Mobile is a lot bigger in Latin America than you think

Today we continue our  exploration of regional findings from the new 2012 Our mobile Planet research and examine smartphone behavior in Latin America.

Did you know that Brazil has more smartphone users than Germany or France do?1 In fact, with about 27M and 23M smartphone users respectively, Brazil and Mexico both have more smartphone users than Australia has people (Australia’s population is around 22M).2  These are some of the surprising results from the new 2012 Our Mobile Planet smartphone research, which mark Brazil and Mexico’s arrival as mobile giants on the global scene.  The study also revealed exciting insights from Argentina - with 24% smartphone penetration, Argentina has not only the highest penetration of the three Latin American countries included in the study - it also has higher smartphone penetration than Germany did just one year ago.

These numbers defy the common perception that these large Latin American markets are far behind the rest of the world in smartphone adoption.  They in fact already possess larger absolute numbers of smartphone users than many other countries, and above-average usage patterns in many areas.  For example: 

• 65% of Mexican smartphone users search on their phones every day, compared to 57% in the U.S.
• 90% of Argentine smartphone users use their phones to access social networks, compared to 63% in Japan
• 29% of Brazilian smartphone users have changed their minds about a purchase while in a store due to research conducted on their phone, compared to 15% in Canada

It’s clear that mobile has arrived in a big way in these markets.  To better understand the importance of smartphones across Latin America and the world, visit thinkwithgoogle.com/mobileplanet to gain free access to powerful data across 40 countries in 22 languages.  Other Latin America highlights from the study include:

Mobile Is Changing the Way Latin American Consumers Interact with the World...

• 57% of Brazilian smartphone users read newspapers or magazines on their phones
• 73% of Argentine smartphone users check email on their phones every day
• 81% of Mexican smartphone users watch video on their phones

...Especially When It Comes to Shopping

• 26% of Mexican smartphone users have made a purchase on their phone itself
• 45% of Brazilian smartphone users have made a purchase on their computer as a result of conducting research on their phone
• 82% of Argentine smartphone users have researched a product or service on their phones

Smartphones have arrived in Brazil, Mexico and Argentina, and businesses who sell to customers in these markets need to react quickly to follow the consumer and implement cross-channel strategies that incorporate mobile.  To learn more about Latin American mobile consumer behavior, check out the data explorer and chart builder on thinkwithgoogle.com/mobileplanet. Get the data you need to understand the new mobile consumer and to help shape your mobile business strategies.

Posted by Peter Fernandez, Head of Mobile Advertising, Latin America


(1) With a population of about 195M (World Bank) and smartphone penetration of 14%, Brazil has about 27M smartphone users. With populations of about 82M and 65M and smartphone penetration of 29% and 38% respectively, Germany and France have about 24M and 25M smartphone users.
(2) With a population of about 113M and smartphone penetration of 20%, Mexico has about 23M smartphone users.

Mobile is a lot bigger in Latin America than you think
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