The Latam Intersect PR report, titled “2025: The Future of Social Media Consumption in Latin America”, points out that the line between experience and consumption is becoming increasingly blurred. Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok are cited by respondents as popular alternative search mechanisms to Google.
The research found that 31% of respondents use Facebook to search for products before purchasing them, 28.7% use YouTube, and 23.4% use Instagram. Additionally, nearly one-third (31.5%) of respondents claim to discover new products through video platforms, such as YouTube (16.3%) and TikTok (15.2%).
When asked if they had ever used social networks as alternative search mechanisms to Google, 30.4% of respondents said they had used Facebook, 28.5% YouTube, 22% Instagram, and 11.3% TikTok. The survey interviewed 1,800 consumers across six of the region’s major economies: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru.
“We are witnessing a revolution in e-commerce, where the boundaries between entertainment, socializing, and shopping are rapidly dissolving. Social networks have evolved from simple brand exposure channels into complete purchasing ecosystems, requiring companies aiming for sales success to be increasingly digitally integrated,” says the co-founder of Boomer, a Minas Gerais-based company specializing in intelligent digital marketing solutions focused on performance, Pedro Paulo Alves.
Transformation in consumer behavior
The report shows that social networks have reached new levels of penetration both in terms of the number of Latin Americans online and the time they spend connected.
Moreover, many of the region’s most popular apps and platforms—such as Mercado Livre, WhatsApp, Pinterest, and TikTok—are increasingly integrating social networking, e-commerce, and payment features into a single interface, offering unparalleled convenience and new opportunities for brands to connect with users in a more integrated way.
According to Eduardo Augusto, CEO of IDK, a consultancy specialized in marketing, communication, and technology, these figures reflect a significant shift in how people—especially younger generations—consume content and make purchasing decisions. “Behind these numbers lies a profound transformation in consumer behavior, particularly among Generation Z, which alone is expected to drive around $167 billion in beauty spending, for example, by the end of 2025,” he highlights.
The power of user-generated content
The study indicates that ads using UGC achieve a click-through rate (CTR) 4 times higher and a cost per click 50% lower than average. In other words: as social media increasingly blends with other forms of consumption, traditional paths like SEO, Google, and institutional websites alone become less effective at reaching consumers.
“Contemporary consumers are not satisfied with just seeing a product; they want to understand how that item fits into their lifestyle. User-generated and influencer content provides an authentic perspective that traditional ads simply cannot offer,” explains the expert.
For Eduardo Augusto, the role of influencers in this scenario is becoming increasingly relevant. “Influencer-led brands are growing at a rate of 32.8% per year, compared to just 5.9% for the traditional market. This disparity demonstrates the power of the authentic connection content creators establish with their audiences,” he states.
‘Flywheel’ replaces the traditional funnel
The report also highlights how TikTok’s new “flywheel” (continuous cycle) model is redefining consumer journeys and brand engagement. The traditional funnel is evolving into a ‘flywheel,’ where discovery, engagement, and purchase merge seamlessly, showing that brands can no longer rely solely on traditional search—they need to be embedded in interactive spaces, turning curiosity into action and becoming an essential part of consumers’ digital journeys.
“Social networks have ceased to be mere promotional channels and have become true marketplaces. Today’s consumers expect to discover, evaluate, and purchase products without leaving the platform,” says Pedro Paulo.
Instagram and YouTube lead in Brazil
The specific segment on Brazil within the study shows that in our country, 47.8% of respondents choose Instagram as their preferred social media platform, the highest percentage among the surveyed countries. 36.2% of Brazilians claim to use YouTube as an alternative search mechanism to Google.
Additionally, 65.1% of Brazilian consumers say they shop more online than in person, the highest percentage among the surveyed countries and well above the regional average of 40.5%.
This Brazilian consumer behavior is also reflected in the beauty market, a significant example of this transformation. Eduardo Augusto highlights that “Brazil represented a particularly interesting case study, with its R$140 billion beauty market growing at 8.7% annually, demonstrating the country’s potential for social commerce strategies.”
According to Boomer’s co-founder, the Brazilian market has unique characteristics that make it highly receptive to social commerce. “We have a young, highly connected population that spends an average of 4.8 hours daily on social networks and values the opinion of their online community before making purchasing decisions. Companies that can create shopping experiences integrated into this social context will have a significant competitive advantage,” emphasizes Pedro Paulo.
Strategies for companies in the new digital landscape
To fully leverage the potential of social commerce, companies need to go beyond mere presence on social networks. As social media platforms become alternative search engines, traditional routes like Google searches and corporate websites become less effective at reaching consumers. Brands need to establish a presence across multiple platforms and use platform-specific content to engage customers where they are most active.
An interesting phenomenon observed by Eduardo Augusto is that “the success of these brands shows almost zero correlation with conventional metrics, such as the influencer’s follower count, initial investment volume, or intrinsic product quality.” This insight suggests that companies need to rethink their performance indicators and focus more on the quality of interactions than on raw reach.
“Social commerce is not just a new sales channel; it’s a complete reimagining of the shopping experience. Companies need to invest in technologies that eliminate friction between discovery and purchase completion. Every additional second in the process represents an opportunity for the consumer to abandon it,” adds Pedro.
Brands that can unify social media behavior data with their CRM systems will have a more holistic view of the customer journey, enabling truly personalized experiences. “This is the ideal time for companies to rethink their entire digital infrastructure to support this new reality where social, entertainment, and commerce merge into a seamless, integrated experience,” concludes the co-founder of Boomer.
