Micro and small businesses expand online sales and are expected to generate R$ 67 billion in revenue in 2024.

247 - Online sales by Brazilian micro and small enterprises (MSEs) have grown by almost 1.200% in the last five years, jumping from R$ 5 billion in 2019 to R$ 67 billion in 2024. The data comes from the third edition of... National E-Commerce DashboardThis study, released by the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC) and based on information from the Federal Revenue Service, presents, for the first time, a specific overview of the performance of companies opting for the Simples Nacional tax regime in online transactions.

While medium and large-sized companies also expanded their participation in e-commerce — going from R$ 49 billion in 2019 to R$ 158 billion in 2024, an increase of 220% — the percentage growth of SMEs was much more significant. According to the Secretary of Industrial Development, Innovation, Commerce and Services of the MDIC (Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade), Uallace Moreira, the digitalization of small businesses was catalyzed by the pandemic and sustained by the economic recovery in the last two years.

“On one hand, these numbers reflect the new market dynamics; on the other, the growing pace of expansion of the Brazilian economy since 2023, far exceeding what all analysts expected,” said Moreira, during the panel presentation to the E-Commerce Working Group of the Trade and Services Forum.

The secretary highlighted that, between 2022 and 2024, e-commerce grew by 28,7% overall and by 76,3% among micro and small businesses. According to him, this growth is a direct result of current economic policy: “Growth doesn't fall from the sky. It is the result of a sound economic policy and development actions included in major projects of the Lula government – ​​such as NIB, the New PAC, and the Ecological Transformation Plan – which give the private sector the impetus to make its investments.”

Moreira also pointed out that the increase in the minimum wage and the income tax exemption for those earning up to R$ 5 also strengthen e-commerce. "When you have growth and income distribution, you strengthen the purchasing power of workers," he said.

In 2024, national e-commerce with the issuance of invoices generated R$ 225 billion — a 14,6% increase compared to 2023 and a 311% increase over the last five years. Since 2016, more than R$ 1 trillion worth of products have been traded in the digital environment.

Among the best-selling items in the country this year are cell phones (4,1%), books (3,3%) and refrigerators (2,6%). Specifically for SMEs, the top sellers are plastic products (2,7%), food supplements (2,1%), books (1,6%) and motorcycle parts (1,3%).

The regional segmentation of the study reveals local characteristics in digital sales: in Rio Grande do Sul, wine appears among the top-selling items for SMEs; in Goiás, tractor accessories stand out; in Minas Gerais, footwear; in Pará, açaí puree; and in Alagoas, fruits. Despite this diversity, regional concentration remains strong: the Southeast accounted for 77,2% of sales in 2024, followed by the South (14,1%), Northeast (5,5%), Midwest (2,5%), and North (0,6%).

In an attempt to decentralize this reality, the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (MDIC) and the Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development (ABDI) have been promoting policies to strengthen e-commerce in historically underserved regions. One of these initiatives is the call for proposals. E-Commerce.BR, which in April of this year selected 20 projects from 17 states in the North, Northeast, and Central-West regions to receive mentoring and technical support until July.

At the end of this phase, nine projects will each receive R$ 380. Three of them will advance, in 2026, to a new stage with an additional investment of R$ 500 and technical support from ABDI, reinforcing the commitment to the regionalization of national e-commerce.