In the second quarter of 2025, Latin America recorded its 11th consecutive period of growth in mass goods consumption, with a 1.6% increase in volume. Despite this 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 consumer landscape 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), 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 frequency growth, with increases of 9%, 8%, and 4%, respectively. Together, they accounted for 500 million additional purchase occasions compared to the previous year. The traditional channel, on the other hand, was the main driver of the decline, with a 14% drop.
Mainstream brands were the most impacted by this new consumer behavior, with a 5.6% decline in purchase frequency and a 3% decline in the number of units per customer. In contrast, premium and private label brands saw increases in both 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 presence in homes—which reaffirms the importance of reaching new buyers as the main driver of growth. The combination of presence in homes and frequency, however, proved to be the most effective strategy, as 50% of companies that grew for two consecutive years adopted this strategy," emphasizes Marcela Botana, Director of Market Development in Latin America at Worldpanel by Numerator.
It's also worth noting that Latin American consumers are more open to experimentation. More than 90% of categories gained a presence in households by 2025, despite the trend toward lower repeat purchases. Growth is more concentrated among disposable categories (81%), but also reaches essential categories (70%), indicating room for expansion even in established markets.
The quarterly Consumer Insights report continuously monitors Latin American consumer behavior, focusing on food, beverages, cleaning products, and personal care and beauty products. 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.
