Mercado Livre and Casas Bahia Group announced a partnership that will allow the sale of the retailer's products, such as home appliances, electronics and furniture, directly on the e-commerce platform from November. The initiative turns the latin american marketplace into the main channel for these items, while the retailer will continue to be responsible for the logistics of large products.
The move unites two distinct business models, as Big Tech online retail acts mostly as an e-commerce hub, connecting sellers to consumers, while the company founded by Samuel Klein is traditionally a direct retailer with control over inventory and logistics. The collaboration extends the digital experience with products of strong consumer appeal, offering convenience and reliability, especially in the delivery of bulky items.
For Casas Bahia, the alliance represents an opportunity to expand its sales channels at a time of internal adjustments and financial restructuring started in 2023. For Mercado Livre, the partnership fills an important gap: the company still has limited participation in the segment of large appliances, where it seeks to replicate the domain conquered in smaller categories.
The agreement reflects a broader trend in Brazilian retail: the integration between digital channels and traditional operations.Marketplace platforms offer scale and reach, while consolidated retailers maintain logistics expertise and direct relationship with the consumer. This combination can redefine the trade of home appliances and electronics, while increasing competitiveness and strengthening the digital presence of already established brands.
For Rebecca Fischer, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) by Divibank, the true transformation of Brazilian retail goes beyond technology and requires a cultural, educational and logistical leap. “A innovation needs to stop being a PowerPoint project and become an operational, inclusive and scalable” reality, he says.
While financial terms and sales projections have not been disclosed, the partnership underscores the importance of strategic alliances that reconcile operational efficiency, customer experience and digital expansion, in line with similar moves seen in the industry, such as the collaboration between Magazine Luiza and AliExpress the previous year.
