Busiest Seasons for E-commerce in Brazil

Certain dates and holidays are responsible for a significant part of the revenue for e-commerce in Brazil, and should be kept in mind by online store managers.

Traditional and new retail dates

Sales from certain dates and periods of the year including Christmas, Valentines Day and Mother's Day have historically been crucial for the revenue stream of retailers in Brazil. E-commerce companies in the country have also benefited and relied on the increased rate of purchases that take place during these dates, and have for some years, offered special discounts and benefits in order to encourage consumers to shop during these seasons.

Over the past few years, new “commercial holidays” have increased their relevance for the e-commerce sector in Brazil. In most cases, these are dates arranged by store associations to promote sales during certain periods of the year and have taken inspiration from foreign shopping seasons like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Owners of e-commerce companies should remember these dates in order to be ready for the increased traffic and purchase demands by Brazilian customers.

Most Important Seasons for E-commerce

Statistics from market intelligence provider E-bit indicate that the number of sales from e-commerce websites during commercial seasons have increased by close to 40% between 2013 and 2014. Below, we’ve compiled a list of the most important dates for e-commerce in Brazil, including their total revenue and most popular product categories.

Christmas

As expected, the Christmas holiday period, which is comprised of the weeks from November 15th to December 24th, is the commercial season that generates the most revenue for e-commerce in Brazil. In 2014, sales from the Christmas period alone grew 37% from the previous year and amounted for BRL 5,90 billion, with the highest selling product categories including fashion and accessories, electronics, cosmetics, shoes and toys.

Mother’s Day

Held on the second Sunday of May, Mother’s Day is the second most profitable commercial season in Brazil. E-commerce website sales from the two weeks prior to May 11th 2014 amounted for BRL 1,6 billion, which represents an increase of 55% in revenue when compared to the previous year. Highest selling categories for this period include fashion and accessories, domestic appliances, cosmetics, cell phones and computers.

Father’s Day

Held in the second week of August, Father’s Day is currently the third most profitable shopping season in Brazil for e-commerce. Sales for this holiday in 2014 amounted for BRL 1,45 billion, which represent a growth of 43% from the previous year. The most popular categories for purchases in this period include fashion and accessories, domestic appliances, computers, mobile phones and home and decoration.

Valentine’s Day

Celebrated on June 12, Valentine’s Day in Brazil is the fourth most important commercial holiday for the country’s e-commerce sector. Sales from 2014 amounted for BRL 1,38 billion, a 38% increase from the previous year with the most purchased product categories including fashion and accessories, cosmetics and home appliances.

Children’s Day

Celebrated on October 12, Children’s Day in Brazil was responsible in 2014, for revenue of BRL 1,34 billion for e-commerce websites, an increase of 17% from the previous year. The most purchased product categories for the two weeks prior to the commercial holiday were found to be cosmetics, fashion and accessories, home appliances and mobile phones. Perhaps surprisingly, toys and games were placed in 8th spot for most purchased products during this season.

Black Friday

The Black Friday commercial holiday was introduced in 2010 by Brazilian e-commerce websites and quickly became one of the most important dates for this sector during the years. In 2014, sales from Black Friday represented a total revenue of BRL 1,16 billion, an increase of 51% from the previous year. The most purchased products during this commercial holiday are mobile phones, home appliances, fashion and accessories, computers and electronics.

Other Commercial Seasons

Although not always expressive, sales from other recently established commercial seasons are expected to rise during the next few years. For example, sales for Consumers Day, which was established in 2014 and takes place on Wednesdays in the middle of March, revenued BRL 200 million in 2015 and increased 15% from the previous year.

Cyber Monday, which was introduced by Brazilian e-commerce websites in 2012 and takes place on the first Monday following Black Friday, had a total sales revenue of BRL 188 million in 2014, an increase of 110% from the previous year. Boxing Day, on December 26, also had a substantial growth rate from 2013 to 2014, with total sales revenue amounting for BRL 110 million last year.