Evidence of Digital Divide in Individual E-Commerce Use in Brazil

Resumo

E-commerce has an important role in the Brazilian economy and people’s quality of life and lifestyle. To support e-commerce, it is essential to understand the Brazilian internet-user consumers’ characteristics and identify barriers to accessing e-commerce. This study investigated socioeconomic and sociodemographic aspects correlated with individual e-commerce use. By using the information and communication technology (ICT) Households 2018 microdata, three logit models were developed here to investigate such correlations. The results suggest that gender, ethnicity, educational level, income, and area of residence are significantly correlated with individual e-commerce use. On the other hand, age is not a good predictor for individual e-commerce use in Brazil as its odds ratio equals 0.99. Furthermore, the results have clearly shown that socioeconomic aspects are the weightiest factor associated with purchasing online. In confirming the extension of social inequalities to digital environments, in finding significant differences between urban and rural areas as to individual e-commerce use, and finally, considering what the word transformation means, the results suggest that there is not a wide digital transformation in Brazil.