The Hispanic community is the United States seems to be one of the fastest growing in terms of retail. The seminar US Hispanics- Why You Need to Know Them, was delivered by Brenda Hurley, the SVP of C+R Research, and gave great insight into how to understand and market to this unique and expanding community.
Where are they?
- According the US Census, there are 50 million people in the United States of Hispanic decent, which is 16% of the US population.
- The west and the south- Mexican, the east- Puerto Rican, and the mid west- Central Americans
- The majority of the US Hispanic population in the west coast and the south because these are areas where immigrants can move and not have to change too much. They still feel as though they are in their Hispanic country.
- 54% of US growth comes from the Hispanic population; the US is second only to Mexico.
*While growth is huge, it is important to note that it is coming form non-traditional states and driven by birth, not immigration. It is a multi-cultural generation and the American-born Hispanic children have a direct impact on the non-Hispanic children with whom they interact.
Who are they?
- Hispanics are extremely close to their cultural ties.
- They are positive people and like to please.
- The Hispanic population is is younger than ever, 1 in 10 is under 10yrs old.
- Hispanics care about their appearance.
- They are family-oriented.
The Hispanic Family
- 3/4 of Hispanic households have 3 or more people living in the house, and 1/4 have 5 or more
- The households are multi-generational
The Hispanic family falls into one of three categories when it comes to Acculturation (an integration and balance of two cultures)
- Unacculturated– they resist acculturation and prefer to continue with they’re culture of origin, i.e. language.
- Bicultural– after some time they start to accept American culture
- Accultured– adopt all values, customs, traditions, and language
Hispanic Perception of Self:
- family-oriented
- hardworking
- educational ambition
- price conscious
- home cooking
- love of culture
- respect towards elders
Hispanic Perception of Americans:
- materialistic
- shopaholic
- educational ambition
Once we were given a basic understanding of the who and where, Hurley moved onto how these factors affect Shopping Habits.
- 43% of Hispanic women love to shop
- 24% like to shop
- Likes: overall shopping experience, style, makes them feel good, mixing and matching, sales and bargains
- Dislikes: don’t have time, don’t have the money, can’t be bothered, nothing in their language
- They are shopping! On average, they shop 3 times per month, with women ages 18 to 24 shop 5 to 6 times per month
- Consumer Unit reports that annual expenditures on apparel and services is $ 2119.
- Their store selection is driven by price- special sales and everyday prices
- 1 in 4 purchases per week happen online
- 65% of men go shopping when they need something.
- 46% of women shop frequently and don’t wait for when the need something.
- What matters to them? Looks, options, “me” time
What influences clothing choices:
Women:
- 56% magazines
- 43% TV
- 37% friends
- 29% online
- 27% spouse
- 27% family
Men:
- 35% spouse
- 36% friends
- 31% family
- 30% online
- 29% TV
- 26% magazines
Key Takeaways:
- They are paying attention to you (buyers and marketers), so it’s important to understand them.
- They are today’s consumers and they are growing. They influence the next generation.
- 1/4 of kids in grade school are Hispanic and they have direct influence on their peers.
- Hispanics are loyal and this extends to brands. What did mom use? Kids will too.
Yes, it costs more to do separate research and marketing but remember, there will be a payoff. This community makes up a large part of the population and they have 1 trillion dollars in spending power. As a retailer, this is a segment with buying power that you definitely want to pay attention to.