What’s Next: The Point of No Return for M-commerce in Brazil

Editor’s Note: At Mobile World Congress 2015, MasterCard is participating in a discussion on the future of mobile to learn more about what’s next in digital commerce. We’re hosting a “What’s Next” in mobile series on our blog, inviting others to share perspectives.

Everyday Brazilians are becoming more and more connected. Brazil ranks among the top ten countries in terms of internet users, we love to use social media and according to a survey carried out by e-commerce consulting firm E-bit, we are buying more and more online. In fact, e-commerce grew 24% in 2014, meaning that more than 61 million people -in a population of 200 million- have made at least one purchase over the Internet.

The reality of the transition from physical to digital is not news to anyone anywhere in the world. What draws our attention to emerging markets like Brazil is how quickly such a transition is happening. This translates to rich opportunities for merchants, as they can explore new channels to reach consumers. It also represents a richer experience for consumers as they are able to conduct safe and simple transactions with a new form factor – such as mobile.

Mobile is becoming an accepted tool to conduct financial transactions in Brazil. Thanks to programs such as Zumm, the mobile money solution launched in partnership with Telefonica in 2013, there are more than 360 thousand users in Brazil who have chosen to use their mobile phones to transfer money and pay bills. Plus, other Mobile Money programs are in pilot phase and are on the way.

With consumers feeling increasingly safer and more confident about purchasing online and with an ongoing behavioral shift among consumers becoming more comfortable using mobile to make payments: m-commerce is ripe for growth. We are seeing this trend already. From June 2013, mobile transactions represented only 3.8 percent of the total e-commerce pie in Brazil. By June of 2014, that number reached 7 percent.

MasterCard is preparing the foundation for these new opportunities. In addition to our mobile money programs, solutions such as MasterPass, which makes any device a commerce device, will allow MasterCard to provide further solutions for consumers that are no longer satisfied with running down endless corridors of shopping malls. It also adds value to merchants seeking new channels to reach customers. Finally, with technology such as tokenization, which guarantees a 100% secure digital transaction, regardless of how they chose to pay, consumers will always experience a transaction that is safe, simple and smart.