The demand for air freight among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that sell online has increased significantly in recent years, driven by the growth of e-commerce. A survey conducted by Melhor Envio, LWSA's shipping platform, reveals that the shipment of packages by plane has increased by 80% in the last three years. Last year, compared to 2022, this increase was 37%.
The research by Melhor Envio shows that road freight still dominates the shipping of products among SMEs that operate in e-commerce, but air freight has grown proportionally more, driven by the increase in sales to more distant regions such as the North and Northeast.
Last year, 686,027 orders were shipped by retailers via air through the freight intermediary platform, while in 2022 there were just over 501,000, and in 2021, at the height of the Coronavirus pandemic, there were 376,400. In road transport, there were over 20.6 million shipments last year, very close to the 2022 figure of 20.3 million.
According to Vanessa Bianculli, Marketing Manager at Melhor Envio, the trend of increasing product shipments via air transport among small entrepreneurs is expected to continue as e-commerce advances. The sector expects to move more than R$ 205 billion and grow by more than 10% this year, according to projections by Abcomm (Brazilian Association of Electronic Commerce).
“E-commerce allows consumers from any location to purchase a product, but the cost of shipping always ends up scaring away sales. With our intermediation model, entrepreneurs can offer their customers fast shipping at a competitive cost, which helps them sell to locations that are further away from where their products are stored,” explains Vanessa.
The platform is a logistics tech company that intermediates freight for online sellers. In addition to various carriers such as Correios, Loggi, Jadlog, among others, it also offers air freight with Latam Cargo and Azul Cargo Express. "Air freight allows the retailer to deliver faster and to more distant regions, and it certainly impacts their business by enabling them to further increase sales," he states.
North and Northeast lead in sending parcels
Not by chance, the North region, which includes states like Amazonas, Pará, and Tocantins, and the Northeast, with Bahia, Ceará, and Pernambuco, are the ones with the highest demand for air parcel transportation. "This happens because most of the products are sold to the Southeast and South regions, and air freight has a very significant impact, reducing the delivery time of the product by more than half, which is directly related to customer satisfaction," Vanessa points out.
In the North and Northeast, demand for air freight grew by 24% in 2023, reaching over 223,000 shipments sent, and increased by 76% over the past three years, with 126,700 shipments sent in 2021, according to the Melhor Envio survey. "With the use of the freight platform by the entrepreneur, consumers in Bahia, Pernambuco, Ceará, Amazonas, Pará, among others, have access to a variety of products more quickly and at a lower shipping cost. This is important because delivery – whether due to wait time or cost – is one of the main reasons for cart abandonment in e-commerce," he highlights.
Most searched products
Whether by air or road, the most sought-after products by consumers in small entrepreneurs' online commerce are led by fashion items, which include clothing, footwear, and accessories, accounting for nearly one-third of orders, 24% in both modes. Another highlight is jewelry and watches, with 11% of orders shipped by road transport and 3% by air. Home and appliances represent 10% and 6%, respectively, and technology accounts for 3% and 4%, according to the Melhor Envio survey.
