58% Of Hispanic / Latino Consumers Say Heritage Important to Identity & Purchasing Decisions, Numerator Reports

80% of Hispanic / Latino Households are Multilingual and Prefer Brands with Spanish Language Packaging

Numerator, a data and tech company serving the market research space, has released a new consumer study, Honoring Hispanic & Latino Heritage in America. The report leverages omnichannel purchase data, market share data, and survey data to examine the preferences and behaviors of Hispanic / Latino consumers as a whole and also through the lens of heritage identity. Overall, Hispanic / Latino households are young, diverse, multilingual consumers whose heritage identity plays a role in the brands they choose to buy and the retailers where they choose to shop.

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Hispanic / Latino Consumer Findings Include:

• Hispanic / Latino households are larger and younger – and will drive future emerging trends. 49% of Hispanic / Latino households consist of 4+ members, and the age range of those members skew the youngest compared to any other ethnicity.
• 4 in 5 Hispanic / Latino households are multilingual, and they prefer brands that speak their first language. 80% of Hispanic / Latino homes are multilingual (3x the national average), and more than 1 in 4 of these consumers say they trust brands using the language spoken at home more than brands that do not.
• Heritage identity is extremely important to Hispanic / Latino consumers. 58% of Hispanic/Latino households consider heritage central to their identity—the largest of any ethnicity (compared to 52% of Black consumers, 47% of Asian consumers, and 27% of White consumers).
  • Heritage identity heavily influences consumer behavior. Hispanic / Latino consumers say that nostalgia and familiarity factor into their purchasing decisions – both in the brands they buy and the retailers where they shop.
  • Heritage also plays a role in shopping preferences. Compared to all Hispanic / Latino consumers, those of South American heritage are 28% more likely to be deal-focused shoppers, while those of Western European or Caribbean heritage are more likely to be coupon clippers (42% and 31% more likely, respectively), and those of North American or Mexican / Central American heritage are more likely to be impulse buyers (40% and 30% more likely, respectively).
  • Retailer preference is also influenced by heritage. While total Hispanic / Latino channel purchasing follows US trends, segmenting by heritage identifies critical differences. Compared to all Hispanic / Latino consumers, those of North American heritage are more likely to spend their CPG dollars at mass retailers such as Walmart or Target, while those of Caribbean heritage are more likely to focus their CPG spend in club stores like Costco or Sam’s Club.

• Dietary restrictions are most common among Hispanic / Latino households. 25% of Hispanic / Latino households have some sort of dietary restriction, more than any other ethnicity group (compared to 22% of both Asian and Black households and 14% of White households).
  • Compared to the total US population, Hispanic / Latino consumers are 75% more likely to be vegan, 63% more likely to be lactose-free, 45% more likely to be vegetarian, 22% more likely to be gluten-free, and 18% more likely to be pescatarian.
• Hispanic / Latino consumers could be leading indicators for emerging food trends. Over three in five grocery categories where Hispanic / Latino households over index in are categories that are growing share within grocery. Top categories that are capturing more than their fair share among Hispanic / Latino consumers include nectars, lentils, canned / powdered milk, coconut water, and in-store bakery.
• Alcoholic beverages preferences also vary by heritage. Hispanic / Latino consumers of South American, Western European, and Caribbean heritage are more likely to spend their alcohol beverage dollars on wine, while those of Mexican / Central American heritage are more likely to place their alcohol beverage spend on beer.
• Hispanic / Latino households are dining out frequently. These consumers are 72% more likely to eat out 6+ times a week compared to the total US population. Caribbean households are more likely to place share within the top three quick-service restaurants (McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, Wendy’s), while Taco Bell over-indexes with consumers of North American and Western European heritage compared to all Hispanic / Latino consumers.

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Numerator panelists self-identify on hundreds of demographic and psychographic attributes, including racial identity and ancestry. For the latter, consumers were asked to select any countries that were relevant to their family heritage or ancestry. The five main regions that capture most Hispanic / Latino consumers were: Mexico/Central America (51%), Caribbean (25%), North America excluding Mexico and Caribbean (14%), Western Europe (14%), and South America (12%). Consumers can identify with multiple countries, causing regions to add to more than 100%.