Internet sales grow 28% and amount to US$ 930.2 million
DCI
The electronic commerce - e-commerce - is on he rise in the Country. A proof of that is the growth of 28% of the sales of the sector compared to the year of 2008. According to the survey released by the E-bit Chamber, which makes researches on the internet sales, there was a total of R$ 1.6 billion (US$ 930.2 million) in operations with the purchase of goods during the period from November 15 to December 24, when the measurements were made by the agency. The figures represent a new record for online retail in the Country and an increase over the mark of R$ 1.25 billion (US$ 726,7 million) registered a year before. The measurement company expects a greater expansion in the coming years.
The study indicates that books were the most popular category, followed by home appliances, a segment still influenced by the reduction of the IPI (Excise Tax), and health, beauty and medicines. Computer items and electronics were in fourth and fifth places, respectively. The survey shows the preference of the consumer has grown towards high value-added products, such as computer goods and home appliances, against the dominance cheaper items, such as CDs and DVDs, had until a few years ago.
E-bit highlights the comparison between the physical and the on-line sales. While e-commerce featured growth of 28% in the period, in an annual comparison, the physical retail grew 6.8%, says the company, mentioning data from Serasa Experian. The most recent data, of October, published by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), shows the Brazilian physical retail had growth of 8.4% compared to the same month of 2008, compared to the expectation of the market that the expansion should be 6.5%.