In Brazil E-commerce Grows 50% a Year and Accounts for 17% of Sales

At a growth rate of 50% a year, electronic commerce is emerging as a new business alternative for micro- and small businesses. According to the consultant at the Brazilian Chamber of Electronic Commerce, EdÀ­lson Flausino, business via Internet already account for 17% of sales by companies that use the system professionally.

The subject was the main theme of the Conference Cycle on Electronic Commerce for Micro and Small Businesses, promoted during the Goiás Entrepreneur Fair, held in Goiânia, capital of the state of Goiás, until last Sunday (August 26).

The cycle of conferences included lectures, short courses and workshops. One of the lecturers, Lemuel Costa e Silva, Electronic Commerce manager at the Department of Postal Service Business and Operations on the Internet, said that approximately eight million people throughout the Brazilian territory buy products at virtual stores.

Lemuel cited store chain Lojas Americanas as an example of successful electronic commerce in the country, as he explained that 'americanas.com' is responsible for up to 40% of the company's business. The manager presented the postal service's Correios NetShopping as one of the options for entrepreneurs to sell via the Internet: "We can host stores and create links to companies in our Website."

Fabí­ola Cordeiro, product manager at e-bit Informação, a company that provides information on electronic commerce, was established in 1999, and pioneered the conduction of surveys on e-commerce habits and trends in Brazil, states that around 1,000 virtual stores in the country are currently listed on e-bit: "the figure tends to grow from 41% to 76% each year."

Sebrae