Peru E-Commerce Market Data [2022]

E-commerce and digitization is advancing at a safe pace in Peru. Solutions like Yape are currently stimulating digital banking. Americas Market Intelligence (AMI) analyses estimate that each person in Peru spends, on average, US$594 per year on electronic commerce, vs. the LatAm average of US$473. E-commerce spending in Peru actually represents 13% of personal private consumption. In contrast, other LatAm economies have a lower share of e-commerce spending per capita, such as: Colombia with 10%, Chile (9%), Argentina (7%), and Mexico (7%).

See below for an overview of e-commerce data in Peru. You may also read: Infographic: How Peruvians Buy Online.

Peru E-Commerce Market Overview

Last report by Cámara Peruana de Comercio Electrónico (CAPECE) indicates that e-commerce sales in Peru reached US$9,3 billion in 2021, a 55% increase over 2020. According to the report, “since the new normal, e-commerce [in Peru] has evolved. Before the pandemic, e-commerce represented 12.5% share of card transactions, and today it represents 45%.”

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

As such, AMI analysis indicates that in 2021, the e-commerce market in Peru posted slightly more than US$13 billion in sales, a 91% increase over 2020.

Projections for E-commerce in Peru

AMI projects that e-commerce in Peru will grow by 53% in 2022 to reach US$20 billion.

Also, according to AMI analysis, e-commerce market in Peru will grow by 21% between 2021 and 2025. By 2025, e-commerce volume in Peru will be US$27.8 billion.

The Top-Selling Products in Peru’s E-commerce Market

CAPECE report highlights the growth of online sales in different categories over 2021 (Kushki data). Department Stores went up to 72% in 2021; Restaurants, 92%; Supermarket, 75%. In contrast, the categories that have not yet recovered (when comparing their sales volume in 2021 over 2019—pre-pandemic) are Accommodation (-4%), Airline tickets (-17%), Tourism (-20%), and Entertainment (-28%).

It’s important to note that CAPECE shows different sources regarding the best-selling articles or categories for e-commerce, always in terms of growth. From all these sources, the following products stand out with the greatest increase in online sales in Peru during 2021:

• Fashion (81% growth)
• Home appliances (76% growth)
• Technology (84% growth)
• Household items (33% growth)
• Food and beverages (30% growth)
• Jewelry (30% growth)

On the other hand, the firm ecommerceDB breaks down the most important e-commerce products in Peru based on their respective shares of overall revenue:

1. Furniture & Appliances (23%)
2. Toys, Hobby & DIY (21%)
3. Electronics & Media (19%)
4. Food & Personal Care (19%)
5. Fashion with the remaining (18%)

The Main Payment Methods Used in E-Commerce in Peru

The CAPECE report breaks down the e-commerce payments methods in terms of market volume share during 2021:

• 34.5% of payments were made with a credit card
• 33.3% of payments were made with a debit card
• 21.5% of payments were made with digital wallets
• 7.5% of payments were made with cash vouchers
• 3% of payments were made by bank transfer

Alternatively, The Global Payment Report by FIS also listed the most used payment methods for online sales in Peru 2021:

1. Credit cards (40%)
2. Debit cards (20%)
3. Cash on delivery (12%)
4. Postpaid (10%)
5. Bank transfers (9%)
6. Digital wallets (9%)
7. Other (1%)
8. Direct debit (1%)

According to AMI’s E-commerce Data Library, the most common payment methods used for e-commerce shopping in Peru 2021 were:

1. Credit cards (34%)
2. Debit cards (27%)
3. Cash vouchers (18%)
4. Wallets (13%)
5. Others* (5%)
6. Bank transfers (3%)

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

Main Devices Used for E-Commerce Purchases in Peru

CAPECE shows the mobile and desktop penetration among Peru’s population, which of course has a great impact on e-commerce: 91.4% of the Peruvian population have smartphones, 37.7% have PC, 27.4% have laptops, and 12.5% have tablets.

According to this entity, 75% of traffic to e-commerce websites comes from mobile devices, although the purchase could be made on a desktop or laptop at the end. CAPECE estimates that 60% of online payments are made through mobile devices.

AMI uses a methodology based on transactional data to determine the devices used to make online purchases in Peru.

• In 2021, 56% of online purchases in Peru were made through a mobile device
• In 2021, 44% of online purchases in Peru were made through a desktop

According to AMI’s projections, in 2022 those percentages will go as follow:

• In 2022, 59% of online purchases in Peru will be made with a mobile device
• In 2022, 41% of online sales in Peru will be made with a desktop

Factors Limiting E-Commerce Growth in Peru

CAPECE highlights the following factors as challenging for e-commerce development in Peru, according to an analysis of problems and consultations made to Indecopi, a regulatory entity:

Problems when choosing a product and hitting the buy button

• 46% of problems reported during this stage of the online shopping journey were related to platforms’ inability to process a purchase, and 43% were related to misleading advertising.

• Fraud is a limiting factor. “During the CYBER event in July 2021 there were 302,744 offers published by stores, but only 22% of them were true.”

Problems with delivery and logistics

Logistics is CRITIC, as 50% of Indecopi records were related to this stage of the online consumer journey. Of those:

• 45% were related to products that never reached their destiny
• 31% were related to the cancellation of a purchase

Attention to claims and other requests

• Indecopi records show that 46% of claims were related to purchases that were not reimbursed
• 28% of problems were related to products came in bad conditions

Going Further

#1 Our LatAm E-Commerce Data Library contains extensive data on Peru. Click here to find out how to order a copy.

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

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

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