Hispanic Consumers Outpace Non-Hispanics in Use of Social and Mobile Sources for Local Shopping Information, According to BIA/Kelsey

CHANTILLY, Va., Feb. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Hispanic consumers are outpacing non-Hispanics in their adoption of mobile, social and online sources for local shopping, according to BIA/Kelsey's Consumer Commerce Monitor™ study.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110616/NE20926LOGO )

Hispanic consumers are far more likely to use mobile devices (tablet and smartphone) for local shopping than non-Hispanic consumers. According to the study's findings, nearly a quarter (23.6 percent) of Hispanic consumers reported they use tablets for local shopping, compared with 15.5 percent of non-Hispanics. And nearly half (48.5 percent) of Hispanic consumers use mobile devices for local shopping, compared with 32 percent of non-Hispanics. Among mobile Hispanic consumers, 52.5 percent report using their tablets and 42.5 percent report using their smartphones daily for local shopping.   

"How the Hispanic consumer shops will affect how a local business advertises and builds loyalty with this community," said Celine Matthiessen, VP Analysis and Insights, BIA/Kelsey. 

"An integrated social, mobile and loyalty strategy will be a necessity to attract this demographic, as Hispanic consumers are very loyal to local businesses. Hispanic respondents to the CCM study reported that they supported an average of six businesses by becoming a fan or follower or liking a local business."

BIA/Kelsey defines local shopping as any stage of the purchase funnel, from awareness through research, to transacting for products or services locally (within a 25-mile radius of your primary residence). The firm's definition of local products and services includes items such as groceries, restaurants, drugstore items, gasoline and other high-frequency purchases.

Mobile Search vs. Mobile Apps
Hispanic and non-Hispanic consumers rely more on search engines than mobile apps for local shopping. Sixty-one percent of Hispanic consumers and 69 percent of non-Hispanics reported they "mostly use search engines" on a tablet or smartphone for local shopping. And while their mobile app usage is significantly lower than their use of search engines, Hispanics rely more on mobile apps for local shopping than non-Hispanics, by nearly two to one. Seventeen percent of Hispanic consumers reported they "mostly use apps" on a tablet or smartphone for local shopping, compared with 9 percent for non-Hispanics. In addition, Hispanic consumers reported using 5.1 mobile apps, on average, for daily shopping, compared with 2.7 apps for non-Hispanic consumers.

Social Sources
When using social media for local shopping, Hispanic consumers index higher than non-Hispanics on all social media networks, except Facebook, with 61 percent of Hispanics and 67 of non-Hispanics reporting they use Facebook for local shopping. Other social networks used for local shopping include:

• YouTube: 17.7 percent by Hispanics; 10.3 percent by non-Hispanics
• Yahoo: 16.8 percent by Hispanics; 16.4 percent by non-Hispanics
• Google+: 11.9 percent by Hispanics; 10.8 percent by non-Hispanics
• Twitter: 11.1 percent by Hispanics; 6.7 percent by non-Hispanics

Despite their heavy social media use, 83.2 percent of Hispanic consumers list family and friends as their most trustworthy source for local shopping information. 

Free Webinar: 'Hispanic Consumers Buy Into Digital for Local Shopping'
BIA/Kelsey will present data on Hispanic digital media usage and local shopping behaviors from its Consumer Commerce Monitor study during a free webinar this Thursday, Feb. 27. Webinar details and online registration for "Hispanic Consumers Buy Into Digital for Local Shopping" are available at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/278597088.

Hispanic Radio Conference
To address the opportunities and strategies in Hispanic advertising and media, Mark Fratrik, SVP and Chief Economist at BIA/Kelsey, will participate in Radio Ink's Hispanic Radio Conference on a discussion panel titled, "Investment Strategy: The View From Wall Street and Main Street." He will share further findings from the CCM survey, as well as examine investment opportunities in Hispanic radio.

About BIA/Kelsey Consumer Commerce Monitor™
BIA/Kelsey Consumer Commerce Monitor (CCM) is a proprietary tracking study focused on how U.S. consumers are evolving their use of traditional and online channels to find, engage and transact with local-serving businesses. The first wave of CCM was conducted in September 2013, with research partner Ipsos, via an online survey. The geographically diversified survey sample of 2,000 U.S. adults, aged 18 and over, is inherently balanced to reflect the U.S. adult population. The survey's overall margin of error is 2.2 percent. Nearly all of the questions are framed in terms of local shopping, which BIA/Kelsey defines in the survey as "shopping for products or services locally (within a 25-mile radius of your primary residence)." CCM reports, along with custom cuts of the data, are available for purchase.

About BIA/Kelsey
BIA/Kelsey advises companies in the local media space through consulting and valuation services, research and forecasts, Custom Advisory Services and conferences. Since 1983 BIA/Kelsey has been a resource to the media, mobile advertising, telecommunications, Yellow Pages and electronic directory markets, as well as to government agencies, law firms and investment companies looking to understand trends and revenue drivers. BIA/Kelsey's annual conferences draw executives from across industries seeking expert guidance on how companies are finding innovative ways to grow. Additional information is available at http://www.biakelsey.com, on the company's Local Media Watch blog, Twitter (http://twitter.com/BIAKelsey) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/biakelsey).

SOURCE BIA/Kelsey