MercadoLibre said its advertising business crossed a milestone in the second quarter of 2026, capturing more than 10% of Latin America's digital advertising market as advertising net revenues climbed 62% year over year on an FX-neutral basis. Growth broadened beyond the Self-Service channel, helped by improving momentum in cross-border trade and Top Brands, while shopping events such as Hot Sale and Cyber Day generated meaningful advertising demand. The company is leaning on artificial intelligence to make campaigns easier to run, with its AI Advisor analyzing campaigns in real time through WhatsApp and offering automated recommendations on budgets and return on ad spend; the tool has expanded from small pilots to tens of thousands of sellers per month, with one in three engaged sellers making campaign changes directly through the conversation, and adoption of its AI-powered budget orchestrator rose 63% sequentially in the quarter. Management said enhanced search technology is lifting click-through rates and revenues, and the company expanded video advertising inventory through an HBO Max integration, increasing its addressable video audience by roughly 50%. MercadoLibre, which competes with Amazon.com and Sea Limited, has seen its shares gain 14.9% over the past three months compared with the industry's 8.2% rise, and it carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
MercadoLibre Inc.MercadoLibre's advertising net revenues jumped 62% YoY, topping 10% of Latin America's digital ad market on broadened Self-Service, cross-border, Top Brands, and shopping-event demand.
Amazon.com Inc
Sea Ltd
