Hispanic Americans Choose Wal-Mart As Favorite Store.

NOP World announced results from its Hispanic OmniTel Retail Study revealing where Hispanic Americans are shopping and why.

Asked to name their favorite store, Wal-Mart was far and away the top selection at 36% with JCPenney, Sears and Target tying for second place at 4%. While no one specific Hispanic store was selected by a significant percent of consumers, 5% of respondents named as their favorite a local store that caters to Hispanic Americans.

The new study was conducted in February 2005 among 500 Hispanic Americans aged 18 and older nationwide via telephone. Respondents were given the choice of completing the survey in English or Spanish.

Asked which factors are most important when deciding where to shop, Hispanic Americans cited the same priorities that other Americans have when choosing retailers-convenience, low prices, and a wide range of merchandise.

However, a critical second-tier of priorities that is unique to the Hispanic market is cited by about half of Hispanics as being “very important”,

including store employees speaking Spanish, products relevant to Hispanic consumers and Spanish language signage. Following is a breakdown of factors considered very important in choosing a shopping destination:

Low prices – 77%
Convenient location – 72%
Wide range of merchandise – 71%
Employees who speak Spanish – 54%
Products relevant to Hispanic consumers – 52%
Wide range of payment options – 47%
Spanish signage – 47%
Product packaging and labels in Spanish – 43%
Owner is a member of the local community – 34%

Based on priorities of Hispanic shoppers it is no surprise that national discount chains such as Wal-Mart and Target are frequented even more often than local stores that specialize in serving Latino and Hispanic customers.

Asked about their retail shopping habits, following is a breakdown of the types of stores respondents say they shop in often:

National discount chain stores such as Wal-Mart or Target – 61%

Local stores that specialize in serving Hispanic and Latino customers – 37%

National home improvement stores such as Lowe’s or Home Depot – 37%

National mid-priced department stores such as Kohl’s, Sears or JCPenney – 31%

Specialty clothing stores such as the Gap or Old Navy – 19%

Electronics, entertainment or appliance stores such as Circuit City or Best Buy – 17%

National upscale department stores such as Macy’s, Nordstrom or Lord & Taylor – 10%

Sporting good stores such as the Sports Authority – 8%

“The survey shows that mainstream national retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target are highly attractive to Hispanics, but that the key to differentiation stems from meeting and delivering the unique needs of Hispanic consumers,” explains Brad Fay, Managing Director, NOP World’s Roper Public Affairs. “To stand out with Hispanics, retailers need to consider offering such things as Spanish-speaking sales clerks, Hispanic-oriented merchandise, and Spanish language signage.”

Birthplace Impacts Shopping Priorities

Digging deeper into the Hispanic market, the study uncovers significant differences between U.S.-born and foreign-born Hispanic consumers. Foreign-born respondents were significantly more attracted to the tailored offerings of local stores specializing in serving Hispanic customers with 42% saying they often shop in these stores vs. 26% of U.S.-born Hispanics.

While both groups select Wal-Mart as their favorite store, following is a breakdown of how their shopping priorities differ based on the factors they select as very important in deciding where to shop:

U.S.-born / Foreign-born
Low prices – 70% / 83%
Convenient location – 67% / 75%
Wide range of merchandise – 68% / 73%
Employees who speak Spanish – 33% / 69%
Products relevant to Hispanic consumers – 35% / 64%
Wide range of payment options – 35% / 55%
Spanish signage – 22% / 65%
Product packaging and labels in Spanish – 20% / 58%
Owner is a member of the local community – 28% / 40%

“One has to be careful to recognize that the Hispanic American market is not a single market, but rather consists of a diverse set of consumers based on differences in language and country of origin, among other factors,” explains Fay. “Unless marketers carefully study this segment, they take a significant risk of missing the mark.”