Brazilians have a long-running love affair with malls. There are currently 503 shopping centres across the nation, earning a total revenue of R$129 billion in 2013. Can an e-commerce platform that promises to be a virtual mall entice Brazilians to spend online?

New shopping malls and a young population with sophisticated shopping tastes are helping make Brazil one of the world's most profitable luxury markets. But the recent economic downturn means optimism is ebbing. Does a gloomy economic outlook spell the end of Brazil’s luxury bonanza?

Brazil’s consumers are holding on to their cash. The economy is struggling as it slides towards recession, and its shoppers have now thrown in the towel. Retail sales for April were expected to be flat, but not negative – contributing to an annual drop that's twice as large as predicted.

Brazil has the seventh largest e-commerce market in the world, and its bricks-and-mortar food retailers are looking to grab a slice of this growth. But what will make Brazilian food shoppers – currently resistant to the switch – order the weekly shop online?