What is chat commerce? How important is e-commerce live chat? Be ahead and find out how Brazil is changing the game through WhatsApp
When was the last time you shopped online? Well, sometimes it is hard to remember because we are doing this all the time: ordering food, calling a cab, shopping for the trending new outfit, buying tickets to the theater… The experience of shopping innovates as our consumer habits change over time. That is why sometimes we don’t even notice we actually paid for something.
The shopper wants convenience. And online stores know that as they try to recover abandoned shopping carts and increase conversions. One of the most significant trends reshaping the industry is chat-based commerce, a method that uses messaging apps to facilitate shopping experiences.
Brazil, where WhatsApp is used by 73% of the population (according to the Business of Apps’ Social App Report), is a good example of this transformation. In this article, we explore e-commerce live chat in Brazil, why it’s crucial for businesses to invest in conversational platforms, and how innovative solutions like Suri-PagBrasil’s WhatsApp commerce solution are helping to reshape online shopping forever.
“Zap me!”
How big is WhatsApp in Brazil? Well, the app is immensely popular in the country. “Zap” or “ZapZap,” as Brazilians nicknamed it affectionately, has an estimated 148 million users, (according to Business of Apps’ Social App Report). Brazil ranks in second globally, only losing to India.
This penetration is higher than in many other parts of the world, making the chat app a critical tool for communication and commerce. According to research by Opinion Box/Mobile Time (2024), over 95% of Brazilians users check the app multiple times a day. In fact, they spend an average of 24 hours and 14 minutes per month on the app, ranking fourth globally. Just so you can have a frame of reference, the worldwide average is 17 hours and 06 minutes (Meltwater Digital 2024 Global Overview Report).
Brazil loves chatting
Brazilians are not shy to chat – whether with humans or brands. 79% of WhatsApp users in the country have communicated at least once with companies via the social app (Opinion Box/Mobile Time 2024). Given its widespread use, businesses in Brazil have quickly adopted WhatsApp as a key tool for engaging with clients.
Companies offer customer support, provide product information, and facilitate sales through the app. Also, WhatsApp’s features allow businesses to send automated messages, conduct marketing campaigns, and manage customer interactions efficiently. According to the 2024 Panorama de Marketing e Vendas report by RD Station, 78% of e-commerce companies in Brazil use WhatsApp in their marketing strategies, with 72% confirming it as the most successful channel for contacting leads.
Chat commerce at its best: Suri and PagBrasil team up
E-commerce in Brazil is booming, with projections estimating the market will grow from $95 billion in 2023 to $150 billion by 2027, driven by a 12% annual growth rate (The Global Payments Report, 2024). In such a thriving market, businesses need to stay ahead by adopting innovative strategies to enhance customer experience.
Suri, a pioneer in WhatsApp-based e-commerce solutions, has partnered with PagBrasil to process payments made on their platform. Together, they are able to offer a robust tool for businesses looking to increase sales via chat commerce. Suri helps companies establish an online store within WhatsApp and sell directly in the conversation. There is no need for the shopper to get out of the app. The solution allows customers to shop autonomously, from selecting items to completing payment. The main goal is to ease and improve the effectiveness of the shopping process.
With over 1,300 clients across Brazil, Suri mediates more than 3 billion messages exchanged daily, with 70% of sales being automated. The company promises a sales conversion rate more than 25% higher for partners using their WhatsApp-based solution, with a conversion rate six times higher than traditional e-commerce. Adopting the chat tool is easy for interested merchants: the integration process works as a “plug and play,” making it fast for businesses to get started.
Big Brazilian retailers like PagueMenos, Grupo Mateus, and ExtraFarma use Suri’s platform to automate sales, providing customers with a smooth and efficient shopping experience on WhatsApp. For instance, PagueMenos saw a 15% increase in WhatsApp conversion rates, with 70% of their sales being automated.
These innovations are helping businesses to offer 24/7 support, instant responses to customer inquiries, and streamlined sales processes, thereby enhancing the overall customer experience and boosting sales.
A sneak peek into the future
The future of e-commerce lies in providing seamless, personalized, and efficient shopping experiences. Chat commerce, particularly via WhatsApp, is a perfect example of how to integrate customers’ new consuming habits into the shopping experience. As businesses continue to adopt these technologies, clients can expect a more integrated and intuitive shopping experience, where their needs are met quickly and efficiently.
For businesses, investing in chat commerce is not just a trend but a necessity. It offers a competitive edge in a rapidly growing market, helping them to connect with customers in a way that is convenient and familiar. The future of e-commerce in Brazil looks promising, poised to deliver unprecedented levels of convenience and satisfaction to shoppers. Maybe payments are going to be so well integrated in our daily actions, as well as in online shopping, we might not even notice them. As they were “invisible”. In this scenario, businesses need to be careful: innovation is not the only key to thrive in this competitive market. The secret lies in understanding the human behind the shopper. And whoever understands them better, will innovate better. And sell better.
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