Chile has proven to be a country with a robust economy. In November 2021, the Santiago Chamber of Commerce (CCS, as per the Spanish-language acronym) reported that Chile would have the highest growth rate in retail sales globally, equivalent to 20% higher than those of the United States and China, both of which have 11% growth in retail sales, respectively. More recently, in May 2022, the CCS reported a 16.5% year-on-year increase in imports of consumer goods in Chile compared to May 2021, along with an overall increase of 27.6% in consumer goods imports between January and May 2022. That increase in imports would be driven by the growing demand for products in the country.
Americas Market Intelligence (AMI) has reported equally encouraging data for the Chilean economy and its e-commerce market: after an impressive growth of 66% in 2021, AMI projects an increase of 24% in the volume of internet sales in Chile in 2022.
Within this overall growth, more recent data shows which specific products are growing the fastest in sales. Here’s a look at Chile’s top-selling products in 2022.
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#1 Footwear and Clothing
In April 2022, the CCS announced a 174% year-on-year growth in retail sales of footwear and clothing in Chile: this is on top of 2021 growth for this sector of 56% compared to the previous year.
#2 Motorcycles
Between January and October 2022, 46,300 motorcycles were sold in Chile, representing a 70% growth in sales over the last 24 months, according to the National Association of Motorcycle Importers (ANIM).
It should be noted that the motorcycle market in Chile showed low numbers between 2015 and 2020, with annual sales of around 31,000 units in that time period. But in 2021, Chile’s motorcycle market surged, posting sales of more than 64,000 units, a year-over-year increase of more than 100%.
Honda is the best-selling brand in Chile (29% market share as of October 2022), followed by Yamaha (22%) and Bajaj (9%). The top-selling types of motorcycles in Chile are street motorcycles, competition motorcycles and ATVs.
#3 New Cars
Between January and October 2022, the Chilean Automotive Chamber of Commerce (CAVEM) registered the sale of more than 355,000 new cars in Chile, which indicates that there was a 7.6% growth in sales of new cars in Chile in that time period, compared to Jan-Oct 2021. The best-selling cars in Chile are SUVs (45.2% market share as of October 2022), trucks (29.9% share), passenger cars (19.6% share) and commercial cars (5.2% share). The best-selling car brands in Chile are Chevrolet, Toyota, Chery, Hyundai and Suzuki.
In contrast, the used vehicle market in Chile contracted between January and October 2022: CAVEM reported a 27.2% decrease in used car sales compared to 2021.
#4 Fast Food
The sales of fast food in Chile increased by 26.5% between January and September 2022, according to the Indicator from the Chilean Gastronomy Association (ACHIGA).
During the first quarter of 2022, the ACHIGA indicator registered a 44.7% real growth rate in fast food sales in Chile.
#5 Wines (exports)
The Office of Agrarian Studies and Policies (ODEPA, as per the Spanish-language acronym) reported an increase of 1.1% in million liters of wine sold abroad, compared to the same period last year.
Sparkling wines had the highest growth rate selling abroad in Chile (in million liters), equivalent to 14%. Also, wines with designation of origin posted an increase in exports of millions of liters of 3.9%.
Next Steps
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You may also want to explore our other stories on top-selling products in Latin America, as well as the best-selling products in markets such as Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia.
