The digital revolution in Brazilian retail is underway and gaining new contours 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 digitalization are more than trends; they are imperatives for the future of retail.’
Faced with an increasingly demanding, omnichannel consumer seeking convenience, Brazilian retail has the opportunity – and the necessity – to reinvent itself.hyper-personalizationis 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% feel 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. Globally, the use of this service is projected to 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 shows that 53% of consumers are directly influenced bypayment 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.
Additionally, theintegration of financial servicesalso has a direct impact on results. Renner, through its Realize unit, saw revenue growth by offering credit and bundled products. Meanwhile, Mercado Livre, which heavily invests in solutions like Pix Parcelado and BNPL (Buy Now, Pay Later), observed a 51% growth in its consumer credit portfolio, reaching $4.9 billion in the second quarter of 2024. There were 25 million financed purchases and 13 million customers who used pre-approved credit to split their payments.
Pix and service digitalization
The study also highlights the exponential growth ofPix as a financial inclusion tool. In the first half of 2024, the solution recorded 69 billion transactions, totaling R$ 12 trillion in movement. Pix Parcelado emerges as a viable alternative to traditional credit, expanding access for consumers previously excluded from the financial system. In just one day, the Central Bank recorded 220 million Pix transactions, moving R$ 119.4 billion.
The growth ofdigitalizationis equally evident in the use of smartphones as banking channels. In 2023, mobile transactions grew 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 securityremains 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.
