E-commerce is up 1.6% in 2022 and earns BRL 262 billion, says consultancy

Brazilian e-commerce revenues reached BRL 262.7 billion in 2022, up 1.6% over the previous year. Despite growth well below inflation, after years of double-digit highs in the pandemic, the value represents a record for the sector.

The data comes from a survey carried out by NielsenIQEbit and was forwarded to Broadcast, Grupo Estado’s real-time news system.

That year, the company revised the methodology and, under the new parameters, in 2020, revenue was R$ 199.1 billion and, in 2021, R$ 258.5 billion.

It is noteworthy, however, that the percentage of Brazilian digital consumers who made purchases on foreign websites broke a historic record. There were 72% who made an acquisition on international websites during the year 2022, the highest rate in the series started in 2013

In the comparison between 2020 and 2021, the percentage of those who buy from websites in other countries had dropped from 71% to 68%. Now, however, the number exceeds that recorded two years ago.

In addition, the group of Brazilians who buy more than 10 items on international websites grew by 4 percentage points, in the comparison between 2022 and the immediately previous year, and now represents 15% of the total audience of these platforms.

In e-commerce in general, according to the survey, there was a 24% increase in the number of e-commerce consumers in the country, compared to the previous year.

In the analysis by region, the North stood out in sales growth, with an increase of 18%. The other two Brazilian regions that grew in this regard were the Northeast (3%), Southeast (0.4%) and South (3%).

Consolidation

For NielsenIQEbit, the survey points to the stability of the sector, thanks to the result of the average ticket, which fell by 7.5%, compared to 2021, as well as the increase in the number of orders, recorded at 7.9%.

“People made more purchases, but for lower value-added items, which justifies the drop in the average ticket. The result is very important and consolidates e-commerce as a very popular shopping channel among Brazilians. After the boom from 2020 to 2021, with an increase of 29.8%, the sector remains at a high level, with a forecast of stability”, analyzes the Head of e-commerce at the market research company, Marcelo Osanai.

In the monthly analysis of the 2022 performance, it is possible to notice that the beginning of the year was warmer than the end, even with important dates in November and December, such as Black Friday and Christmas.

The months with the greatest variation in sales volume in the comparison between 2022 and 2021 were January and February, with increases of 20.1% and 18.1%, respectively. November, the main month of sales, was practically stable, with a decrease of 0.4%.

Consumer profile

Most Brazilian digital consumers are over 35 years old, according to the survey. The representativeness of this range grew throughout 2022 and accounts for more than 68% of the total audience.

This profile mainly buys Food and Beverages, Home and Decor items, Construction and Tools, Appliances and Health expenses.

As for income, the importance of consumers earning from 4 to 10 minimum wages, regardless of age group, increased. The percentage representing this group increased from 33.5% to 34.8%. In the analysis of gender, women remain prominent in Brazilian e-commerce.

In 2022, they were 57.7% of the total audience. Despite the predominance of the female audience, the presence of men increased slightly from 2021 to 2022, from 41.5% to 42.3%.

Categories

Highlight in 2022, the Food and Beverage basket moved from sixth place in the ranking to third place in number of orders. The segment was the one that most contributed to the overall increase in e-commerce orders. According to the survey, the group had the greatest variation, with growth of 82.8% in 2022, compared to the previous year.

The Perfumery and Cosmetics sector took first place, surpassing Home and Decoration, which occupied the lead in 2021. In 2022, Among the main sales categories, those with higher tickets showed negative performances.

Considering the weighted average ticket of the five largest categories, the amount that was BRL 720 in 2021 became BRL 259 in 2022, a drop of 64%. The Electronics segment was an exception and had an increase of 9.8% in the variation of the average ticket in the comparison between 2022 and 2021. Home and Decoration also had a significant contribution, with an increase of 5.8%.

Traffic

The main sources of traffic that sent consumers to online sales platforms in 2022 were search engines, responsible for 24% of the flow; social networks, with 23%; and direct search by store name, with 25%.

The survey also determined that most purchases are made during the week, both in the analysis that evaluates the volume of orders and in the one that considers billing.