Roslow Hispanic Internet Study: Terra.com Enjoys Highest Brand Loyalty Among Spanish-Language Sites.

According to the Roslow Hispanic Internet Usage Study, conducted in fall 2001 and just released, Terra.com leads all other Spanish-language sites in brand loyalty. The study showed that 66 percent of U.S. Hispanics aware of Terra.com chose to visit it and use it within the last 30 days, a percentage surpassing all of its competitors.

In addition, the study revealed that — Hispanics are spending 55 percent of their time using the Internet in Spanish instead of English, as compared to 39 percent last spring. And, also for the first time, Hispanic incidence of Internet use has reached the 50 percent mark (among U.S. Hispanics 16 years and older). The Roslow findings are no surprise to Hispanic sites, already witnessing a steady climb in visits and usage.

“The Roslow report confirms what we already know,” said Manuel Bellod, Terra.com CEO, “that today’s U.S. Hispanic is technologically savvy and well aware of the benefits of the Internet.” The study found that Terra.com is a leader among Spanish language sites, putting the portal ahead of other Hispanic sites.

“We are very pleased to see the level of brand loyalty,” Bellod said. “Today’s U.S. Hispanic users have higher expectations from their Internet portal and we are continuously striving to meet and surpass those expectations.” Bellod attributes the high level of brand loyalty to the popularity of the content on Terra’s channels, including news and entertainment. “Channels like Sports, Teen and Mujer, in addition to our interactive technological services and promotions, keep our users coming back,” he said.

The average U.S. Hispanic user is approximately 30-years-old. Roughly half are bilingual, half are Spanish-dominant. An average of 78 percent of those users have computers at home. The percentage of men and women using the Net is nearly equal, at 52 and 48 percent respectively. As mentioned, they are using Spanish for more than half (55%) of their on-line hours.

The report also showed that Hispanics, a group 35 million strong who represent 13 percent of the U.S. population, spend 64 percent of their TV time watching Spanish-language channels.

As Hispanics become more comfortable with the Internet medium, they spend more time on-line. The average Hispanic user is visiting the web 6.6 times per week and spending 58 minutes on-line per session. Common reasons for going on-line include for research purposes, reading news, listening to music, education related searches and lastly, many go on-line to chat.

“More and more is available on the Web in Spanish, and more and more Hispanics are discovering that fact,” said Peter Roslow, CEO of Roslow Research. He adds that Hispanic early adapters of the Internet in Spanish have tended to be younger “techies” who are more bilingual. “Now, as usage incidence grows,” Roslow said, “Spanish-language sites are attracting users who are more Spanish-dominant.” The Roslow results support the studies of many experts who have found that bilingual Hispanics are more likely to trust Spanish-language media.