E-commerce sales in Brazil rise 12.5% in July, says Mastercard

Sales in e-commerce rose 12.5% in Brazil in July, compared to a year earlier, according to the Mastercard SpendingPulse indicator, showing that the pharmaceutical, apparel and electronics sectors were the highlights of the month. The indicator also pointed to a 1% growth in the country's total sales, including physical stores and e-commerce. The southern region of the country was the one that presented the highest growth in total sales, with a high of 5% in relation to the previous year, followed by the southeast with advance of 1.9% and the north, which grew 1.1%. The Northeast and the Midwest recorded a decline of 1.1% and 1.9%, respectively, before July 2018. "In July, we saw a strong double-digit growth in e-commerce sales, which represents a continuation of trend as more and more consumers buy on their phones and other devices," said César Fukushima, director of advanced analysis Mastercard in Brazil.