For a long time, the main concern of e-commerce operations was increasing conversion rates. Improving website speed, reducing cart abandonment, and optimizing checkout also became priorities. Now, a new challenge is emerging: transforming occasional buyers into repeat customers.
During her participation in the E-commerce Brazil Forum 2026, Mariana Vicente, Head of Partnerships at BonifiQ, highlighted that technology continues to be essential in lead generation and sales, but it is no longer the main competitive differentiator.
"It's very difficult to engage a customer who had a negative experience on a slow platform. Platform performance and speed directly impact conversion, but they aren't what builds loyalty. The platform helps complete the sale, and that gives us reasons to continue the relationship.".
One of the examples cited by BonifiQ involves a retailer in the electronics segment. Approximately 90% of its revenue came from the sale of notebooks, a product with a significant average price but a very long replacement cycle. Instead of trying to further increase the average price, the strategy was to develop a rewards program focused on the brand's accessories, increasing purchase frequency.
“The goal wasn’t to reduce the average ticket price, but to decrease the customer’s one-off dependence. In this case, the average ticket price for this customer decreased, but we created incentives for the consumer to return three, four, or five times, directly increasing that customer’s LTV.”
For Mariana, this type of strategy represents a shift in mindset in digital retail. Instead of measuring only immediate conversions, companies are now tracking indicators related to customer relationships over time.
The executive emphasizes that this evolution also requires a technological infrastructure prepared to support new strategies.
“Stability doesn’t just mean keeping the website online. It creates the foundation for integrating technologies, customizing user journeys, and implementing new growth initiatives. Without it, any strategy is limited.”.
According to Mariana's assessment, the future of e-commerce will be less and less driven by isolated sales and more and more by the ability of brands to keep customers active, engaged, and repeat. Therefore, customer loyalty is ceasing to be a promotional action and will occupy a strategic role in the sustainable growth of digital operations.
