The digital revolution in Brazilian retail is underway and takes on new dimensions with the consolidation and combination of two major trends: 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. Therefore, at Celcoin, our mission is to help companies navigate these transformations with solutions that boost both the 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, multichannel consumer seeking convenience, Brazilian retail has the opportunity – and the necessity – to reinvent itself. A hyperpersonalizationIt is no longer just a competitive advantage – it has become a consumer requirement. According to a McKinsey study cited in the report, 71% of customers expect a high level of personalization, while 76% become frustrated when this expectation is not met. Retail is responding to this demand with solutions that combine convenience and flexibility. C&A, for example, has started allowing payments with facial recognition in its physical stores for C&A Pay users and has seen an increase in sales through this method. The overall forecast is that the use of the service will have a compound annual growth rate of 62% between 2022 and 2030, according to Mastercard's report "The Future of Payments."
The research also indicates that 53% of consumers are directly influenced by theflexibility in payment methodsE-Commerce Radar data reveals that limited options remain one of the main reasons for cart abandonment in Brazilian e-commerce, highlighting the urgency for retailers to adapt.
Furthermore, theintegration of financial servicesIt also shows a direct impact on the results. Renner, through its Realize unit, saw its revenue grow with the offering of credit and added products. Meanwhile, Mercado Livre, which strongly invests in solutions like Pix Parcelado and BNPL (Buy Now, Pay Later), observed a 51% growth in its consumer credit portfolio, which reached $4.9 billion in the second quarter of 2024. There were 25 million financed purchases and 13 million customers who used pre-approved credit to split their acquisitions.
Pix and digitalization of services
The study also highlights the exponential growth ofPix as a tool for financial inclusionIn the first half of 2024, the solution recorded 69 billion transactions, with a total of R$ 12 trillion in movement. The installment Pix emerges as a viable alternative to traditional credit, expanding access for consumers who were previously on the margins of the financial system. In just one day, the Central Bank recorded 220 million Pix transactions, totaling R$ 119.4 billion.
The growth ofdigitizationIt is equally present in the use of smartphones as a banking channel. In 2023, mobile transactions increased by 22% compared to the previous year, totaling 130.7 billion operations. And this convenience is shaping expectations: 18% of consumers want to complete their payment in just a few clicks, according to the Adyen Retail Report 2024.
Despite all this progress, thedigital securityIt continues to be a sensitive point. Brazil, however, stands out for its use of authentication technologies: 30% of consumers already use biometrics to make payments, well above the global average of 18%. This adherence helps increase consumer confidence in digital solutions, reducing barriers to adopting new methods.
