In a clear demonstration of the rise of foreign platforms in the Brazilian digital retail sector, five of the ten largest e-commerce sites accessed by consumers in the country are of Asian origin. Shopee, Temu, Samsung, Shein, and AliExpress have consolidated their positions among the leaders of the national e-commerce sector, accumulating an impressive 639 million visits in January 2025 alone.

The imported goods sector registered significant growth of 68% compared to January 2024, jumping from 197 million to 331 million monthly accesses, confirming the growing trend of dominance of Asian platforms in the Brazilian market.

Among the Eastern giants, the Chinese Temu stands out as the great growth phenomenon. In January alone, the platform experienced a 38.5% increase in its traffic, recording 39.7 million more visits compared to the previous month. In the annual comparison, the numbers are even more impressive: a meteoric growth of 11,000%, rising from just 1.1 million visits to 142.9 million in January 2025.

Temu's impact was so significant that the company was responsible for 92% of the growth in the imported goods sector last month, boosting the entire category.

Taking advantage of the back-to-school period, the Education, Books, and Stationery sector led the monthly growth among all categories, with a 30.3% increase in January. Gran Cursos Online took the top position in the sector ranking, being the main responsible for the category's positive performance.

Other sectors that recorded exceptional performance were Gifts & Flowers and Pet, achieving their best results in the last 13 months. Gocase stood out particularly in the gift segment, growing 49% compared to December, with an additional 1.9 million accesses.

The consolidation of Asian platforms in the Brazilian market represents a growing challenge for national retailers, who need to develop competitive strategies to face these global giants that combine a wide variety of products with attractive prices for Brazilian consumers.

Bain & Company has just released the researchNo shortcuts: the path to female representation at the top and the value for companies, which seeks to understand the business community's perception of women's presence in corporate management and explore the main barriers they face to reach the top. The consultancy still points out the necessary actions to create a favorable environment for the rise of female talent in Brazil.

"We need to emphasize that there has been an evolution, and women's representation in leadership positions has virtually doubled in the last five years, but it is still far from equality. Faced with increasing questioning about the validity of diversity investments, the research highlights the importance of diverse leadership for sustainable business growth, exposes the barriers to women's advancement, and suggests actions to accelerate this progress," notes Luiza Mattos, partner at Bain responsible for the study, leader of the Health and Customer Experience practices in South America, and head of the Women at Bain affinity group.

According to an analysis by Bain based on the 250 largest companies in Brazil, between 2019 and 2024, the number of women CEOs increased from 3% to 6%. The percentage of executive women increased from 23% to 34%, and the percentage of women on boards increased from 5% to 10%. Based on this data, it is possible to see that women begin to lose representation in leadership positions when they reach middle management, as shown in the graph below.  

Advantages of diversity

The research shows that the implementation of concrete actions aimed at diversity favors gender equality and, additionally, strengthens competitiveness, demonstrating that inclusion is an essential driver for sustainable organizational success.

There is also the perception that companies with diverse leadership are more innovative and open to new solutions. Additionally, they are, on average, 1.8 times more identified as companies more focused on action, with an emphasis on value creation and reducing bureaucracy. Other perceived advantages are the incorporation of the customer's voice into decisions and the attraction of talent.

Lack of aspiration is a myth

Women aspire to and believe they can reach the top just as men do, and both consider the desire to participate in strategic decisions and generate impact as the main factors of influence. However, men seek leadership 1.7 times more than women to meet social and family pressure and are 1.3 times more motivated by the associated status. Female employees are 1.2 times more motivated by the opportunity for personal development and work-life balance.

Generally, people tend to evaluate their own gender more favorably compared to the opposite. Men consider women more positively in aspects of teamwork, but show less recognition in areas related to problem-solving. On the other hand, women tend to rate men's leadership performance in team development as significantly lower. Another difference lies in the perception of fairness in the selection and promotion processes, which shows significant disparities between men and women, especially in more senior positions.

Four actions to boost the presence of women in leadership positions

To increase gender equity and ensure a more inclusive corporate environment, Bain emphasizes that it is necessary to invest in four strategies that address structural and cultural challenges, promoting practices that boost diversity and the appreciation of female talent:

1. Use data to support decisions:define DEI strategies and monitor results, whenever possible linking them to business indicators to maximize impact;
2. Review processes and initiatives with leadership impact:design a specific action plan for senior leadership, with effective, long-term actions, accompanied by clear goals that guide the organization;
3. Communicate with intention and build an inclusive environment: intentionally publicize diversity goals and advances, promoting an inclusive leadership narrative and a culture of equal opportunities for all;
4. Engage leadership and promote co-accountability:identify allies and promote deep leadership engagement, bringing leaders closer to solutions, with shared accountability from everyone, including the board of directors

In conclusion, Bain's survey points out that the implementation of concrete actions aimed at diversity favors gender equality and, additionally, strengthens competitiveness and business innovation, demonstrating that inclusion is an essential driver for sustainable organizational success.

Companies that do not use CRM tools to boost their sales can lose up to 79% of their revenue.leads. This is what a study by IBM (International Business Machine Corporation) indicates.This means that almost 4 out of 5 people who come into contact with the brand will leave without purchasing any product or service.. 

To prevent this from happening and increase conversion rates, companies need to invest more and more in lead management, work that is done through technological tools known as CRM software, Customer Relationship Management, or Customer Relationship Management, in Portuguese.

