When I lived in Canada, I thought of the over-the-top messaging service WhatsApp as an app only immigrants used.
But in 2019 I too became an immigrant. I moved to Brazil, and the way WhatsApp dominated daily life surprised me. Here, it’s the main artery of commerce and communication. You order pizza, finalize legal contracts, and manage almost every detail of daily life through WhatsApp.
At first I found the use of a messaging service in business communications informal and unprofessional. I pushed back, and insisted businesses communicate with me by email. Just like we do in Canada.
But resistance was futile. And culturally insensitive of me. In time, I gave in. I am now a WhatsApp evangelist.
WhatsApp isn’t just personal in Brazil – it’s essential to the economy. Over 99% of Brazilian smartphones have WhatsApp installed, with more than 120 million active users. Businesses use it for customer service, marketing, internal communication, and sales. Lawyers exchange contracts, and transactions worth thousands happen through simple messages. The nations largest payment system, PIX, is embedded in it. The trust Brazilians put in WhatsApp is impressive, especially since North Americans consider OTTs informal and insecure.
Small Brazilian businesses especially benefit. WhatsApp lets them reach customers without big marketing budgets. It’s used for inventory, order tracking, and payments. Larger corporations here have adopted WhatsApp as well, recognizing its unmatched customer engagement capabilities.
Speaking from experience, WhatsApp significantly enhances customer service by making interactions direct, personal, and instant. You avoid frustrating call-center wait times, easily sending texts, voice notes, or even videos to clarify issues. My experience has been that businesses respond quickly and efficiently, often resolving problems within minutes rather than hours or days. I am a happier customer!
Yet, when I tell my friends about this WhatsApp-driven economy, they hardly grasp it. In the U.S. and Canada, it barely registers. Only about 26% of U.S. smartphone users and 45% of Canadian ones use the app. Canadians and Americans mostly rely on SMS, iMessage, and Facebook Messenger (which has, ironically, the same owner as WhatsApp).
This stark difference highlights how local economic and cultural factors shapes technology adoption. In Brazil, smartphone usage outpaces reliable broadband, making WhatsApp’s low data demands immediately attractive. Many mobile providers include unlimited WhatsApp access in even their most basic of plans. In fact, the carriers have agreed to “zero-rate” WhatsApp, meaning usage doesn’t count against data allowances.
Living here, I’ve learned technology isn’t just about features. It’s about how communities adopt tools to suit their realities. WhatsApp’s dominance in Brazil proves this point clearly. What began as a surprise now feels entirely natural, and indispensable to my own daily life.