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Internet usage grows faster than previously expected in Latin America. Latin America is the third-fastest-growing region for internet users and the second-fastest-growing region for mobile phone users. Sources. GSMA.

Trump’s tariffs threaten to upend retailers’ supply chains: Companies are rethinking sourcing and stocking up on goods early to minimize additional costs and disruptions.

Trump’s tariff proposals will eat into consumers’ discretionary spend: The price of goods such as shoes, toasters, and mattress and box springs will soar under the across-the-board tariff plan.

Marketers in countries that benefit from maintaining a good relationship with China, including those in Latin America and Southeast Asia, should be less concerned about a potential ban. Data privacy attitudes and policies also matter. EU governments have historically been stricter than the US on data privacy and security.

For those seeking a regional strategy, favor Southeast Asia over Latin America. Although the latter region will be a bright spot—as it has been for years—ecommerce sales growth is decelerating more quickly there than in Southeast Asia. Currency crises and political instability have become liabilities for many nations in Latin America. For those with limited resources, stick with the US.

In Latin America, Facebook will still top Instagram by 99.0 million users in 2023. But Instagram is coming on strong in Brazil, where it will have more users than Facebook by 2025. Brazil will be one of only five countries worldwide where that will be the case. But ByteDance’s threatening position looms large.

Despite high interest in—and rapid adoption of—generative AI in Canada, Europe, and Latin America, it might not be smooth sailing for the technology. Regulation in each of these regions could be a major sticking point that scuppers faster maturation. Regulatory noncompliance is already being tested in Europe.

We estimate that China accounts for 50% of global ecommerce sales, while the US, Amazon’s biggest market, makes up about 18%, and Latin America, less than 3%. Alibaba’s share of its key market is also the highest, capturing 42.7% of ecommerce sales within China last year. Amazon made up 38.2% of US ecommerce sales. But Mercado Libre’s share was far lower, at 20.9% of Latin America’s ecommerce sales.

And don’t be surprised if central banks in other countries in Latin America and Southeast Asia try to replicate Pix and UPI. This article originally appeared in Insider Intelligence's Payments Innovation Briefing—a daily recap of top stories reshaping the payments industry. Subscribe to have more hard-hitting takeaways delivered to your inbox daily. Are you a client? Click here to subscribe.

Asia-Pacific remained a global hotspot in 2023, with six of the top 10 fastest-growing retail ecommerce markets worldwide. In particular, China's online shopping market showed signs of resiliency, with growth rates in the double digits.

In 2024, a perfect storm of technology, business, and consumer behavior trends will conspire to intensify the challenges of protecting brands on digital media.