Latin America recorded, in the second quarter of 2025, its 11th consecutive period of growth in mass-market goods consumption, with a 1.6% increase in volume. Despite the positive performance, only 41% of commercial brands managed to secure new sales opportunities—the lowest rate recorded in the last five years. This is according to the new edition of the Consumer Insights 2025 study, produced by Worldpanel by Numerator.
This duality reflects the current consumption scenario in the region. The Latin American shopping basket has become more fragmented, with consumers exploring more channels (an average of 9.5 per year) and more brands (97 different ones), but with lower purchase frequency—80% of categories saw a decline in this indicator.
Regarding channels, e-commerce, discount stores, and wholesale retailers are the only formats sustaining growth in frequency, with increases of 9%, 8%, and 4%, respectively. Together, they accounted for 500 million additional purchase occasions compared to the previous year. Traditional channels, on the other hand, were the main driver of the decline, with a 14% drop.
Brands mainstream, in particular, were the most impacted by this new consumer behavior, with a 5.6% decline in purchase frequency and a 3% drop in units per customer. In contrast, the premium and private-label options grew both in frequency (0.9% and 1.4%, respectively) and volume (4% and 9%).
“The study shows that 95% of brands that grew in volume did so by gaining household presence—which reaffirms the importance of reaching new buyers as the primary lever for growth. However, the combination of household presence and frequency proved to be the most efficient strategy, as 50% of companies that grew for two consecutive years adopted this approach,” highlights Marcela Botana, Director of Market Development for Latin America at Worldpanel by Numerator.
It is also worth noting that Latin American consumer behavior appears more open to experimentation. Over 90% of categories gained household presence in 2025, even amid the trend of lower purchase repetition. Growth is more concentrated among discretionary categories (81%) but also reaches essential ones (70%), indicating room for expansion even in consolidated markets.
The quarterly Consumer Insights report continuously monitors the consumption behavior of Latin Americans, focusing on food, beverages, cleaning products, and hygiene and beauty items. The second quarter 2025 edition includes data from nine markets: Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and the Dominican Republic), Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru.
