Brazil is the largest e-commerce market in Latin America and one of the most social markets on the planet. Brazilian shoppers spend a huge part of their day on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and WhatsApp, and they lean on recommendations from real people before buying almost anything online. That combination makes user generated content (UGC) one of the most effective growth levers for online stores selling in Brazil, whether you run a local brand or an international company entering the market.

Why UGC fits Brazilian consumers so well

Shopping in Brazil is a social activity. People ask friends for recommendations on WhatsApp, check comments before trusting a store, and watch review videos before paying for anything. There is a practical reason for this behavior: online scams are a real concern, so Brazilian buyers actively look for proof that a store is legitimate and that a product matches its photos.

UGC answers that doubt directly. A video of a real person receiving a package, opening it, testing the product and giving an honest opinion builds more trust than any studio campaign. It shows the product in a real Brazilian home, in Brazilian Portuguese, with local references and humor. In a market where trust is the main barrier to conversion, that authenticity is not a nice extra. It is the sales argument.

Where online stores use UGC in Brazil

Brazilian e-commerce brands put creator content to work across the whole funnel:

  • Paid ads: UGC style videos are the standard creative format for Meta Ads and TikTok Ads in Brazil, because they blend into the feed and often outperform polished brand ads.
  • Product pages: a short demo video next to product photos answers questions about size, texture and quality before the customer needs to ask.
  • Social profiles: Reels and TikToks made by creators keep a brand profile alive without depending on an internal content team.
  • Reviews and social proof: photos and videos from real customers reassure new visitors at the exact moment of decision.

UGC on Mercado Livre and Shopee

You cannot talk about Brazilian e-commerce without talking about marketplaces. Mercado Livre is the dominant player, and Shopee has grown fast with aggressive pricing and a mobile-first, almost gamified shopping experience. Both platforms are extremely crowded: for many products, dozens of sellers compete with nearly identical listings.

UGC is one of the few ways to stand out. A real demonstration video on a listing reduces doubts about quality and authenticity, which means fewer pre-sale questions and fewer returns. Shopee pushes video hard through its in-app video feed and live commerce features, and sellers who publish authentic content get extra visibility. Creator videos also work as external traffic: ads and organic posts that send qualified buyers straight to your listing.

UGC formats that convert for e-commerce

Some formats consistently perform well with Brazilian audiences:

  • Unboxing videos with genuine first reactions
  • Product demonstrations in everyday situations
  • Testimonials filmed straight to camera
  • Before and after results, especially for beauty, fitness and home products
  • Comparison videos against cheaper or better-known alternatives
  • Short ad creatives with strong hooks made for Meta and TikTok

Subtitles deserve special attention: many Brazilians watch videos without sound, so captions in Portuguese are essential.

How to start using UGC for your store

  1. Define one goal first. Ad creatives, product page videos and social proof are different jobs. Start with the one that hits your biggest bottleneck, which for most stores is paid ads.
  2. Work with Brazilian creators. Authenticity depends on native Portuguese, local slang and cultural context. A translated script read by a foreign creator will not feel real to a Brazilian audience.
  3. Write a clear brief. Explain the product, the audience, the key message and the format, but let the creator use their own words. Scripted lines kill the natural tone that makes UGC work.
  4. Agree on usage rights upfront. If you plan to run the videos as ads, make sure the license covers paid usage and for how long.
  5. Test and iterate. Run UGC creatives against your current ads, compare results, then order variations of the winning hooks instead of starting from scratch.

The takeaway

Brazilian e-commerce rewards brands that feel human, local and trustworthy, and UGC delivers exactly that at a cost most stores can afford. Start small, with a handful of videos and one clear goal, measure the impact on your ads or product pages, and scale what works. For a complete overview of how to structure briefs, budgets and creator collaborations, read our complete UGC guide for brands.

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