PIX, Pickup and Apps: The New Face of Retail Shopping in Brazil

PIX. Mercado Pago. Pickup. Apps. Data protection.

These are a few of the digital shopping trends and payment options that are key to winning customers in Brazil — one of the world’s largest economies and one that is rapidly digitizing. As Brazil’s shoppers continue to go online to find new ways to shop and pay for retail purchases, they are increasingly calling on local merchants to deliver myriad eCommerce features to win them over. PIX already accounts for 25% of all eCommerce purchases, for example, while the use of in-store and curbside pickup options is up 37%. The use of other digital features is growing even faster.

Brazil is one of six countries we studied in “The 2023 Global Digital Shopping Index,” a PYMNTS and Cybersource collaboration now in its third year. Our research draws from a survey of 13,349 consumers and 3,124 businesses studied across six key economies: Brazil, India, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. We asked consumers about how they prefer to shop, pay for and acquire their purchases. Then we compared their answers to the digital shopping and payments features that local merchants provide to determine how well merchants meet their connected shoppers’ shifting demands.

Key findings from our Brazil edition include the following:

Shoppers in Brazil primarily use digital when shopping in-store to check prices, deals and discounts.

Brazil’s shoppers value the certainty and immediacy of brick-and-mortar shopping: 67% made their last purchase in-store. Even when consumers in Brazil shop in-store, they use digital shopping features. Half of all in-store shoppers in Brazil use mobile devices to assist with their purchases, representing a 7.2% increase from 2021.

The use of pickup options grew by 37% as shoppers in Brazil embraced the convenience of obtaining products immediately.

Brazilian consumers’ desire for immediacy also influences their choices in their eCommerce journeys. We found that 25% of eCommerce shoppers in Brazil picked up their eCommerce purchases in-store or curbside in 2022, allowing them to acquire their purchases the same day.

In-store shoppers are ditching cash for digital wallets and contactless cards, and online shoppers are switching from boleto bancário to PIX.

Forty-eight percent of all in-store shoppers in Brazil paid for their most recent purchases via a digital wallet or contactless card, up 216% year over year. Moreover, as Brazilian shoppers increasingly opt for contactless payments, their use of cash is quickly dropping.

These are just a few of the findings explored in our research. “The 2023 Global Digital Shopping Index: Brazil Edition” details the latest trends defining how consumers in Brazil shop, pay and live. Download the report to learn more about how merchants can tailor their features and payment offerings to maximize sales in Brazil.