The dream of starting an online business continues to motivate thousands of Brazilians seeking financial independence. But the reality of e-commerce demands more than just good intentions. Research from Loja Integrada, one of the largest e-commerce platforms in the country, reveals that the biggest challenge lies not in technology, but in the journey of those trying to sell online without prior knowledge, strategy, or support.
The survey analyzed the behavior of 505 active merchants on the platform and gathered more than 1,150 responses from 45 questions applied to novice entrepreneurs. The data, cross-referenced with internal indicators, covers the period from January to April 2025. The analysis shows that 61% of merchants start without knowing what they will sell, and 33% expect immediate returns, even without prior experience or a minimum operational structure.
Despite the significant growth in the number of stores opened, the study reveals that only a small percentage of merchants manage to make sales in the first month. In April 2025, for example, of the 7,800 stores created, only 123 registered at least one sale. This data, however, is not linked to the platform's performance, but rather to the structural difficulties faced by entrepreneurs who start without guidance, strategy, or clarity about their business model. This reality is not unique to Brazil: a study cited by the Huffington Post and Marketing Signals shows that 90% of e-commerce businesses worldwide close within 120 days of launch, mainly due to a lack of preparation and strategic positioning.
According to Lucas Bacic, CEO of Loja Integrada , people come to the platform motivated by a dream, the dream of owning their own business, but they encounter technical and emotional barriers right from the start. "Without guidance, many store owners get lost in the initial decisions and give up before even activating their store correctly or making their first sale," he says.
Why don't the stores sell them?
Among the main obstacles faced by those starting out in e-commerce are product promotion (40.2%), store structuring (32.5%), pricing (16%), and technical configuration (7.3%). Despite an interest in learning, most retailers still resort to free and easily accessible content, such as social media (49.7%), online videos (22.4%), and Google searches (18.6%), while only 1.9% invest in paid courses. This data reveals a gap between the volume of information available and the actual ability to apply this knowledge in practice.
The picture is of a beginner audience, emotionally motivated, but still entering e-commerce without clarity about what to sell, without operational structure, and with unrealistic expectations about the results. This misalignment between expectation and preparation helps explain the high abandonment rate in the first few months.
“Our goal is to offer smarter support from the start of the journey, so that the entrepreneur can focus on what only they can do: create, sell, and serve,” says Bacic.
Currently, Loja Integrada has created 2.7 million stores in Brazil, but only 24,000 are active. This data reinforces the magnitude of the challenge of keeping the digital business operating consistently and sustainably over time.
