Strong B2C E-Commerce Growth in most Latin American Countries

Dec. 13, 2012 - PRLog -- Besides revenue figures, the share of B2C E-Commerce on total retail sales and successful product categories, the report also covers Internet user and online shopper statistics as well as leading players. Aside from the 10 main markets in Latin America, it also provides information for the entire region.

In 2011, more than half of all B2C E-Commerce revenues in Latin America was generated by Brazil, followed by Mexico, the Caribbean, and Argentina. Brazil is also leading in terms of Internet penetration in Latin America. However, when it comes to online shopper penetration, Argentina takes the lead in the region. In Latin America, apparel and accessories and computer electronics are the most frequently ordered products online.  

Popularity of Group Shopping is soaring in Brazil

More than one third of all Internet users in Brazil conduct online purchases. However, the number of online shoppers is growing more slowly than in previous years. In 2011, group shopping was especially popular among online shoppers in Brazil. Almost half of them made purchases from group shopping sites. Overall, more than half of all online shoppers in Brazil conducted at least one purchase in 2012. "Household articles and information technology" and "household appliances" were the most frequently purchased product categories, followed by "books and magazines". In December 2011, the leading online retailer in Brazil in terms of the time Internet users spent on its website was mass merchant Mercado Libre, followed by Lojas Americanas and Magazine Luiza, both of which are also mass merchants. For Mercado Libre, Brazil is the most important Latin American market, given that it generates almost as much revenue as all the other countries of the region combined. Amazon seeks to enter the developing Brazilian B2C E-Commerce market as well and is looking to acquire the B2C E-Commerce platform of Brazilian book store chain and publisher Saraiva. Although Saraiva itself denied this, the Brazilian market is attractive for Amazon. In December, the company has launched a Brazilian online shop for the Kindle e-Reader.

B2C E-Commerce in Argentina and Mexico continues to grow

It is projected that in 2012, the share of Internet users in Argentina who also conducted online purchases amounted to more than 40%. However, there are still obstacles, such as the aversion to sharing personal information online and concerns about paying by credit card online.  

The share of online shoppers on all Internet users in Mexico continues to grow. In 2012, "travel tickets", "hotel reservations" and "music and videos" were expected to be the most frequently purchased online categories.  

Internet Use and B2C E-Commerce not well developed in many other Latin American Countries

The Latin American country with the highest online per capita expenditure is Chile. Regarding M-Commerce, with a mobile purchase share of 10% on all online purchases, Chile was also among the leading Latin American countries. The number of Internet users in Ecuador continues to grow. In 2011, almost one third of all inhabitants used the Internet. In Columbia, the Internet audience is very young, with two thirds of all Internet users being younger than 34 years. B2C E-Commerce revenue in this country grew by almost two thirds between 2010 and 2011.  

Internet penetration is growing very slowly in Paraguay. However, Internet users there spend a great deal of time online. In December 2011, individuals aged 15 to 24 spent on average 26 hours per week online, with "research" being the most popular online activity. In January 2012, almost two thirds of all Internet users in Peru shopped online. According to estimates, almost two thirds of all Uruguay inhabitants of used the Internet in 2012, most frequently to access Facebook and other social networking sites. "PC accessories" and "household appliances" are the most popular products in B2C E-Commerce and are each purchased by approximately one third of all online shoppers there. Venezuela reached the highest Internet user growth rate worldwide between April 2011 and April 2012 and online revenue continues to grow as well.

In Latin American B2C E-Commerce, Mercado Libre is dominating, and is also a leading player in countries such as Peru and Venezuela. In Chile, many store-based retailers that also run online shops operate on the market, such as Cencosud and Falabella, while in Colombia Internet pure players such as Melocompro and Megastore play an important role.

According to the "Latin America B2C E-Commerce Report 2012" by yStats.com, both the number of Internet users and online shoppers continue to grow in all Latin American countries. Countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Chile are however much more developed when it comes to B2C E-Commerce and generate much higher online revenues than countries such as Peru and Columbia.  

For further information, see:

http://ystats.com/en/reports/preview.php?reportId=1006

Press Contact:

yStats.com GmbH & Co. KG

Behringstrasse 28a, D-22765 Hamburg

Phone: +49 (0)40 - 39 90 68 50

Fax: +49 (0)40 - 39 90 68 51

E-Mail: press@ystats.com

Internet: www.ystats.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/ystats

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ystats
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ystats