Internet and social media usage by microenterprises in Brazil rises, indicates survey from Cetic.br

Cloud computing services and e-commerce were also explored by the ICT Enterprises 2017 Survey

The use of the Internet by microenterprises (1 to 9 employed people) reached 88%, according to the ICT Enterprises 2017 Survey, released this Wednesday (6) by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br) through the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br) of the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br). From 2007 to today, there has been a growth of 19 percentage points; meanwhile, the percentage of microenterprises with a computer has increased over ten years to 89%, representing an increase of 10 percentage points.

The survey also reveals that, in 2017, 29% of microenterprises had a website and 65% were present on social media. “The significant Internet presence via social networks compared to proprietary websites likely occurs due to the ease of access and lower maintenance costs, when comparing both forms of online presence for Brazilian microenterprises,” explains Alexandre Barbosa, manager of Cetic.br.

Regarding connection speeds in microenterprises, the study points to a greater concentration in the ranges between 1 Mbps to 10 Mbps (46%). Regarding the adoption of e-commerce, 52% of microenterprises reported making purchases online, but only 19% stated that they sell services or products online. “Despite the efforts from microenterprises to be connected and present on the Internet, both through websites and social media, there is still room for more strategic use of these tools, especially regarding the offering of products and services to their clients online,” comments Barbosa.

Online presence and cloud computing

Among small, medium, and large enterprises (10 or more employed people), the ICT Enterprises 2017 Survey shows that 55% of enterprises claimed to have a website, a proportion that was 57% in 2015, representing a stable scenario. In the case of medium enterprises, the web presence through websites is 78%, and large enterprises is 89%. Among the functionalities present on enterprise websites, the main feature is brand exposure, with the relationship channels being little explored. While 96% of websites have institutional information and 74% showcase the company's product and service catalog, only 21% have ordering systems and only 18% offer online payment.

The ICT Enterprises 2017 Survey further indicates that the proportion of companies with profiles on social media reaches 70%. Of the companies present on such online platforms, 60% have an area or person responsible for monitoring social media, and 29% outsource this service.

As for cloud computing, the study reveals that 27% of companies use this service for e-mail, 20% use office software, 25% use file storage or databases, and 16% use cloud processing capacity.

Access and use of ICT

The ICT Enterprises 2017 Survey also investigated infrastructure access and activities that Brazilian companies performed online. The use of cable connection showed a significant increase between 2015 and 2017, going from 37% to 51%, while the use of DSL connection, via telephone line, decreased from 70% to 63%. The use of fiber optic connection remains stable: in 2015, 46% of companies had this type of connection, and in 2017 it was 49%.

Among the analyzed activities, the use of instant messaging gained more space, having grown from 62% to 70% between 2015 and 2017. Payment of taxes and fees (72%) is the main transaction conducted over the Internet between companies and the government, with less frequent interaction with the government for participating in bidding and electronic auctions (21%) and for acquiring goods or services from governmental organizations (6%).

E-commerce

Regarding e-commerce, 66% of companies declared making purchases online, while sales are conducted by 22% of them. The percentage of companies selling online stands 10 percentage points higher than in 2011 when 12% were selling over the Internet. Among companies not selling online, 50% said they prefer the current business model, while 49% said their products are not suitable for online commerce forms.

About the survey

Conducted between April and August 2017, the ICT Enterprises Survey measures the access and use of information and communication technologies (ICT) among small, medium, and large Brazilian enterprises. A total of 7,062 companies of small, medium, and large size were interviewed. In 2017, the survey was also conducted among microenterprises, using a questionnaire adapted for this specific audience. Previous editions of the survey specific to microenterprises were conducted by Cetic.br in 2007 and 2010. The survey with microenterprises, held in the same period, included 1,502 interviews.

To access the ICT Enterprises 2017 Survey in full, including complete tables of proportions, totals, and respective error margins, as well as review the historical series, visit https://cetic.br/pesquisa/empresas/indicadores. Compare the evolution of the indicators through data visualization at https://data.cetic.br/cetic/explore?idPesquisa=TIC_EMP.

About Cetic.br

The Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society, of NIC.br, is responsible for producing indicators and statistics on the availability and use of the Internet in Brazil, disseminating periodic analyses and information regarding the network's development in the country. Cetic.br is a Regional Study Center, under the auspices of UNESCO. More information at https://www.cetic.br/.

About the Brazilian Network Information Center – NIC.br

The Brazilian Network Information Center — NIC.br (https://www.nic.br/) is a civil, private, non-profit entity, which, in addition to implementing the decisions and projects of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee, has among its duties: to coordinate the registration of domain names — Registro.br (https://www.registro.br/), study, respond and tackle security incidents in Brazil — CERT.br (https://www.cert.br/), study and research network technologies and operations — Ceptro.br (https://www.ceptro.br/), produce indicators on information and communication technologies — Cetic.br (https://www.cetic.br/), implement and operate the Traffic Exchange Points — IX.br (https://ix.br/), enable the participation of the Brazilian community in the global development of the Web and support the formulation of public policies — Ceweb.br (https://www.ceweb.br), and house the W3C office in Brazil (https://www.w3c.br/).

About the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee – CGI.br

The Brazilian Internet Steering Committee is responsible for establishing strategic guidelines related to the use and development of the Internet in Brazil, coordinating and integrating all Internet service initiatives in the country, promoting the technical quality, innovation, and dissemination of the offered services. Based on the principles of multi-stakeholderism and transparency, CGI.br represents a democratic Internet governance model, praised internationally, where all society sectors equally participate in its decisions. One of its formulations is the 10 Principles for Internet Governance and Use (https://www.cgi.br/principios). More information at https://www.cgi.br/.

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