By George Anderson
Retailers have a long way to go if they are going to take advantage of the Hispanic market opportunity that so many say they are targeting.
According to research from Unilever (a RetailWire sponsor), Hispanic shoppers are less satisfied than the general population when it comes to supermarkets, drugstores and other frequently shopped retail locations.
Mike Twitty, senior group research manager for shopper insights at Unilever, said, "Only 35 percent of Hispanic shoppers are completely satisfied with their shopping experience today. In the general market, that number is 58 percent."
Food, said Mr. Twitty, is especially important when trying to connect with Hispanic consumers.
"From family to community, food for Hispanic Americans has an emotional and cultural significance that extends beyond eating. Hence, the Hispanic shopper thinks about every aspect of food shopping and preparation," he said. "She plans her trips carefully — apparently more so than the general market shopper — and not only around what she has at home and what she needs, but around the value she can obtain."
Shopping for the best value is a priority among Hispanic women. According to press release announcing the top line of Unilever's findings, "Hispanic women are significantly more aware (by a 48 percent to 36 percent margin) of 'specials' before going to the store than are general market shoppers. Even within the store, Hispanics’ awareness of specials is higher than the general markets."
One area where Hispanics seem to find less value than other members of the consumer population is with frequent shopper or loyalty cards. According to Unilever's Research, 51 percent of Hispanic consumers said they have at least one card but only 44 percent of those actually use them.
One finding of the Unilever research supports the widely held position that what Hispanic consumers buy is directly related to their country-of-origin. What makes this area interesting is that, according to the research, while the demands for certain types of product vary, how Hispanic consumers shop is much the same regardless of where their ancestral home is.
Moderator's Comment: How can retailers make use of Unilever's research to improve their Hispanic marketing efforts?
Mike Twitty identified what makes Unilever's research valuable.
"It's the first time anybody really has measured Hispanic shopping behavior," he told Ad Age. Most of the other research out there in the marketplace is based on what shoppers said they did. But people have a tendency to overstate their behaviors." - George Anderson - Moderator