Mastercard is launching a new version of the SpendingPulse for Brazil. SpendingPulse is a platform that provides estimates and insights into retail sales activities at the national, regional and local level. Using aggregated and anonymous data from Mastercard and models representing all payment types, the platform helps companies improve performance based on macroeconomic indicators.For the relaunch in Brazil, there will be breakdowns by regions and more than 50 mesoregions in the Southern and Southeastern states.
Available to customers in 19 countries worldwide, the platform provides daily information on consumer spending across various retail and service segments such as supermarkets, electronics, apparel, restaurants and lodging. On average, SpendingPulse captured 1.2 billion transactions per month and represented 3.4 trillion reais in retail sales in 2024. Customers purchasing SpendingPulse can view an interactive platform with key indicators and a detailed monthly report. Unique information on consumer spending and the experience of leading economists provides a comprehensive view of consumer trends, assisting in strategic business decisions, policy makers and analysts.
According to Gustavo Arruda, Chief Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) at the Mastercard Economics Institute (MEI), the platform uses advanced models that anonymously consider online and in-store retail activities. “O SpendingPulse offers customers a better understanding of Brazilian consumers' purchasing habits on essential and non-essential spending, allowing customers to align their operational strategies with the changes identified”, he comments.
Retail sales in April 2025
According to Mastercard SpendingPulse, total retail sales in Brazil increased 10.9% in April compared to the same period last year.The best performing sectors in the month included lodging (21.4%), supermarkets (17.2%) and appliances (16.7%), all of which had double-digit growth over the previous year.The Easter holiday partly explains the strong annual performance.
As explained by Gustavo, the strong performance of the state of Santa Catarina (21.1%), followed by the state of Rio Grande do Sul (17.9%), helps explain part of the overall performance.In the sectoral division, the food sector presented a significant result across the board.
In the case of food, the results show regional differences. While the states of Santa Catarina (26.6%), Espirito Santo (23.0%) and Rio Grande do Sul (19.7%) led the result, Brasilia (13.3%), Pernambuco (13.0%) and Maranhao (13.0%) counterbalanced the performance.
Gustavo also mentioned that the results reflect different dynamics in prices. According to IBGE, general retail inflation is around 6.2%, with supermarket prices at 6.5% in annual terms.