Argentina
Guide
Fast-growing market of internet-savvy mobile users
Fast-growing market of internet-savvy mobile users
Argentina is the third-largest economy in Latin America.
Spanish is the official language of Argentina, however Argentinian Spanish is known by its own particularities due to regional influence. Language localization has become increasingly important to driving engagement in recent years – in the past, gamers in this market had to play in Japanese, Spanish or English. Today, publishers in Argentina must offer Spanish for both in-app content and customer support to be successful.
of the top 15 grossing mobile applications in Argentina are offered in Spanish.
of the customer support inquiries that our local team handles are in Spanish.
Argentina’s internet and smartphone penetration is among the highest in Latin America, providing ideal conditions for a flourishing mobile market.
Mobile gaming market size
in 2022
Between 2018-2020, Argentina’s tax landscape underwent a series of updates. In 2018, Argentina introduced a 21% VAT for digital services provided to Argentine customers. Just over 18 months later in 2019, a PAIS tax was established, which is typically applied at 30% in cases where customers in Argentina are purchasing foreign currency in order to procure services. Digital services already taxed with VAT have a reduced rate of 8%. Finally, in 2020 a further 45% withholding tax was established in all transactions to which the PAIS tax applies, bringing the aggregated PAIS tax to 75%. The complexity of tax obligations in Argentina can be a barrier to entry in this market, however Codashop is registered to manage tax obligations on behalf of its partners as the merchant of record (MOR).
Collecting payments online in Argentina is complicated by the ever-evolving Argentinian tax landscape. This factor can make it challenging to monetize content in Argentina.
Credit cards are a popular way of purchasing digital content, though cash is still king thanks to popular options like Rapipago and PagoFácil. Almost 60% of small businesses in Argentina prefer cash only – a common occurrence in developing economies due to ongoing issues with informality and tax avoidance. Based on current Codashop user behavior, the growth of e-wallets and additional financial services like MercadoPago, Ualá, and Modo are likely to shape the future.
MercadoPago
Ualá
Pago Fácil
Rapipago
Visa
Mastercard
Due to new taxes like PAIS and FX fluctuations, OTC and e-wallet channels are the rising stars of payments by Codashop users in Argentina.
7% of customers prefer higher ticket purchases, resulting in the highest TPV generator in the region. However, 61% of customer purchases fall in the $2.00-9.99 range, suggesting publishers should seek to provide content options at a variety of price points.
Codashop Argentina - 360 positioning campaign
Since Codashop started operations in Argentina in 2020, strong advocates among gaming communities and word-of-mouth have helped fuel impressive organic growth, leading to the first Codashop branding campaign in Argentina in June 2022. The 360 campaign activated across PR (including TV and radio), influencers, street activations and guerilla art, offering community rewards and more in order to increase brand awareness and community engagement. Overall results saw a 1,300% increase in reach and 150% increase in engagement, while PR and influencer efforts spurred mentions from 20 influencers, 29 press mentions, and appearances across TV and radio.
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