Stephanie Chevalier
E-commerce research and editorial expert
Social commerce in Latin America - statistics & facts
By harnessing the unique influence that social networks have on their users, merchants can achieve unparalleled interaction with new and existing customers, reshaping e-commerce as we know it. In Latin America, an increased effort to leverage the power of social media is apparent, as ad spending on such platforms has nearly doubled since 2020, with Brazil and Mexico leading the way. Accounting for roughly 60 percent of the e-commerce market in Latin America, both countries are at the forefront of adoption of this shopping channel regionally and rank among the nations with the highest proportion of social buyers worldwide.
Social buyers go for Meta platforms
Meta, parent company to three of the world's leading social networks, currently dominates the social commerce landscape in Latin America. In 2021, the region had the highest share of Facebook Marketplace and Instagram Shopping users globally, with 42 percent of users on their corresponding platforms using these services. Still, preferences vary from country to country. While the photo- and video-sharing app Instagram was the leading network for social shopping in Brazil, Facebook prevailed in purchasing products and services in Mexico among nine out of ten social shoppers. Facebook was also the most popular social media app to buy from in Colombia, but the instant messaging platform WhatsApp came in second place, narrowly beating Instagram.From inspiration to purchase
With businesses in Latin America increasing their focus on social commerce and doubling down on social media marketing and advertising, online consumers in the region have an abundance of new online shopping opportunities at their fingertips. In 2021, approximately 40 percent of internet users in Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico discovered new brands, products, and services through ads on their preferred platforms. Of the four Latin American countries listed above, Brazil had the largest share of online users taking the next step and using social networks to find products to buy, at almost 47 percent. Whether as a shopping platform or as a source of information for a later web or in-store purchase, social media is proving to be a powerful resource in consumers' path to purchase.
