Chile: foreign site purchases fall 25%, online sales head for record
By Alexander SchekGo-to-market and sales leadership in Latin America
1 min readChileans spent US$260 million on international shopping sites in the first quarter of 2026, 25% less, according to the CNC. The CCS projects a record US$10.6 billion in online sales this year, and it matters whether that includes purchases on foreign sites.
Chileans spent US$260 million on international shopping sites in the first quarter, 25% less than a year earlier, according to the national chamber of commerce (Cámara Nacional de Comercio, CNC). Informal purchases through digital platforms fell 39% to US$141.3 million, and 65% of those informal transactions happened on social media.
At its eCommerce summit on October 15, the Santiago Chamber of Commerce (CCS) projected online sales in Chile close to US$10.6 billion for 2026, a record. Real growth so far this year is 12.2%, and the CCS expects about 10% for the full year. Online spending per person is US$525, counting goods only.
The CCS also named VAT on cross-border purchases as one of the challenges. With the CNC figures for foreign sites going down, it matters what the projection covers. Does the US$10.6 billion include what Chileans buy on foreign sites, or only sales by companies operating in Chile?
Sources: CNC, VAT on international purchases and informal digital purchases, Q1 2026; Cámara de Comercio de Santiago, 2026 online sales projection
Publication: Originally published on my professional LinkedIn on October 20, 2026.