Hispanic Moms’ Online Shopping Habits.

Isidra Mencos of BabyCenter en Español leads a team of writers, editors, translators and physicians in providing cultural, lifestyle and medical content tailored to the needs and sensibility of the Hispanic population in the US. Ms. Mencos spoke with eMarketer about Hispanic moms’ shopping habits and preferences, their levels of brand loyalty and findings related to Hispanic moms’ online behavior from BabyCenter’s “21st-Century Mom” study, released in 2009.

eMarketer: Is there a big difference in levels of brand loyalty between acculturated versus non-acculturated Hispanic moms?

Isidra Mencos: When they are less acculturated, they tend to be more brand loyal, especially when they’ve used certain brands in their country of origin. They know these brands and see them in the US. They tend to go with the brands they already know. But less-acculturated Hispanic women are very willing to try new brands or change brands if they don’t see what they’re accustomed to.

eMarketer: What have you observed regarding Hispanic women and online shopping?

Ms. Mencos: Less-acculturated Hispanic women have limited access to the Internet, so they’re less likely to shop online. We’ve found that they are 8% less likely to shop online than non-Hispanics, but they are starting to realize that the best deals are online. They use the Web for researching products.

They are more likely to click on ads than non-Hispanics because they see the ads more as information. They want to know more and research more. They are very receptive to online ads, clicking on them, finding out more information and so forth. They’re also quite receptive to e-mail and opening the e-mail.

“They see brands as aspirational vehicles that can bring them into the middle class and beyond.”

Among predominantly Spanish-speaking Hispanics, there’s a thirst for knowing more about the products they’re interested in. Brands are very aspirational for them. They come to the US to make a better life for themselves and their children. They see brands as aspirational vehicles that can bring them into the middle class and beyond.

eMarketer: BabyCenter’s “21st-Century Moms” report devoted some focus to Hispanic moms. Do they favor social media, or is their social media more in the vein of offline word-of-mouth?

Ms. Mencos: We found that 51% of BabyCenter’s US Hispanic users participate in online communities. Facebook and MSN are the preferred outlets. We also found that 20% are more likely to research information on kids’ health and nutrition online, and 39% of online Hispanic moms say brand names are very important when it comes to skincare products for their kids.

eMarketer: What else is unique about these moms’ online shopping characteristics?

Ms. Mencos: Online Hispanic moms are avid shoppers for their families. They’re also about as price-conscious as everybody else, or maybe a little more so. But they are more likely to bend the rules, in terms of their household budget, when it comes to their children.

“Hispanic moms are 30% more likely to say they love to shop, and 73% say they don’t feel they’re overspending or wasting money when they shop for their kids.”

Compared to the average online US mom age 18-plus, Hispanic moms are 30% more likely to say they “love to shop,” and 73% say they don’t feel they’re overspending or wasting money when they shop for their kids. Research shows that 45% of online Hispanic moms look for offers before they buy products for their kids.

eMarketer: How receptive are Hispanic moms to online offers? What are the most effective online vehicles for reaching them?

Ms. Mencos: We found that 33% learn a lot about a product or brand from its advertising and they are 22% more likely to do so than the average online US mom age 18-plus. In fact, 49% of Hispanic moms click on online ads that interest them. They are 23% more likely to do so than the average online US mom age 18-plus. A majority, 57%, read e-mails from companies on a regular basis, and 19% more likely to do so than the average online US mom age 18-plus.

eMarketer: What are the best ways for brands to communicate with them?

“67% say it’s important for them to find information online in Spanish.”

Ms. Mencos: We found that 67% say it’s important for them to find information online in Spanish. What’s interesting is that 60% of Latinas said they respond more fully to advertising in Spanish even if they are fully bilingual.

Courtesy of http://www.www.emarketer.com