The Online Demographic in Brazil

Brazil has a very diverse online public, to the point that foreign companies should analyse its potential audience in Brazil before marketing products. In this article we will give an overview of the country’s online audience.

Demographics

There are close to 87 million internet users in Brazil and they are evenly divided into both genders and are mostly adults. The male to female ratio is around 51 to 49, while half of all users are between the ages of 15 and 49. The speed of connections in the country averages at 2.6 Mbps, with more than 40% of connections being 2Mbps or lower.

Age Groups

The 15 to 49 age segment is the one that spends the most time online, at around 34 hours per month. The average time spent online in Brazil sits between North American and European averages and much higher than Latin American levels, at 29 hours per month.

The 10 to 24 age group is the one where the smartphone is considered a primary device for internet access, and also the one most interested in online videos.

Social Class

Data from Brazilian statistics company Ibope shows that over 92% of Brazilians in social class A are online compared to 54% of social class C. Studies indicate that this class contributes to 21% of all online retail in the country.

Average internet content consumption also varies between A, B and C classes. Overall, C class users open an average of 943 web pages per month, versus 821 of class A. Another social group, however, manages to beat both at the number of open pages per month: class D, with a 1,124 average.

Interests

The interests of the country’s internet users are varied. Some of the categories most reached in the country are:

• Content portals: 95.2% Example: Uol and Terra
• News/Information: 70.9% Example: Folha and G1
• Technology: 57.2% Example: Techtudo and Canaltech
• Education: 51.2% Example: Guiadoestudante
• Games: 51.1% Example: Adrenaline and On Games
• Government: 43.4% Example: Fazenda
• Banking: 40.6% Example: Santander and Bradesco

Social media is also very influential in Brazil. The country’s average reach for blogs is close to 77%, and more than 97% of time spent on social networks is directed to Facebook.

E-Commerce Statistics

With more and more Brazilians connecting themselves to the internet each year, new groups of customers are starting to purchase online. According to annual reports by E-bit, over nine million Brazilians made their first e-commerce purchase in 2013, while over ten million entered the market the year before. The average chart value is close to BRL 333.

Buying Platforms

Brazilian customers have also started to use mobile devices for commerce more frequently over the last few years. Recent research suggests that around 27% of smartphones and 38% of tablets in the country have been used to make purchases.

The m-commerce market has almost doubled its volume share from 2012 to 2013. This follows the trend of mobile devices market growth in the country, where smartphone and tablet sales increased 142% and 122% respectively during the same period.

Shopping Behavior

The consumer behavior of Brazilians on the internet also goes beyond purchases.

Around 60% of the country's consumers claim to have used the internet in 2013 to compare prices, look for more information on products and that information gathered online was decisive for a product purchase.

The internet is the preferred method for Brazilian customers to gather product information. Over 67% Brazilian e-commerce consumers consider it the only way to find determinate information that cannot be found anywhere else.

Customer Location

Recent research by the Brazilian Micro and Small Company Support Service, or Sebrae, indicates that more than half of online purchases are directed to the states in the Southeast regions of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais.

The Southeast region also concentrates the most e-commerce companies. Most orders in the country are delivered by mail services, with private couriers being the second most chosen delivery method.

Product Categories

Some product categories are more sought after by Brazilian e-consumers than others. The best selling product categories are:

• Fashion and accessories: Sold by retailers like Dafiti and Netshoes
• Cosmetics and healthcare: Sold by retailers like Época and ShopBela
• Consumer electronics: Sold by retailers like Submarino and Pontofrio.com
• Books and magazine subscriptions: Sold by retailers like Saraiva
• Telephone and smartphones: Sold by retailers like Americanas and Ricardoeletro