According to the organizationCRM.ORGFor every 1 real invested in tools like this, companies can expect a return of R$8.71 in sales. And this return on investment is expected to only grow in the coming years: the expectation is that it will reach 30 to 1 by the end of the decade.

Using CRMs to qualify leads can make a difference

CRM tools work because they work on a process known as “customer qualification”.leads ”. Leads, in good old Portuguese, are business opportunities;contacts that showed some interest in doing business with your company.

The challenge is that, even when they show interest, leads are not always willing to close the deal at that very moment. Most of them need a certain "convincing." This can be done by creating a relationship with your brand, a connection through your content or your digital presence, so that when he is ready, he closes a deal with you.

To this process of leaving the leadReady for sale is called "lead qualification." The trick of CRM tools is that they allow you to segment your entire databaseleadsto send the right content at the right time, optimizing the qualification process and "warming up" these leads more quickly and efficiently. In practice, this means more sales in less time.

Why choose a CRM?

Working on lead qualification completely manually, without the aid of technology, is practically impossible. A company's sales team, no matter how large, does not have the time or operational capacity to communicate as segmented and efficiently as an automation tool.

CRM software uses algorithms from other technological tools, such as, for example,Artificial Intelligence and WhatsApp chatbots to create personalized purchasing journeys for eachlead, offering quick and personalized responses, streamlining service and increasing customer satisfaction.

This success happens because they work and bring a real financial return.91% of companies with more than 10 employees already have some type of CRM tool to assist their sales team currentlyCRM.ORG). 

The Future of Customer Relationship Management

Companies that continue to neglect the use of CRM tools to boost their sales face a significant risk of losing a substantial portion of their leads.

The return on investment highlighted byCRM.ORGindicating that each real invested in CRM tools can result in up to R$30 in sales in the near future further highlights the positive trend of this sector.  

Lead qualification, promoted by CRM tools, is now a crucial factor for sales success, and this will only intensify in the future. A CRM.ORG points out that the sector's global revenue is expected to reach almost US$129 million by 2030. 

The ability of tools to segment leads and personalize interactions, streamlining the qualification and warming of these potential clients, directly translates into more sales in less time. It is evident that implementing CRM tools is not just an option, but a strategic necessity to ensure growth and sales efficiency in the current and future competitive environment.

Have you ever added products to an online store's cart and, for some reason, didn't complete the purchase? That's right, you're not alone. Cart abandonment is a concerning reality for Brazilian e-commerce, with rates that can reach an impressive 82%, according to E-commerce Radar. Unexpected costs, long delivery times, and complicated checkouts are some of the factors that deter consumers at the decisive moment, causing losses for retailers.

Almost half of consumers (48%) give up on a purchase when faced with higher-than-expected prices, according to a study by the Baymard Institute. But the problem doesn't stop there. Delivery delays are also a major villain, causing 36.5% of customers to abandon their carts, according to Yampi data. And there's more: complicated checkout is another critical factor. 79% of Brazilians prefer to split their purchases into installments, and the lack of flexible payment options causes many to give up before even completing the purchase, according to a survey by SPC Brasil – Credit Protection Service.

However, technology has arrived to change the game. Innovative solutions have emerged in the market, making the consumer experience easier, more efficient, and personalized, as well as driving the completion of purchases.

One of the innovations that promises to reduce cart abandonment is Poli Pay, a feature created by Poli Digital, a startup from Goiás specializing in contact channel automation. According to Alberto Filho, the company's CEO, "this solution allows consumers to complete the entire purchase journey on a single platform, using popular channels like WhatsApp."

And Brazil is at the forefront of this transformation. "We are one of the few countries where payments via messaging apps are a reality, making the shopping experience more practical and accessible, as well as boosting the growth of the national e-commerce," highlights Alberto.

Poli Digital reveals that the amounts processed by Poli Pay have already exceeded R$ 6 million. Alberto emphasizes that this solution is highly effective, as 62% of Brazilian consumers use digital channels to make purchases, according to Opinion Box.

While traditional e-commerce businesses face a difficult reality, with only 22% of customers who create shopping carts completing the transaction, Poli Pay's success rate reaches 58%. This means that the solution can more than double the market average. The secret to this performance lies in the system's practicality and integration, which offers a smooth purchasing journey where the consumer selects products, interacts with support channels, and makes the payment, all within a single digital environment, it highlights.

Another major differentiator is its integration with industry giants in the payments market, such as Mercado Pago and PagSeguro, offering a variety of options for consumers, from boleto to credit card. This ensures flexibility and convenience when completing the purchase. And for companies, the platform offers real-time transaction management, allowing managers to filter sales by customer name, salesperson, or even payment status, optimizing sales control.

Furthermore, through a strategic partnership with the Meta Group, owner of platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook, Poli Digital ensures that the system complies with all the guidelines of these social networks. This means that companies can operate smoothly, avoiding issues such as unexpected suspensions or blocks and ensuring a safe and uninterrupted experience for their users.

Alberto concludes by emphasizing that "in this scenario, tools like Poli Pay represent a true revolution in Brazilian e-commerce. They offer effective solutions to reduce cart abandonment rates while boosting sales, especially for small and medium-sized businesses." He also emphasizes: "With the constant evolution of digital technologies, the trend is that more and more retailers will adopt innovative strategies, enhancing the consumer experience and ensuring increasingly positive results for the sector."