2026.08.12 YouGov Survey Shows Shopee Leads Brazil Purchase Rates, Mercado Livre Edges in Recommendation

YouGov Survey: Shopee Tops Brazil Purchase Rates, Mercado Livre Leads Recommendations

A recent YouGov survey reveals that over the past three months, Shopee recorded the highest purchase rate among Brazilian consumers at 55.4%, followed by Mercado Livre at 48.4% and Amazon at 27.8%. However, in brand recommendation willingness, Mercado Livre slightly outperformed Shopee, posting 58.7% versus 58.4%, while Amazon trailed at 45.2%. Americanas and TikTok Shop tied at 15.9% in purchase rates. In food retail, Assaí Atacadista led with a 30% recommendation rate, ahead of Atacadão (29.8%) and Carrefour (22.2%). The findings highlight Brazil's fiercely competitive e-commerce landscape, where purchase behavior and brand loyalty present diverging patterns. For cross-border sellers, this underscores the need to invest in brand advocacy, not just sales volume, to secure long-term customer retention in the Brazilian market.

Sea Q2 Revenue Reaches $7.8B, Up 48%; Shopee Full-Year EBITDA Expected to Hit $1B

Singapore-based tech conglomerate Sea released its Q2 2026 earnings, posting total revenue of $7.8 billion, a 48.1% year-over-year increase, alongside a net profit of $458 million, up 10.6%. Core platform Shopee generated $5.6 billion in revenue, growing 48.2%, with record-breaking order volume of 4.2 billion and GMV of $38.3 billion. Adjusted EBITDA rose 12.2% to $255 million, and the company projects full-year EBITDA to approach $1 billion. These robust figures signal sustained momentum across Southeast Asia and Latin America, reinforcing Shopee's marketplace dominance. For cross-border sellers, the strong performance indicates platform stability and continued investment in logistics infrastructure, seller tools, and growth initiatives—an encouraging sign for those planning to scale their operations on the platform throughout the remainder of the year.

TikTok Shop Southeast Asia to Restrict "100% Authentic" Badge Starting September 4

Effective September 4, 2026, TikTok Shop Southeast Asia's cross-border operations will limit the "100% Authentic Guarantee" label exclusively to TikTok Shop Mall sellers. Non-Mall sellers currently displaying the badge will have it automatically removed on the effective date, with no manual action required. The platform's central operations team will retain limited exceptions for select categories where authenticity is a critical differentiator but Mall onboarding remains temporarily unavailable. This move reflects a tightening of trust-related marketing assets, pushing sellers to enhance their store credentials or pursue Mall status to maintain consumer confidence. Cross-border sellers should proactively audit their listings and trust signals now, ensuring compliance ahead of the deadline while exploring eligibility pathways for TikTok Shop Mall to preserve their competitive edge.