Amazon has officially announced the end of home office in Brazil, ordering its 18,000 employees in the country to return to in-person work. The decision follows the guidelines of its North American parent company, which had already established a return to offices from September 2024.
Decision Details
In a statement, Amazon said that while the requirement for in-person work is the new rule, specific cases can still be analyzed individually. “Currently, the company is returning according to its local structural possibilities, together with employees and their managers, for specific cases,” the company said in a statement.
Amazon operates in Brazil with 12 distribution centers in seven cities, several delivery stations and two corporate offices in São Paulo, in addition to managing data centers and technology centers.
Impact and Expansion
In addition to the internal restructuring, Amazon plans to expand its workforce this year, opening 480 new positions in technology, finance, marketing, human resources and supply chain. The company also recently reduced commission rates for partner sellers, seeking to attract more merchants and expand the offering of products with more competitive prices.
Competition in E-commerce
The adjustment comes amid fierce competition in Brazilian e-commerce, especially with Shopee, which surpassed Amazon and became the second most-visited marketplace in Brazil in 2024, behind only Mercado Livre. According to a report by Itaú BBA, Shopee had revenues of more than R$60 billion in Brazil last year, double that of Amazon, consolidating itself as a strong competitor.
The Singaporean company has been investing in affordable prices and new sales strategies, such as live commerce, where sellers sell their products during streaming sessions on the platform, to boost its operations.
E-commerce Scenario in Brazil
Despite the competition, the Brazilian e-commerce sector still has room for growth. While in Asian countries online sales represent around 40% of retail, in Brazil this share still does not exceed 12%. Amazon has 78,000 sales partners, 99% of which are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which sell more than 18.4 million products listed on the site.
With information from SINDPD
