Tech Roundup, Mar. 20, 2019 | Covid-19 hits Brazilian e-commerce

You’re reading The Brazilian Report‘s weekly tech roundup, a digest of the most important news on technology and innovation in Brazil. This week’s topics: Covid-19’s impacts on e-commerce, Central Bank’s new payment method, how gig economy apps are trying to help workers amid the pandemic.

Covid-19 drops a bomb on Brazil’s e-commerce sector

Brazilians in self-isolation have turned to e-commerce for supplies, bumping sales of goods such as foods, beverages, beauty products, and healthcare items by over 180 percent. These figures are from the Brazilian e-commerce association. But while that new reality could be good news for retailers, online shops of the country’s largest supermarkets are actually limiting purchases in an effort to avoid shortages, in the molds of the empty shelves beginning to crop up in brick and mortar stores. 

What’s going on? Overburdened with orders, supermarket chains are asking customers to “be sympathetic with others and purchase only enough for [their] family.” They have also warned customers that delivery deadlines could be delayed. Wholesaler Makro informed it no longer has available time slots for delivery.

Crisis is bad—for everyone. Despite the spike in purchases of essential goods, there are signs that Covid-19 fears will make customers wary about spending on non-essential items, thus harming e-commerce. Market intelligence company Compre&Confie reports that between February 1 and 19, e-commerce sales fell 7.7 percent in volume and revenues shrank 5.2 percent from January. The study relates the drop to the pandemic.

Brazil’s Central Bank creates a standard QR Code for payments

Brazil’s Central Bank announced the new “BR Code,” a standard QR code for payments in Brazil. With this new platform, the monetary authority intends...