What happened in e-commerce in the first half of 2022
Brazilian e-commerce is experiencing its glory years. For example, in 2021 alone, the sector grew by 26.9%. The collection has already reached the house of R$ 161 billion. And look: the first half of 2022 left nothing to be desired, see? According to research conducted by SmartHint, revenue for the first five months of this year was 785% higher than in the same period before the pandemic.
To better explain this evolution of e-commerce, we have brought the main events of the first half of the year. We will also show the trends for the coming months. Check it out!
E-commerce figures for the first half of 2022 are encouraging. Despite the slowdown in growth, the sector has good prospects.
Ecommerce Review: What Happened in the First Half of 2022
In the first quarter of this year, e-commerce grew by 12.6% compared to the same period of the previous year. Then we’ll better explain where that growth comes from.
Volume of online sales
According to the MCC-ENET index, e-commerce sales continue to grow. Cumulatively for the year – from January to May – the growth percentage was 8.65%. Compared to the same period last year, the increase was 4.99 percent.
Invoicing
Despite the increase in sales volume, sales did not grow at the same rate. In May, for example, a decrease of 1.06 percent was recorded compared to the same month of the previous year.
The accumulated value for 2022 remains positive: 4.69%. However, the index is lower than the accumulated one recorded in May 2021, which was 46.99%. The slowdown may reflect the reopening of brick-and-mortar stores.
Featured categories
As of 2018, computing and communication equipment (such as laptops and smartphones) are among the best-selling categories in e-commerce (42.7% market share). However, in the midst of the pandemic, there was an increase. In 2021, for example, the sector had a share of 43.10%.
In the first half of 2022, it is possible to notice a slight decline. In the last 12 months – until April – equipment, office, IT and communication materials accounted for 41.7% of sales. See some more data on the market share of the retail sector:
- 29.4% furniture and appliances;
- 10.7% fabric, clothing and footwear;
- ]7.3% pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic, perfumery and cosmetic products;
- 5.4% other items for personal and household use;
- 3.9% hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products and tobacco;
- 1.6% books, newspapers, magazines and stationery.
Namely, the sale of winter clothes and shoes was big in the first half of June due to low temperatures. According to Neotrust, the number of orders increased by 22.8% compared to the same period last year.
Men’s vests were highlighted, which recorded a 603% increase in sales and a 548% increase in the number of orders. Then come women’s vests, children’s vests and jackets, and women’s boots.
consumers
From January to March 2022, 17.5% of Brazilian internet users made at least one online purchase. This percentage represents 24 million unique customers. Although this number is higher than the previous year, growth has slowed down.
After all, the jump from 2020 to 2021 was much larger: 16 million to 23 million unique consumers. Again, this movement was already expected due to the restart of the economy in the post-pandemic period.
Payment methods
Pix is the sensation of the moment. In the first quarter of 2021, means of payment represented 4.3% of total e-commerce revenue. In 2022, the number jumped to 9.7%. Despite this increase, the credit card is still the most used solution (82.6%).
However, the real highlight goes to the coupons. In the first five months of this year, the use of resources to gain an advantage increased by 188%. Only in the fashion segment, for example, a growth of 60% was recorded.
As you can see, e-commerce continues to grow. However, to sell, it is not enough to open a virtual store and wait for the magic to happen, see?
Think about it: As revenue rises, so does competition. That’s because everyone wants to get a little piece of that success. That’s why it’s important to follow key trends in the industry.
E-commerce trends: what to expect in the coming months
The Brazilian Electronic Commerce Association (ABComm) expects Brazilian e-commerce to generate R$169.5 billion in 2022. That’s a growth of 12%.
And there are several factors contributing to this increase. Next, we will show you two trends that contribute to the increase of online sales.
Phygital
Figital strategy – also known as figital – consists of a perfect combination between physical and digital sales channels.
For example: a consumer can buy a product on a website, receive it at home and exchange it in a store. More: it is possible to see the online catalog before going to the store, try on clothes without leaving home through augmented reality and the like.
This trend has strengthened to strengthen e-commerce amid the reopening of brick-and-mortar stores, you know? So instead of becoming competitors, online and offline channels are becoming partners to provide hybrid consumer experiences and generate more sales.
However, to take advantage of the opportunity, it is important to design a good multi-channel strategy. Additionally, it is cool to invest in specialized technologies such as IoT, wearables, totems, artificial intelligence, among others.
live trade
Live commerce is a kind of sales show. In this context, live broadcasts are used to bring the brand closer to the consumer and awaken consumer desires.
In fact, like figital strategy, live trading has also gained importance during the pandemic. And as the tactic worked, the trend is for e-commerce to increasingly improve platforms to provide a better experience for consumers.
Therefore, it pays to invest in a strategy. If possible, it is even interesting to work with digital influencers to increase engagement and increase the potential for conversions.
In short: e-commerce figures for the first half of 2022 are encouraging. And despite the slow pace of growth, the sector is still in full swing with good prospects. After all, the most profitable dates for e-commerce, such as Black Friday and Christmas, are concentrated in the second part of the year.
Also read: Phygital: how to adapt to new consumer expectations?
