Brazil eCommerce Explorer: People and Payments 2020

Suspension bridge. Cable-stayed bridge in the world. Sao Paulo city, Brazil, South America.

This article covers payment trends from 2019 and 2020. For the most recent research read: eCommerce and Payment Trends: Brazil

Brazil offers ecommerce leaders lucrative opportunities in the largest eCommerce market in Latin America¹. Understanding how Brazilian consumers engage in digital commerce and how they prefer to pay is absolutely vital to capturing and growing business.

Online marketplaces, digital goods sellers and gig-economy platforms that want to grab their slice of the Brazilian market cannot rely on a one-size-fits-all approach to payments or disbursements. Cash and voucher payments are widely used here, and most online card purchases are made with local cards that aren’t authorized for cross-border purchases¹.

Brazil at a Glance

Population: 209.47 million¹
GDP per capita: $8,921¹
eCommerce market value: $23.8 billion²
Mobile commerce market value: $7.6 billion²
Percentage of population using the Internet: 67.47%¹
Percentage of adults with a mobile phone: 85%¹
Percentage of population with bank accounts: 70%¹
Percentage of population that uses credit cards: 27%¹

Brazil eCommerce Trends

Cards and cash are the dominant way to pay for online goods in Brazil for the time being, but digital payment adoption is creating a massive opportunity for payment innovators. As more consumers gain access to smartphones the technology to pay through ewallets will be in their hands. Businesses must bridge the trust gap by providing secure checkout options and educating consumers on why digital payments are both convenient and safe.

Credit Cards Remain Popular: Over half of all online purchases are made with credit cards², but only 27% of the population currently uses them³. Additionally, most cards used for ecommerce are domestic-only, creating barriers to cross-border sales. Businesses need to partner with local payment processors to reduce cross-border sales obstacles and provide other payment methods to reach the majority of Brazilians.
Cash and Vouchers Can’t Be Ignored: Roughly one-third of Brazil’s adult population does not have bank accounts — making cash a critical payment option⁴. Voucher systems, such as Boleto Bancario, are also popular because they allow unbanked consumers to participate in the digital economy¹.
eWallets and QR Codes Are on the Rise: The combination of a high unbanked population and growing smartphone penetration will drive a surge in ewallet and QR code use over the next few years. Rappi and MercadoLibre are two regional leaders driving this trend. A core component of Rappi’s strategy to grow adoption is to give more Brazilians access to digital payment capabilities. RappiPay offers a digital wallet for users to upload funds and to make payments using QR codes and prepaid cards. MercadoLibre launched its MercadoPago payment solution to give merchants and customers a way to make and receive payments on their online marketplace. MercadoPago has grown rapidly in popularity and is now used for payments at Brick and Mortar locations through mobile point of sale (mPOS) machines the company provides to small and medium-sized merchants in Brazil.

Brazil eCommerce Data¹

Annual ecommerce Revenue: $15,279 million
Average ecommerce revenue per user: $119.69
Percentage of ecommerce purchases that are cross-border: 44%
Percentage of population making online purchases: 60.5%
Projected ecommerce growth: 2.5% annually to 2023

Top Merchant Segments¹

Fashion: 34%
Electronics & media: 27%
Toys, hobby & DIY: 17%
Furniture & appliances: 13%
Food & personal care: 8%

Brazil’s Preferred Local Payment Methods

The size of the Brazilian market makes it attractive for ecommerce growth despite the recent economic uncertainty. Businesses that want to seize the eCommerce opportunities in Brazil will need to create trust by localizing the entire shopping experience, including meeting local expectations for languages and currency, optimizing the user experience for mobile devices and providing multiple preferred payment methods.

Online Purchases by Device²

eCommerce purchase made on mobile devices: $7.6 billion
Mobile commerce purchases made in a browser: $4.6 billion
In-app mobile commerce purchases: $3 billion

Top Payment Methods in Brazil by Percent of Total Online Spending

2019 JP Morgan Global Payment Trends

Which of the Following Payment Methods Did You Use in the Past Three Months to Purchase Products or Services¹?

Consumer Technographics Global Online Benchmark Survey, based on 2,043 online adults, 2019, Forrester Research, Inc.

Take A Deeper Dive into Latin America

Download the LATAM Country Profile eBook for in-depth insights into payment preferences and consumer behavior.

Sources:

Mark Stiltner

Mark Stiltner is a finance and fintech writer. From educating independent investment advisors on retirement plan management to helping families maximize their savings to educating businesses on global payment preferences, Mark has spent over a decade researching and educating audiences on complex financial topics. Mark has been a contributing author on blog articles and educational content for the Bank of Colorado, Pinnacle Bank, TD Ameritrade, First Data and Rapyd.