Brazilians tend to increase spendings on ecommerce after the pandemic, EBANX study shows

Between April and May 2020 the fintech company conducted a survey with more than 1,500 consumers of international websites in Brazil. Results show a tendency to maintain or increase the average ticket and purchase frequency during the pandemic and after the COVID-19 

CURITIBA, BRAZIL, May 29, 2020 – A research launched by EBANX, on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ecommerce market in Brazil and the post-pandemic perspectives, brings in the results an intention to increase or maintain spendings on international websites by Brazilians after the pandemic period.

Among people who spent up to BRL 30 per month on international websites before the COVID-19, the average spending was BRL 22.87. Now, during the pandemic, it remained practically the same, at BRL 22.57. But the intention is to rise to more than BRL 26 in a post-pandemic scenario. Among those who spent BRL 40 to BRL 60 per month, the average was just over BRL 50. During the pandemic, it dropped to BRL 40.54. The intention for the post-pandemic is to rise to more than BRL 42, according to the study that can be downloaded here.

"These results point out to an intention of recovery, albeit gradual, of the appetite of Brazilian consumers. And this is very significant considering the impact of the pandemic on global trade and the economy of all countries in the world," analyzes André Boaventura, partner and CMO of EBANX.

Even during the pandemic, this intention of a gradual recovery seems to be happening: more than half (52.3%) of the people who spent up to BRL 60 on international ecommerce before the COVID-19 foresee that they will maintain or increase spendings while the COVID-19 lasts. This data gains even more strength when we think that Brazilians with this average ticket represent 40% of all respondents of the survey.

The Influence of COVID-19 on International Online Shopping in Brazil: Purchase Intent and Payment Preferences survey was conducted from April 28 to May 4, 2020, among Brazilians who buy from international online retailers that are EBANX merchants. The goal was to understand the current behavior of these consumers, considering social distancing measures, financial aid from the government and other impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, in addition to having a perspective on how they expect to consume on international websites in the post-pandemic days. 1,525 people from across the country responded to the survey.

Purchasing frequency during the pandemic

Within the scenario of COVID-19, many Brazilians expect to maintain or increase the purchasing frequency on international ecommerce websites. Most of those who shopped frequently on international websites before the pandemic (at least once every three months) show a tendency to maintain or increase the frequency during the pandemic (53%).

The same behavior is shown among the survey participants who are currently receiving government financial aid, for all purchase frequency ranges: 52.4% of them predict that they will maintain the frequency or increase it.

"Even in a scenario of global restrictions on commercial flights and measures of postal services around the world – which impact the transport of international parcels and delivery times – many Brazilians, with all family income ranges, are perceiving international websites as a good option for their needs," points out Boaventura.

Boleto bancário is still a very important payment method for ecommerce in Brazil

According to the EBANX survey, boleto bancário – a Brazilian payment method that allows payment with cash – is still a very important option for Brazilians who buy on ecommerce. More than 34% of all survey respondents said they normally chose to pay their international purchases with it before the pandemic. The preference for this payment method was always above 30% among all family income ranges, except for the highest one – and even in this range, the preference was not small: 22%.

The survey also shows that the majority of Brazilians who paid for their international purchases with boleto before COVID-19 said they would not change the payment method during the pandemic (86%).

What changed in the current scenario was how they pay it: 67% of Brazilians who were already buying on international websites with boleto before COVID-19 stated that they will choose an online payment experience to pay the boleto during the pandemic. This behavior may be the result of social distancing measures, with restricted operation at many lottery stores, bank branches and other places authorized to charge these amounts in the country.

"These numbers show us, once again, that most people who pay with boleto have access to other financial products and payment methods. It is more a matter of preference than of lack of option," attests Boaventura.

In addition to the boleto, installments also appeared as an important payment method, regardless of the family income range: almost 54% of all respondents stated that they prefer to pay for their international purchases with installments during the pandemic.

"One cannot ignore the importance and the reach of these payment methods in Brazil, especially during the challenging times we are living, when making life easier for consumers is even more important," he adds.

Link to download the complete report: https://business.ebanx.com/en/resources/reports/influence-covid-19-international-shopping-brazil

About EBANX
EBANX is a leading global fintech company with Latin American DNA which has recently reached the unicorn status. It has operations in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia. The company was founded in 2012 to bridge the access gap between Latin Americans and international websites. Currently, EBANX offers over 100 Latin American local payment options to global merchants and has already helped 55 million people to access global services and products, with over 1,000 merchants expanding to Latin America. AliExpress, Wish, Pipedrive, Airbnb, and Spotify (these two in a partnership with Worldline) are some of the companies that use EBANX solutions. In 2019, EBANX started to offer local payment processing solutions in Brazil through a new company, EBANX Pagamentos Ltda. In early 2020, the company entered the B2C world, with the launch of EBANX GO, a digital payments account with virtual and physical cards for Brazilian consumers. For more information, please visit https://business.ebanx.com/.