Ruth Villalonga, president and CEO of Villa Communications, says it’s common for marketers across industries to see Hispanic shoppers as a niche — and it’s time to forget this misconception.
“This is a multitrillion-dollar market,” she says. “It is the engine of the economic future of this country. The Hispanic segment of our American consumer is younger. It‘s actually larger. It’s growing faster than any other group. It has a longer spending horizon than the general market.”
Villalonga joined “The Packer Podcast” to offer viewers a sneak peek of a session on the Hispanic shopper, “Billions in the Basket: Engaging the Hispanic Shopper With Fresh,” to be featured Friday, May 29, during the West Coast Produce Expo.
She says what this means for fresh produce is that the Hispanic shopper overindexes not only on grocery spending but also particularly on fresh fruits. Villalonga says Hispanic shoppers also see value and quality as key standards.
“If your strategy does not include them, you have a huge hole in your growth strategy,” she says.
Villalonga says Hispanic shoppers are high-spend decision-makers and heavy food users. Many Latino households cook at home, buy produce multiple times a week and gather with extended family around the table.
“The incremental dollar of growth that you see in that group and that you will see over the next decade is disproportionate when it comes to their habits and their culture and how they spend,” she says.
Villalonga notes that bicultural Latinos show an openness to discovery, trying new brands and identifying equally as 100% Hispanic and 100% American, which she says likely contributes to that experimentation seen in the store perimeter.
“We need to retire this idea that [Hispanic people] are just the hands in the field,” she says. “The data show they are trading up in natural, organic, better-for-you produce, and they’re extremely intentional about quality and flavor.”
And this, Villalonga says, provides retailers an opportunity to understand what Hispanic shoppers truly value and see them as co-creators in storytelling.
“They are heavily moved by a cultural connection and by heritage,” she says. “They have a strong preference for products from their country. For example, they also like the storytelling that connects their food to the roots.”
Villalonga says, for retailers, focusing on storytelling with bilingual experiences and authentic cultural clues is a great way to connect with those shoppers.
“They’re also very heavy digital users, so they overindex on WhatsApp, TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram,” she says. “So, using those platforms and those channels to connect authentically will be an important part of how you start thinking about embracing this consumer.”
She says Hispanic shoppers prefer family-run businesses and will reward brands that speak authentically to their values through storytelling.
Villalonga says she’s excited to take the stage at the West Coast Produce Expo and hopes panel attendees understand the significant opportunity the Hispanic shopper provides.
“My hope is that retailers and suppliers walk away seeing the Latino consumer opportunity, not as a specialty add-on campaign, but as part of their default growth plan,” she says.
