E-commerce transactions to reach BRL 196.1 billion in 2023

Brazil’s National Observatory of Electronic Commerce, part of the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services, announced this week that Brazilian e-commerce grew by 4 percent from 2022 and will generate BRL 196.1 billion in 2023. The sector has grown more than fivefold since 2016, from just over BRL 39 billion.

According to the Observatory, in 2023, the states of São Paulo, Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais together accounted for 60 percent of the country’s e-commerce.

“This shows that we have a lot of hard work ahead of us, especially in the areas of digital integration and income distribution,” said Uallace Moreira, secretary of the ministry of industrial development, innovation, trade and services, emphasizing that e-commerce is key to the country’s development.

Shopping profile

The Observatory notes that electronic invoice data provided by the Federal Revenue Service reveal that smartphones are the sales leaders in Brazilian e-commerce, generating BRL 10.3 billion in 2023. This is followed by books, brochures, and printed materials with BRL 6.4 billion; televisions with BRL 5.3 billion; refrigerators and freezers with BRL 5 billion; tablets with BRL 4.4 billion; and dietary supplements with BRL 3.7 billion.

Joining e-commerce

The Observatory’s data revealed significant regional differences in Brazilian e-commerce. The Southeast continued to dominate the e-commerce scene, accounting for 73.5 percent of online sales, while the South came next with 15.2 percent.

The Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services, together with the Brazilian Industrial Development Agency, is developing the E-commerce.BR project to increase the adoption of online commerce among small businesses. The project, which is set to launch by the end of the year, aims to improve financial performance through innovative solutions, especially in regions where e-commerce is still developing. Interestingly, interstate transactions account for 62 percent of e-commerce flows, exceeding the 38 percent of intrastate transactions.