-commerce growth in the country.
- 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:
- Pix is the fastest-growing payment method for e-commerce purchases in Brazil according to AMI: 80% forecasted growth for 2022!
- Other impressive growth will be seen in Pay Now Pay Later; such a method will grow by 100% in Brazil in 2022, according to AMI.
- AMI forecasts that cross-border in Brazil will account for 6% of e-commerce market volume by 2022

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
