If you are an international digital marketer with experience targeting the North American market, then you will know how important it is to keep up to date with the trends and user behaviours in each country you are targeting.
This is because the different countries’ digital landscapes are constantly evolving, and these changes and variations need to be taken into account when creating your digital marketing strategies.
Furthermore, each strategy must be tailored to each individual market, to ensure you are reaching each audience on the right platforms where they are present online.
That is why I have created the Webcertain search and social report 2024: North America, an in-depth report that goes country by country, providing an overview of the most important points all North American digital marketers should know in 2024.
This blog post will go through some of those key points. Let’s dive into it!
1. Internet penetration in North America in 2024
Internet penetration rates differ quite significantly across North America:
- United States: 91.9% internet penetration rate
- Canada: 91.4% internet penetration rate
- Mexico: 78.0% internet penetration rate
Whilst the United States and Canada have almost full internet penetration, in Mexico the market is still developing, with over a fifth of people still to come online.
Before creating a marketing strategy for a new market, make sure you check the internet penetration rate. This will give you a better idea of how important (or not) offline mediums will be as part of your overall marketing efforts.
2. E-commerce in North America in 2024
The e-commerce landscape also looks a little different across North America, with varying levels of e-commerce penetration, as well as different e-commerce platforms being more popular in different countries.
Let’s start by looking at how many people are shopping online in each country:
- United States: 75% of Americans have made a purchase using a mobile phone or the internet in the past year.
- Canada: 70% of Canadians have made a purchase using a mobile phone or the internet in the past year.
- Mexico: 22% of Mexicans have made a purchase using a mobile phone or the internet in the past year.
As you can see, e-commerce is already popular and well-established in the United States and Canada. However, it is a different story in Mexico, where e-commerce still has plenty of growth ahead of it and where proactive brands could have an early-mover advantage.
We also see differences when we look at the most popular e-commerce platforms across North America:
- Amazon: This is the most popular e-commerce platform in the United States and Canada.
- Mercado Libre: This is the most popular e-commerce platform in Mexico.
If you are planning on selling your products via e-commerce platforms in North America, make sure you focus your efforts on the right platform for the country you are targeting. By targeting the local platforms where your audience is actively looking to buy products like yours, you will get the biggest return-on-investment.
3. Social media in North America in 2024
And finally, let’s look at the social media and messaging landscape in North America.
As a general trend, I saw the following platforms commonly being the top five most popular across most North American countries:
- Facebook: This is a great platform to be on if you are a B2C brand. By posting regular, engaging content, you have a huge opportunity to engage with potential clients and drive sales. Not only that, but Facebook’s highly specific targeting capabilities mean that you can use Facebook advertising to reach new users who fit your target audience profile perfectly.
- Facebook Messenger: This can be used to support your Facebook marketing efforts. You can use it as a communication channel to message your prospective customers.
- Instagram: This is a great platform for B2C brands to be on, particularly if your products are in a visually appealing sector such as fashion, design, cosmetics or travel.
- TikTok: This platform is particularly good if you are a B2C brand targeting young people. The most popular business industries on this short-form video platform are beauty, fashion, jewellery and art.
- WhatsApp: This hugely popular messaging platform could be used by your brand as a way of providing customer service. Depending on your sector, customers may welcome this as a convenient way to communicate with your business and ask you questions.
Bonus platform! The microblogging social network X (formerly known as Twitter) also appeared in the top five most popular social platforms in the United States.
When entering a new market, always check the most popular social platforms in the country – and specifically check where your target audience likes to spend their time online interacting with brands like yours. Only by taking a tailored approach such as this, can you know you are using your social media budget wisely – and in the places most likely to get good results.
Commentary from our in-house experts
Samantha Brazel, a Production Manager at Webcertain, says: “Do not just localise your content, localise your customer service approach to build trust and loyalty in new markets. This includes offering customer support in local languages, understanding local customer service expectations, and being aware of cultural communication styles. In the United States, customer service is renowned for its 24/7 availability, and high responsiveness; Canada favours a more empathetic and polite approach; and Mexico prides local language and a personal connection. A responsive and culturally aware customer service team can significantly enhance brand loyalty.”
Agne Baksyte, a Social Media and Influencer Marketing Specialist at Webcertain, says: “It is clear that successful marketing strategies need to be tailored to each country’s unique digital landscape. In the US and Canada, where internet and e-commerce use are high, using big platforms like Amazon and Facebook is a must, especially for B2C. On the other hand, Mexico’s growing online market is a great opportunity for early adopters, especially by tapping into local favourite Mercado Libre. By understanding local consumer behaviour and preferences, brands can see big returns and firmly establish themselves in North America’s digital economy.”
Want to learn more?
If you want more North American digital marketing insights, check out the Webcertain search and social report 2024: North America. The report covers all three North American countries, making it an ideal read for digital marketers wanting an easy-to-digest overview of the North American market. Download your copy for free from Webcertain’s Self-learning platform today!
Data sources
All the stats quoted in this blog post are taken from the Webcertain search and social report 2024: North America, which used the latest data taken at the time of writing from the United Nations Population Fund, Internet World Stats, DataReportal and Similarweb.
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