Hispanic Adult Millennials: Enthusiastic Mall Shoppers. [INSIGHT]

By Insight Tr3s

Is the shopping mall a dying institution? Last December, The Atlantic published an article, “The Death of the American Shopping Mall,” reporting that e-commerce poses a major threat to shopping centers as we know them. As people make more purchases online, this story suggests that fewer people will shop in physical locations and we won’t need as many malls.

However, in its piece “Reports of the Shopping Mall’s Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated,” Time Magazine argued that while individual stores may struggle, malls provide an important communal space – and their future remains bright. Tr3s’s 2012 research study, Hispanic Adult Millennials Living the Next Normal: Age of Uncertainty, found that Hispanics still love going to the mall. Here are some key findings from Tr3s’s analysis of shopping habits among Hispanic Adult Millennials:

Hispanics in general are frequent mall shoppers. 30% of Hispanic Adult Millennials 18 to 29 go to the mall at least once a week – as do 40% of foreign-born Hispanics in their thirties. Non-Hispanic Millennials are considerably less likely to make frequent mall visits (12%).

Convenience, fun, and fantasy make mall shopping so appealing to Hispanics. Having stores and entertainment in one location is a major draw. They also appreciate the movies and other family-friendly activities available there. Fantasy shopping in high-end stores is another attraction.

Hispanic Adult Millennials are considerably more likely to buy most of their fashion and footwear at the mall. Just about half of Hispanic Adult Millennials get most of their clothing and shoes at a mall. Only 32% of non-Hispanics 18 to 29 go to the mall for these types of purchases — they’re more likely to visit mass merchandisers like Target and Walmart.

They are resourceful in seeking out deals on fashion-related purchases. Hispanic Adult Millennials want the best prices and the latest styles – and they’ll use inside news, shopper rewards, and in-store marketing to get bargains. High-tech resources like fatwallet.com and shopkick.com are also helpful, as well as old-school means like store flyers and traditional media.

Consulting with experts when shopping is important – and the mall can serve as a gathering of “expert stores” in one convenient location. When making purchases, Hispanic Adult Millennials like to get advice from people who are in-the-know. The mall makes it easy for them to make multiple types of informed purchases.

Hispanic Adult Millennials are very receptive to in-store marketing. Bicultural Hispanics 18 to 29 are most likely to refer to in-store samples (47%), store brochures/flyers (46%), and department signs/aisle markers (45%). Compared with foreign-born Hispanics in their thirties, they are more responsive to ads on the floor (139 index), in-store samples (124 index), free-standing displays with product (124 index), and computerized info/coupon centers (124 index). They are also considerably less likely to respond to in-store audio announcements (88 index).

Source: Tr3s 2012 “Hispanic Adult Millennials Living the Next Normal: Age of Uncertainty”; Experian Simmons Summer 2012 NHCS Adult Survey 12-month