Messaging apps are the main channel used by companies for online sales in Brazil, reports Cetic.br

TIC Companies Survey 2019 also presents unpublished data on the use of cloud services, big data analytics, robotics, and 3D printing

In 2019, 57% of companies sold online, with a focus on the industry, commerce, information and communication, accommodation, and food sectors. Most companies used messaging apps like WhatsApp, Skype, or Facebook chat (42%) to mediate transactions. Other means used for transactions were email (39%), social networks (20%), the company website (16%), and sales platforms (14%). The results are part of the TIC Companies 2019 survey, released this Tuesday (28) by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br) through the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br) from the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br). 

The TIC Companies survey also indicates that in 2019, 70% of Brazilian companies purchased online, the highest percentage recorded in the survey's historical series. “E-commerce has been one of the main ways for Brazilian companies to participate in the digital economy. The survey data offers a comprehensive snapshot of how different economic sectors are prepared for the digitalization of their business activities, which has proven crucial at a time when social isolation measures are being adopted in various parts of Brazil,” emphasizes Alexandre Barbosa, manager of Cetic.br. 

The survey also shows differences in e-commerce by size and sector. In markets where the majority of transactions occurred between businesses (B2B), such as industry and construction, boleto or online debit/bank transfer were the most frequently used payment methods. Sectors that mainly dealt with individuals (B2C), such as commerce, accommodation, and food, used payment on delivery and credit cards in higher proportions. 

The TIC Companies survey also investigates the barriers restricting e-commerce. Preference for the current commercial model was indicated by 51% of companies, followed by inadequacy of products for online sale (49%), high development and maintenance costs (38%), and low internet demand (36%).

New Technologies
Unpublished indicators from the TIC Companies survey indicate that the use of emerging technologies by Brazilian companies is still incipient. The study suggests that cloud services were more commonly used by companies: 39% paid for cloud email, 27% paid for cloud office software, 38% paid for cloud file storage or databases, and 23% paid for cloud processing capacity. 

Among the companies with an IT department (40% of all Brazilian companies), 10% reported conducting big data analytics; the use of industrial robots reached 4%, service robots 2%, and 3D printing 5%. 

Internet Access Infrastructure
Regarding infrastructure, fiber optic became the primary form of Internet access used by Brazilian companies. In 2019, 67% of companies stated they had a fiber optic connection – in 2017, the percentage was 49%, an increase of 18 percentage points over two years. There was also an increase in the internet speeds contracted by companies: in 2017, 49% of companies had between 1Mbps and 10 Mbps, while in 2019, 53% declared having between 10 Mbps and 100 Mbps. 

“With the necessary isolation measures, where various daily activities started to be essentially carried out via the Internet, there was a substantial increase in network traffic. IX.br, for example, recorded a peak aggregate traffic of 11 Tb/s, which reinforces the importance of a stable connection and the use of advanced technologies like fiber optic,” explains Barbosa. 

Online Presence
The survey confirms a scenario of stability among Brazilian companies with a website: in 2019, 54% of companies had a website, a proportion that was 55% in 2017. However, the presence on social networks grew by 8 percentage points compared to 2017, reaching 78% of companies in 2019. Growth was also noted across all company sizes: 77% of small companies had social media accounts, compared to 78% of medium and 80% of large companies. 

Paying for internet advertisements also gained relevance: in 2019, 36% of companies stated they paid for online ads. Within this group, the accommodation and food sector stood out, where 50% of companies paid for advertisements. 

In its 13th edition, the TIC Companies 2019 survey measured access to information and communication technologies (ICT) among small, medium, and large Brazilian companies. The study interviewed 7,000 companies nationwide, with data collection occurring between April and August 2019. 

To access the complete indicators from the TIC Companies 2019 survey, visit the site https://www.cetic.br/pesquisa/empresas/indicadores. In addition to downloading the data in Portuguese, it is now also possible to download the information in English and Spanish. 

About Cetic.br
The Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society, part of NIC.br, is responsible for producing indicators and statistics on the availability and use of the Internet in Brazil, disseminating periodic analyses and information on the network's development in the country. Cetic.br is a Regional Center for Studies under the auspices of UNESCO. More information at https://www.cetic.br/.

About the Brazilian Network Information Center – NIC.br
The Brazilian Network Information Center – NIC.br (https://www.nic.br/) is a private, non-profit civil entity that, in addition to implementing the decisions and projects of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee, it has among its responsibilities: coordinating the registration of domain names – Registro.br (https://www.registro.br/), studying, responding to, and addressing security incidents in Brazil – CERT.br (https://www.cert.br/), researching and exploring network technologies and operations – Ceptro.br (https://www.ceptro.br/), producing indicators on information and communication technologies – Cetic.br (https://www.cetic.br/), implementing and operating the Internet Exchange Points – IX.br (https://ix.br/), enabling the participation of the Brazilian community in the global development of the Web and supporting the formulation of public policies – Ceweb.br (https://www.ceweb.br), and housing the W3C office in Brazil (https://www.w3c.br/).

About the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee – CGI.br
The Brazilian Internet Steering Committee, responsible for establishing strategic guidelines related to the use and development of the Internet in Brazil, coordinates and integrates all Internet service initiatives in the country, promoting the technical quality, innovation, and dissemination of offered services. Based on the principles of multilateralism, transparency, and democracy, CGI.br represents a model of multi-sectoral Internet governance with effective participation from all sectors of society in its decisions. One of its formulations is the 10 Principles for Internet Governance and Use (https://www.cgi.br/principios). More information at https://www.cgi.br/.

Press Contacts:

Weber Shandwick
https://www.webershandwick.com.br/
PABX: (11) 3027-0200 / 3531-4950
Ana Jones - ana.jones@webershandwick.com - (11) 3027-0200 extension: 312
Juliana Guerra - jguerra@webershandwick.com - (11) 3027-0227

Communication Advisory – NIC.br
Caroline D’Avo – Communication Manager – caroline@nic.br
Carolina Carvalho – Communication Coordinator – carolcarvalho@nic.br
Soraia Marino – Communication Assistant – soraia@nic.br 

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This content was automatically translated with the support of artificial intelligence.