THE HISPANIC SHOPPER
NORTHFIELD, Ill. -- The way Hispanics shop the supermarket largely depends on their level of acculturation, according to a new Food Marketing Institute report, sponsored by Kraft Foods, Procter & Gamble Co. and the Kellogg Co.
The report -- "U.S. Hispanics: Insights Into Grocery Shopping Preferences and Attitudes" -- also revealed the market is especially profitable for the consumer packaged goods industry. While Hispanics tend to have lower salaries and budget more often than other shoppers, they spend about $117 per week on groceries, compared to $87 a week in the general market. This is because they have larger households and rarely eat meals outside the home, and more than half shop with another adult from the household and 15% shop with children.
The level of acculturation, or adaptation to new cultural patterns, plays a strong role in Hispanic purchasing behavior. One reason for this is that the less-acculturated prepare mostly Hispanic meals. In contrast, the more-acculturated make Hispanic meals 45% of time, using other consumer packaged goods to fill in the gaps. This is because they have added time constraints, due, in part, to employment.
The less-acculturated group spends more time preparing for the shopping trip, planning meals and comparing prices among stores, while the more-acculturated tend to rely more on in-store circular and coupons, according to Linda Crowder, Kraft's senior director, multicultural marketing.
Such distinctions require different marketing approaches, according to Kraft. For the general market, one of its brands may market to, say, women ages 24 to 54, or households with kids. But the Hispanic market can't be grouped into those kinds of demographic segments, according to Reese Perry, Kraft's national ethnic sales planning manager.
Instead, Kraft views Hispanics in terms of how acculturated they are, ranging from newly immigrated to established. Once this is concluded, Kraft determines how to convert them into Kraft buyers. The more-acculturated may be more apt to use a product like Macaroni & Cheese, but that doesn't mean they're the only Hispanic group Kraft wants a relationship with, Perry pointed out.
