Digital Marketing in Chile 2026: Key Stats

Chile enters 2026 with near-universal connectivity, active online buyers, and a business base dominated by SMBs. The priority is not using every channel, but choosing the ones that connect intent, trust, and financial measurement.

In 2026, digital marketing in Chile should start with four numbers: 96.6% of households have their own paid internet access, 60.0% of people bought online in the last 3 months, SMBs represent 97% of companies, and digital channels account for 61.1% of marketing spend in large companies.

By Matias Valdivieso, Director, Vanta Designs. Updated: July 2026.

Key takeaways

96.6% of households report having their own paid internet access, according to Subtel and Cadem's XII Survey on Internet Access and Use, dated November 14, 2025.
60.0% of people bought or ordered goods or services online in the last 3 months; in 2015 the same figure was 26.8%, according to Subtel's November 2025 survey.
Micro, small, and medium-sized companies represent 97% of the businesses covered by Chile's ELE-7 from the Ministry of Economy and INE, published December 27, 2024.
As of September 2025, Chile had 27.1 million fixed and mobile 3G+4G+5G internet accesses, according to Subtel's Telecommunications Sector Report, published December 2025.
Among large companies in North America, the United Kingdom, and Europe, digital channels represented 61.1% of total marketing spend, according to Gartner's 2025 CMO Spend Survey, June 2025; this is not a Chilean SMB figure, but it signals budget direction.

Which number should anchor Chile's digital market in 2026?

The anchor number is 96.6%: almost every surveyed household reports having its own paid internet access. Subtel and Cadem reported that result in the XII Survey on Internet Access and Use, dated November 14, 2025, with a relatively narrow urban-rural gap: 96.8% in urban areas and 95.1% in rural areas. For a Chilean SMB, the question is no longer whether the customer can connect. The practical question is whether the business appears clearly on Google Search, Google Maps, Instagram, WhatsApp, Meta Ads, TikTok, email, and its own website when that person researches, compares, or wants to buy.

How do Chilean consumers research and buy online?

Chilean consumers now use the internet to research, pay, and buy, not only to entertain themselves. In Subtel's November 2025 survey, 47.3% reported looking up information about goods or services online, 63.4% made bank transactions, 48.9% paid basic services online, and 47.1% bought products or services in the last 3 months. The online-shopping time series shows the shift more clearly: people who bought or ordered goods or services online in the last 3 months rose from 26.8% in 2015 to 60.0% in 2025. That behavior favors campaigns that connect search, social media, landing pages, WhatsApp Business, and conversion measurement.

What do fixed and mobile connections mean for campaigns?

Chile's connectivity forces campaigns to be mobile-first, while still keeping the full website useful. Subtel's Telecommunications Sector Report says that, as of September 2025, Chile reached 27.1 million fixed and mobile 3G+4G+5G internet accesses, equal to 134.1 accesses per 100 inhabitants. It also reported 8,793,277 5G connections and 4.77 million fixed internet accesses. Within fixed internet, fiber optic connections reached 75.5% of fixed connections. Operationally, the ad must load quickly on smartphones, the form must be simple, the payment step must be clear, and trust-building content must exist for people comparing options from a fixed connection before they buy.

Why do SMBs need a different strategy from large companies?

Chilean SMBs compete in a broad digital market, but they have less room to waste budget. The ELE-7 from the Ministry of Economy and INE, published December 27, 2024, says micro, small, and medium-sized companies jointly represent 97% of the 409,300 companies the survey seeks to represent: 43% micro, 54% SMB, and 3% large. That is why the strategy should not copy a large brand's calendar. An SMB needs to prioritize a few measurable actions: local presence, search campaigns for high intent, Meta Ads or TikTok Ads when the offer is visual, careful remarketing, basic CRM, and weekly review of CAC, ROAS, conversion rate, and margin.

Which digital channels should a Chilean company prioritize in 2026?

The priority depends on demand type, but search, social media, website, and measurement should form the core. Gartner reported on June 2, 2025 that digital channels represented 61.1% of total marketing spend among 402 CMOs and marketing leaders at large companies in North America, the United Kingdom, and Europe, and that paid online channels led the digital mix with 69% of digital spend. That survey does not measure Chilean SMBs, so it should not become a local investment rule. It does provide direction: budget should move toward the points where buyers research, compare, talk, and purchase, with attribution checked in GA4, Google Ads, Meta Ads Manager, and the CRM.

How should these stats become a digital marketing plan?

The plan should translate market figures into channel, measurement, and offer decisions. For a Chilean SMB, a reasonable order is:

Confirm existing demand through Google Search Console, Google Ads Keyword Planner, sales conversations, and customer questions.
Separate objectives by stage: discovery, consideration, quote request, purchase, and repeat purchase, where post-sale customer experience sustains repeat buying.
Assign one primary metric to each stage: qualified reach, useful clicks, leads, sales, ROAS, CAC, or repeat purchase.
Publish product or service pages with pricing, coverage, proof, response times, and clear conditions; if the business has no web presence yet, a starter website in 24 hours makes it possible to launch without delaying campaigns.
Review results by margin, not only by clicks or followers.

The opportunity is substantial, but the standard should be financial: every channel should explain which customer it brings and how much that customer costs to convert.

Frequently asked questions

Which digital channel should a Chilean SMB prioritize in 2026?
A Chilean SMB should prioritize the channel that best matches current demand: Google Ads when people already search for the offer, Meta Ads when the brand needs visual demand generation, and email or CRM when it already has a first-party customer base.

Does a Chilean SMB need to use every digital channel?
No. An SMB should focus where purchase intent already exists or where a reachable audience can understand the offer. In practice, that often starts with Google Business Profile, the website, WhatsApp, Google Ads or Meta Ads, then adds TikTok Ads, email, or automation if the team can operate them well.

Which metric matters most in 2026?
The most useful metric depends on the business model. An ecommerce business needs ROAS, margin, and repeat purchase rate; a service company needs CAC, close rate, and contract value; a local business needs cost per qualified contact and attributable sales.

Do large-company figures apply to SMBs?
They are useful context, not a recipe. Gartner's 61.1% digital-channel spend figure comes from large companies in North America, the United Kingdom, and Europe, not Chilean SMBs. An SMB should use it as a trend signal and set its budget from cash flow, margin, and sales cycle.

Sources: Subtel and Cadem, XII Survey on Internet Access and Use, November 14, 2025; Subtel, Telecommunications Sector Report for September 2025, December 2025; Ministry of Economy and INE, Seventh Longitudinal Enterprise Survey ELE-7, December 27, 2024; Gartner, 2025 CMO Spend Survey, June 2, 2025.