Over the past decade, e-commerce has become a key new type of international trade that is contributing to digitalization of the economy. In each country, e-commerce is developing at a different pace and has its own features. The study, based on comparative analysis, identifies the challenges faced by BRICS countries in e-commerce. In the context of the pandemic, e-commerce is growing rapidly in countries of the alliance, but the associated socio-economic challenges have become acute. Within BRICS, there are a number of objectives for the development of transport infrastructure, legal regulation and regional development programmes to bridge the digital gap.