Consumers’ heavy use of social media. Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Argentina were home to some of the world’s most frequent users of social media in Q3 2021, according to GWI. Increases in time spent on platforms like TikTok and those of Meta, along with the use of social media for product research, will lure more advertisers to the format. Social ads’ effectiveness in driving online sales.

More than three-quarters of internet users in Latin America, or 337.3 million people, will watch digital video on any platform—not just social media—this year, according to our September 2021 forecast.

According to a May 2021 Opinion Box report, nearly two-thirds (63%) of Facebook users in Brazil purchased a product or service discovered on the platform, while nearly 6 in 10 (58%) made a purchase recommended by someone on Facebook. Investments in social media are table stakes for all businesses—not just SMBs.

As of June 2021, 50% of internet users in Brazil surveyed by Instituto QualiBest for the Sociedade Brasileira de Varejo e Consumo (SBVC) paid for their in-store purchases through interest-free monthly installments via a credit card.

Brazil is TikTok’s biggest market in Latin America. With 52.3 million monthly users, the country will account for nearly 40% of all TikTok users in the region this year. Mexico will be its second-largest market, with 27.6 million users, or one-fifth of the regional total. Brazil will also have the second-highest number of TikTok users after the US (90.6 million). Mexico will come in fourth.

This report explores the pandemic’s impact on total retail, ecommerce, and mcommerce sales in Latin America, with breakouts for Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. It also examines key drivers fueling regional market movements in 2021 and beyond.

Major social platforms are also ramping up initiatives related to ecommerce, capitalizing on almost universal engagement with social media in the region. For example, Pinterest recently opened its ad platform to companies and brands aiming to reach internet users in Brazil.