It is not necessary to be a geopolitics expert to feel the impact of the tensions between China and the United States. Just click on "buy" and observe the increase in delivery times or that suspicious jump in the final price. The trade war, reignited with heavy tariffs on both sides — algumas atingindo 145% nos EUA sobre produtos chineses — it is not only affecting the stock indices, but with the shopping cart of millions of Brazilians.
For the national e-commerce, questa lotta di titani arriva come un vento forte. Those who are well-positioned can hoist the sails and gain speed. Who is not there, vai virar de lado na tempestade.
The change in the global board started with the US targeting China's imports directly, attacking with extremely high tariffs and review of tax exemptions. China's response was immediate: restrictions on strategic minerals and new trade barriers. Result? An international logistical system tremulous, freights rising, suppliers tense and uncertainty in stock replenishment. But what about Brazil in all this?
Curiously, this external crisis could be the key to an accelerated maturation of the national e-commerce. With the most expensive and less competitive Chinese products in the USA, a window opens for Brazilian brands to occupy space — from electronics assembled here to fashion items, beauty and home. The consumer, que antes olhava basicamente apenas para o preço, now also considers the deadline and the reliability of delivery.
And then logistics come in. Brazil, always slow to respond to the demands of the digital economy, starts to awaken. Marketplaces investem fortemente em centros de distribuição regionais, startups logísticas se multiplicam com soluções criativas, and there is a silent movement — however robust — ofdeslocalização próximabringing suppliers from Asia to Latin American countries, reducing time, cost and dependence.
Platforms like Mercado Livre, Magalu and Amazon Brazil are leading in this race, with own fleets, warehouses automated and algorithms that predict demand with millimeter-precision. Not for nothing, Brazil closed 2024 with a growth of 12,1% in e-commerce, above the global average, segundo a Ebit/Nielsen.
Of course, there are obstacles, como o alto custo logístico interno, the bureaucracy for imports, besides the fragility of infrastructures such as ports, airports, roads and railways. But there is also a new mindset, because the Brazilian retailer is learning that relying exclusively on Chinese supplies is a fragility and is acting.
This trade war will not end anytime soon. The truth is that, while the US and China exchange tariffs as if sparks in a sword duel, Brazil can — act with vision and boldness — tornar-se umplayerstronger, more autonomous and faster.
No novo jogo do comércio eletrónico global, he who fights more does not win. The one who delivers best wins
