The focus of Chinese e-commerce companies in Brazil has helped to make online shopping more popular in the South American country, said a business leader.

Kevin Tang, Director of the Brazil-China Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told state-run radio broadcaster China Radio International that Chinese e-commerce giants like Alibaba recently have taken several measures to draw more Brazilians into online shopping. Measures include offering cheaper products and setting up Portuguese-language websites.

“You have competitive prices, you have a reliable secure safe platform you can buy online, you have a wide variety of products and you have greater access to those Internet sites that Brazilians didn’t have before,” Mr Tang explained.

“So putting all that together, it is only logical that Brazilians would opt to buy from China,” he added.

China Radio International noted that convenience in the delivery of products bought, including home delivery, has also helped boost Brazil’s online market. The broadcaster quoted estimates pointing to Brazil becoming the 10th largest e-commerce market in the world by 2018.