Hispanic Adult Millennials: New Choices About Living and Purchasing [INSIGHT]

Through our blog series covering Tr3s’s 2012 study, Hispanic Adult Millennials Living the Next Normal: Age of Uncertainty, we’ve shown that Hispanic Adult Millennials assess all life choices for risk, they see money as a protective talisman because “anything can happen,” and they seek balance instead of extremes. Here are some additional key findings about how they’re living and how these new choices influence their consumer behavior: 

In households where Hispanic Adult Millennials live with their parents, Millennials and their moms drive purchase decisions. In this type of home, Mom is known as The Concierge. Typically ages 35 to 54, this mother fulfills the stated and unstated needs of everyone in her large, multigenerational home – and making everyone happy is paramount. The Concierge and her Millennial children unite to make most of the family’s shopping decisions.   

Young Latino parents with small children want to keep their kids safe above all else – they’re not just gatekeepers, they’re Fortress Keepers. These moms and dads are always on high alert for risk. While they’re loyal to trusted brands, they approach new products with suspicion. When shopping for food products for their kids, they want healthy, organic, and natural. Dangerous substances in less natural foods are a concern, so they seek options that they consider to be healthier for their kids. That said, on occasion they themselves secretly indulge in less healthy foods as guilty pleasures.

Smart shopping and pragmatism have high emotional currency for Hispanic Adult Millennials. They perceive ostentatious wealth as tacky and being practical as exciting, allowing them to feel superior, smart, and successful. Making a purchase that feels like an educated use of their money can be thrilling, like leveling up in a video game. To find bargains, they arm themselves with a combination of high-tech tools like fatwallet.com and shopkick.com, as well as old-school means like store flyers and traditional media.

The lure of convenience is powerful enough to derail their pragmatism – so merging convenience with pragmatism is ideal. When choosing where to shop, Hispanic Adult Millennials prefer stores that carry what they need and aren’t too far from where they live or work. They don’t like to travel long distances for a bargain. They also enjoy convenient eating, reporting that they consume store-made pre-packaged foods often, and that fast food fits their busy lifestyle. Foods that are healthy and convenient are highly appealing. Subway restaurants are a big hit because they’re healthy, convenient, and inexpensive.  

Smartphones and in-person socializing rule “cool.” Smartphones and spending time with others face-to-face were the top two coolest things to Hispanic Adult Millennials right now. While other tech devices like GPS devices and video games also were top-ten cool items, they’re balancing their tech activity by connecting with friends and family without the intrusion of technology. Also cool? Inexpensive places to meet up like Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, and diners.

Source: Tr3s 2012 “Hispanic Adult Millennials Living the Next Normal: Age of Uncertainty”