The digital revolution in Brazilian retail is underway and is taking on new dimensions with the consolidation and combination of two major trends: the hyper-personalization of the shopping experience and the integration of financial services into sales channels. According to the whitepaper ‘The Future of Retail,’ prepared by Celcoin – a financial infrastructure company – the intelligent use of data, combined with the adoption of innovative payment technologies, is shaping a new era for commerce in Brazil, one of the most dynamic markets in the world.
‘The trends revealed in our study highlight the need for retail to adapt to new customer expectations. That’s why, at Celcoin, our mission is to help companies navigate these transformations with solutions that enhance both customer experience and operational efficiency,’ says Adriano Meirinho, CMO and co-founder of Celcoin. ‘Hyper-personalization and digitization are more than trends; they are imperatives for the future of retail.’
Faced with an increasingly demanding, omnichannel consumer in search of convenience, Brazilian retail has the opportunity – and the necessity – to reinvent itself. Hyper-personalization is no longer just a competitive advantage—it has become a consumer demand. According to a McKinsey study cited in the report, 71% of customers expect a high level of personalization, while 76% are frustrated when this expectation is not met. Retail is responding to this demand with solutions that combine convenience and flexibility. For example, C&A now allows facial recognition payments in its physical stores for C&A Pay users and has seen an increase in sales through this method. The global forecast suggests that the use of this service will grow at a compound annual rate of 62% between 2022 and 2030, as indicated by Mastercard’s ‘The Future of Payments’ report.
The research also highlights that 53% of consumers are directly influenced by payment flexibility. Data from E-Commerce Radar reveals that limited payment options remain one of the main reasons for cart abandonment in Brazilian e-commerce, demonstrating the urgency for retailers to adapt.
Furthermore, the integration of financial services also shows a direct impact on results. Renner, through its Realize unit, saw revenue grow by offering credit and bundled products. Meanwhile, Mercado Livre, which heavily bets on solutions like Pix Parcelado and BNPL (Buy Now, Pay Later), observed a 51% growth in its consumer credit portfolio, reaching $4.9 billion in the second quarter of 2024. There were 25 million financed purchases and 13 million customers who used pre-approved credit to pay in installments.
Pix and service digitization
The study also highlights the exponential growth of Pix as a financial inclusion tool. In the first half of 2024, the solution recorded 69 billion transactions, totaling R$12 trillion in volume. Pix parcelado emerges as a viable alternative to traditional credit, expanding access for consumers previously on the margins of the financial system. In just one day, the Central Bank recorded 220 million transactions via Pix, moving R$119.4 billion.
The growth of digitization is also evident in the use of smartphones as a banking channel. In 2023, mobile transactions grew by 22% compared to the previous year, totaling 130.7 billion operations. This convenience is shaping expectations: 18% of consumers want to complete payments in just a few clicks, according to Adyen’s 2024 Retail Report.
Despite all this progress, digital security remains a sensitive issue. Brazil, however, stands out for its use of authentication technologies: 30% of consumers already use biometrics for payments, well above the global average of 18%. This adoption helps increase consumer trust in digital solutions, reducing barriers to the adoption of new methods.
