Only 4 in 10 Brazilian companies use automated WhatsApp campaigns, study finds
A study by ActiveCampaign in partnership with AnaMid offers a detailed look at WhatsApp use in Brazil and reveals the main challenges and trends in the country's digital marketing landscape.
São Paulo, September 2025 – Only four in ten Brazilian companies use automated WhatsApp campaigns, according to the study “An Overview of WhatsApp Use and Marketing Strategies in Brazil”, which takes an in-depth look at how businesses are exploring conversational marketing.
The survey, conducted by ActiveCampaign in partnership with AnaMid (National Association of the Digital Market and Industry), examined how companies use WhatsApp and other platforms to drive sales, while highlighting technical barriers and strategic opportunities.
“Brazil has established WhatsApp as an essential channel, but still faces challenges related to governance, metrics and diversification. To move forward, companies will need to take four steps: formalize budget planning, professionalize measurement, diversify their channels and advance intelligent automation with AI and native integrations,” says Rodrigo Bidinoto, ActiveCampaign’s global sales director.
Key findings
Among respondents, 79.3% already use WhatsApp in their businesses and 77.6% consider it their primary marketing channel for the next two years. Despite this, its use remains heavily concentrated in customer service (90.8%) and post-sale support (66%), while only 41.2% use automated campaigns.
Rodrigo Neves, AnaMid’s national president and CEO of VitaminaWeb, notes that the data reveals that companies are not making the most of the platform’s potential.
“The focus on customer service confirms WhatsApp’s strength as a relationship-building and retention tool, but also highlights how underused its ability to integrate with acquisition funnels and large-scale campaigns is,” he explains.
The survey also identified fragmented maturity: 45% of companies use the official API, 41.2% rely on unofficial solutions and 13.9% are unaware of the difference. Despite widespread adoption, 64.3% report only partial message delivery, 55.5% experience tracking failures and 72.7% have had templates rejected, pointing to challenges with governance, high costs and regulatory instability.
According to Rodrigo Neves, AnaMid’s president and CEO of VitaminaWeb,
“This landscape shows that WhatsApp is indispensable, but also limited. Companies need to balance practical use with investments in smart integrations, including CRM, automation and offline attribution, while also strengthening data governance and compliance. The future will separate those who simply use the app from those who turn it into a strategic engine for sales, customer relationships and scalable marketing.”
The study also finds that WhatsApp is the third most-used channel (62.7%), behind only Meta (77.3%) and Google Ads (68.7%). For Neves, the dominance of these platforms points to a “survival strategy” focused on immediate results, but one that limits long-term demand generation.
“Low adoption of TikTok Ads (8.7%), influencers (17.3%) and offline media (16.7%) limits diversification, reinforcing dependence on the duopoly and driving up media and acquisition costs,” he adds.
Impact and recommendations
The changes companies most want to see in WhatsApp include:
- Simpler native integrations with CRMs, AI, metrics and automation.
- Lower costs and clearer pricing.
- More transparent and flexible rules, such as revisiting the 24-hour window and reducing the risk of bans.
- Native dashboards with advanced metrics, including conversions, clicks and the customer journey in real time.
- More accessible, personalized human support, especially for SMBs.
Outlook and trends
According to the survey, the future of the sector will rest on three pillars:
- AI applied to automation and hyper-personalization,
- WhatsApp as a hub for marketing, sales and payments through social commerce,
- Integrated data with real-time tracking.
For Rodrigo Neves, AnaMid’s national president and CEO of VitaminaWeb,
“Although new opportunities such as TikTok Ads, live commerce and digital communities are emerging, WhatsApp and auction-based platforms will remain at the center.”
Methodology
The study also assessed budget allocation, the balance between performance and branding, and e-commerce challenges.
Respondent profile:
- Roles: business owners/entrepreneurs (42%), marketing directors/managers (29.3%) and marketing coordinators (10.7%).
- Sectors: services (53.3%), technology/startups (20.7%) and industry (8.7%).
- Company size: microbusinesses (43.7%), small businesses (33%), midsize businesses (13%) and large companies (10.3%).
The survey was conducted online via Google Forms, with 300 participating companies.
About ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign is an autonomous marketing platform that helps teams automate campaigns with the support of artificial intelligence. With more than 950 integrations and a focus on personalization, it enables multichannel campaigns that adapt in real time, delivering impact and tangible results.
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