What happens to your store if, in 2027, a large portion of customers decide to buy before even opening your website? Brazilian retail e-commerce is projected to reach US$585,6 billion in 2027 , a 70% increase, according to a Nuvei projection published by E-Commerce Brasil. The market is growing, but the path to purchase is being rewritten. Therefore, we've highlighted trends that show where digital retail is heading and what to consider right now.
On this page you will find:
The essentials about e-commerce in 2027
- Brazilian online retail is expected to grow 70% by 2027, reaching US$585,6 billion., according to Nuvei (volume that attracts more competition and raises the bar for operations);
- Product discovery is migrating from websites to AI-powered search and shopping assistants., who then become intermediaries in some of the decisions;
- Retail media establishes itself as a central media channel: Global investment is expected to reach US$223 billion in 2027, according to WARC;
- Unified commerce replaces omnichannel: Inventory, pricing, service, and customer data will operate as a single system;
- Pix is consolidating itself as the dominant payment method in e-commerce.Already accounting for 42% of purchases in 2025 and on track to reach 50% by 2028, according to Ebanx;
- Own data (first-party) saw the most valuable asset to personalize offers in a scenario without third-party cookies.
Product discovery no longer begins on your website.
For years, the journey began on Google and ended on the store's website, but that's changing. AI-powered search engines, assistants like ChatGPT, and early purchase agents are now answering "which product to buy" before the consumer even visits any page . For retailers, this means competing for visibility within those answers as well, not just in traditional search results.
Corporate adoption is keeping pace: Salesforce projects that the number of AI agents per company will grow by 67% in two years , according to its Connectivity Benchmark . By 2027, having a clear and structured presence on these channels will become a requirement for being found.
➡️ Learn more at: GEO – Strategies for your brand to dominate searches with artificial intelligence
Retail media is no longer an experiment and has become a channel.
When a consumer searches within a marketplace or the store's own website, that space becomes media. This is what the market calls retail media : ads displayed at the point where the purchase actually happens. The format has moved beyond the testing phase. According to WARC , in the report The Future of Commerce Media 2026 , global investment in retail media should reach US$223 billion in 2027 — equivalent to 15,2% of all advertising spending worldwide.
For brands, it's a chance to advertise with real-time purchase intent data. For retailers with their own audience, it's a new revenue stream built on existing traffic. By 2027, operations that treat their own website as a media channel, and not just a storefront, will have a head start.
From omnichannel to unified commerce in 2027
Omnichannel promised to integrate physical and digital stores, but in most operations, the channels still run on separate systems, with inventories and customer records that don't communicate. The trend for 2027 is unified commerce : a single database that centralizes inventory, price, order, and customer history, regardless of where the sale begins or ends . Adyen describes this movement as the evolution of omnichannel, now driven by data.
In practice, it's the customer who buys online and exchanges in-store without friction, or the salesperson who accesses the entire digital history right there at the counter. Platforms like VTEX and Shopify are moving in this direction, with architectures that connect the touchpoints. Reaching 2027 with isolated channels will be a concrete competitive disadvantage.
Invisible payment and Pix as the standard.
The checkout process is still where many sales are lost, and payment friction is part of the problem. Pix has changed this scenario and continues to gain ground: it accounted for 42% of e-commerce purchases in Brazil in 2025 and is expected to reach 50% by 2028 , according to Ebanx , based on PCMI data . Pix Automático , focused on recurring payments, paves the way for subscriptions and repeat purchases without data re-entry.
The direction for 2027 is towards a payment process that almost disappears from the experience: approved in seconds, with fewer steps and more payment methods for the customer to choose from. Those who simplify this step protect conversion precisely at the most vulnerable point in the journey.
First-party data instead of cookies.
With restrictions on third-party cookies, personalization will depend on what the store itself can collect and organize: purchase history, website behavior, stated preferences, and CRM interactions. By 2027, this collection of proprietary data will become the engine for recommendations, segmented offers, and communication that truly converts. Operations that treat their customer base as a strategic asset (and not just a mailing list) will have a head start.
How to prepare your business for 2027
None of these trends require turning the operation upside down all at once; they require prioritization . It's worth mapping where customers discover your products today, reviewing how channels exchange data with each other, testing retail media on your own website, and organizing your customer base. The thread that connects all these fronts is data maturity: without organized information, none of them can be sustained.
To keep up with how each of these trends evolves throughout the year, keep an eye on the e-Plus blog , where we delve into these topics in depth. From AI-powered search to unified commerce, upcoming articles provide a step-by-step guide to each movement, ensuring your business is on the right track by 2027.
FAQ
What are the main e-commerce trends for 2027?
The main trends for 2027 are product discovery by AI and purchasing agents, the growth of retail media, the migration from omnichannel to unified commerce, the consolidation of Pix as a payment method, and the use of first-party data for personalization. Together, they change how the customer finds, decides, and pays.
What is retail media and why is it growing by 2027?
Retail media is the sale of advertising space within retail websites, apps, and marketplaces, displayed at the point of purchase. It's growing because it uses real-time intent data and generates new revenue for retailers. WARC projects US$223 billion in global investment in this format by 2027, approximately 15% of all advertising spending.
Is unified commerce replacing omnichannel?
Unified commerce is the evolution of omnichannel. While omnichannel integrates channels that still operate separately, unified commerce brings together inventory, pricing, orders, and customer data into a single database. The result is a seamless experience between physical and digital stores, without stockouts or service interruptions.
How can a small business prepare for 2027?
A small business can start without large investments: organizing the customer base, ensuring products appear clearly in searches and AI assistants, offering Pix at checkout, and gradually integrating sales channels. Preparing for 2027 is gradual and begins with data maturity.
