Web Search in Brazil New Entrants and Disruptors Analysis¶

New Entrants and Disruptors¶

The web search landscape in Brazil in 2024 and 2025 is characterized by the continued overwhelming dominance of Google. [2] While there is no significant evidence of new entrant general search engines gaining substantial market share to directly challenge Google, the value chain is being impacted by disruptors from adjacent digital sectors and by technological advancements, primarily Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a transformative force that is increasingly being integrated into search functionalities and is a key area of investment for major technology companies operating in Brazil, such as Google and Microsoft. [1, 5, 6, 18, 24] The development of AI-powered search features, including the potential for conversational search and AI-generated summaries of information, can change how users interact with search results and potentially reduce the need for users to click through to traditional websites. [21] Brazil is actively working on a legal framework for AI, indicating the growing importance and potential impact of this technology. [1, 5, 12]

Social Media Platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and WhatsApp, are acting as significant substitutes for traditional web search, particularly for activities like product discovery and consuming news and information. [8, 9, 27, 28] Brazilian consumers extensively use these platforms, and they are becoming integral starting points in the consumer journey, sometimes bypassing traditional search engines entirely, especially for e-commerce. [9, 27]

E-commerce Marketplaces, including major players like Mercado Livre, Amazon Brazil, Magazine Luiza, and Americanas, are powerful disruptors in the product search segment of the value chain. [9] These platforms have developed sophisticated internal search capabilities and are building substantial retail media advertising businesses. [Market Players Analysis] They have surpassed traditional search engines as the initial destination for a majority of Brazilian consumers looking to research products before making a purchase, shifting a significant portion of commercially-oriented search activity away from general search engines. [9]

While other search engines like Bing, Yahoo!, and DuckDuckGo operate in Brazil, their market share remains marginal compared to Google. [2] Their impact as disruptors to the dominant player in general web search is limited based on the provided data for 2024-2025. [2]

Impact of New Entrants and Disruptors¶

The influence of AI, social media platforms, and e-commerce marketplaces is reshaping the traditional web search value chain in Brazil, primarily by altering user behavior, introducing new competitive arenas for advertising spend, and driving technological innovation within the search space.

Value Chain Stage	Impact of New Entrants and Disruptors
Web Crawling & Data Collection	The increasing volume of content generated within social media platforms and e-commerce sites presents challenges and opportunities for data collection; accessing and indexing content within these potentially closed ecosystems can be difficult for general search engines. [Value Chain Analysis]
Data Processing & Indexing	AI requires advanced data processing capabilities and contributes to the complexity and sophistication of indexing, particularly for understanding and categorizing diverse content formats and user intent. [5] Structured data from e-commerce becomes more critical for product search results. [Value Chain Analysis]
Query Processing & Ranking	AI is influencing ranking algorithms to potentially favor direct answers or AI-generated summaries, impacting the visibility of traditional organic results. [6, 21] The shift of product searches to marketplaces reduces the volume of such queries on general search engines. [9]
User Interface & Experience	AI is driving innovation in user interfaces, leading to conversational search experiences and changes in the presentation of search results beyond the traditional list of links. [21] Social media and e-commerce offer alternative, often more interactive and visually rich, discovery interfaces. [9, 27]
Monetization & Business Models	The growth of retail media on e-commerce platforms represents a direct competitive threat to search advertising revenue, particularly for product-related queries. [Market Players Analysis] Social media platforms capture significant digital advertising spend, diversifying the landscape beyond search-centric models. [13, 22] AI can enhance targeting and efficiency in advertising across platforms. [6]
Overall Competitive Dynamics	The primary competitive pressure on the dominant search engine comes from the threat of substitution by social media and e-commerce platforms, and from the rapid technological advancements in AI that can redefine the search experience. [9, 27] The high barrier to entry for building a national-scale general search engine remains a significant factor limiting direct competition in that specific segment. [Value Chain Analysis, Porter's Six Forces Analysis]

References¶

Agência de Notícias - IBGE. SIDRA search engine will be based on artificial intelligence. https://agenciadenoticias.ibge.gov.br/en/news-agency/2012-news-agency/2013-news-agency/29773-sidra-search-engine-will-be-based-on-artificial-intelligence
AI Asia Pacific Institute. The AI Landscape in Brazil. https://aiapac.org/article/the-ai-landscape-in-brazil
Backlinko. Top 12 Search Engines Use Instead of Google in 2025. https://backlinko.com/alternative-search-engines
BIP Brasil. Tendências Regulatórias do Banco Central. https://bipb.com.br/tendencias-regulatorias-do-banco-central/
Brazil: Betting sector nearly triples digital ad spend in 2024 - Gaming America. https://www.gamingamerica.com/markets/igaming/6018-brazil-betting-sector-nearly-triples-digital-ad-spend-in-2024
Brazil AI Act | Artificial Intelligence Act. https://artificialintelligenceact.eu/brazil-ai-act/
DataReportal – Global Digital Insights. Digital 2025: Brazil. https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2025-brazil
Google for Brazil 2024: New AI-powered features, digital training and more. https://br.usembassy.gov/google-for-brazil-2024-new-ai-powered-features-digital-training-and-more/
ICLG.com. Digital Business Laws and Regulations Report 2024-2025 Brazil. https://iclg.com/practice-areas/digital-business-laws-and-regulations/brazil
International Finance Corporation (IFC). Disruptive Technologies and Venture Capital. https://www.ifc.org/en/insights-cop/disruptive-technologies-venture-capital
Mobile Time. As expectativas para 2025. https://www.mobiletime.com.br/noticias/20/12/2024/as-expectativas-para-2025/
Online Marketplaces Surpass Search Engines as Top Product Search Tool in Brazil. https://bricscompetition.org/index.php/2025/05/01/online-marketplaces-surpass-search-engines-as-top-product-search-tool-in-brazil/
Portal Gov.br. PLATAFORMAS DIGITAIS, CONCORRÊNCIA E REGULAÇÃO: UMA ANÁLISE DA EXPERIÊNCIA COMPARADA. https://www.gov.br/fazenda/documentos/2022/10/plataformas-digitais-concorrencia-e-regulacao.pdf
Statcounter Global Stats. Search Engine Market Share Brazil | Statcounter Global Stats. https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market/desktop/brazil
Statcounter Global Stats. Desktop Search Engine Host Market Share Brazil | Statcounter Global Stats. https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-host/desktop/brazil
SmartyAds. Best Advertising Platforms to Use in 2025. https://smartyads.com/blog/best-advertising-platforms/
The Digital Pulse of Latin America: Brazil's Rise as a Global Tech Innovator. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/brazils-rise-as-a-global-tech-innovator/
TeleSíntese. Baigorri, presidente da Anatel, fala de leilão, Starlink e regulação digital. https://www.telesintese.com.br/baigorri-presidente-da-anatel-fala-de-leilao-starlink-e-regulacao-digital/
VEJA. O plano do Ministério da Fazenda para fechar o cerco contra as big techs. https://veja.abril.com.br/economia/o-plano-do-ministros-da-fazenda-para-fechar-o-cerco-contra-as-big-techs