How E-Commerce Platforms Are Adapting to the Needs of Spanish-Speaking Shoppers
One of the main determinants of success in e-commerce is your ability to identify, chase, and make the most of different opportunities.
With the Hispanic population being the second largest one in America, you can consider tapping into this market as a land of opportunity for your e-commerce business.
Many businesses like yours are already making efforts to resonate with the Hispanic population, and in this article, I’ll explore the various steps they’re taking. Being aware of, and maybe even trying these steps, can help you effectively and accurately reach, engage, and convert Hispanic shoppers.
Let’s get right into it.
Multilingual and Localized Websites
Let’s say you go to a Hispanic country, where everyone speaks Spanish. In that case, if you run across someone who speaks English, you’d feel comfortable and relieved, wouldn’t you? Well, the same applies to Hispanic people when they come across an e-commerce website available in Spanish.
By making your website multilingual, you can capture a chunk of potential Hispanic customers that you might be previously missing out on by removing language barriers. But your efforts shouldn’t just end with a generic language translation and should also focus on accurate localization.
This means that you need to consider Hispanic cultural aspects, such as family and community, which can make the shopping experience even more relatable and engaging for Hispanic shoppers. They can also add a touch of authenticity to your brand, encouraging shoppers to engage and support your brand.
A great example of a brand doing this well is IKEA US. They’ve launched a dedicated Spanish-language website to make the entire shopping process easier for Latino shoppers.
Bilingual Customer Service
Customer service is the face of your organization, and can turn your brand from zero to hero, and vice versa.
Naturally, if you want to excel in this area, offering bilingual customer service can help you do that with Hispanic shoppers. That’s also backed by numbers, because according to Survey Sensum, 68% of shopper prefer those brands that communicate in their native language, and 70% feel more loyal to such brands.
Customers may be able to better voice their queries and concerns if they can freely speak their language to someone who understands. That being said, you may have to hire a dedicated team of individuals who are aware of or belong to Hispanic cultures to effectively understand, relate to, and thereby resolve the unique needs of Hispanic shoppers.
A lot of businesses now offer bilingual customer service in Spanish. And this doesn’t just include e-commerce businesses, it can also include diverse industries such as telecom companies.
For example, the internet provider Spectrum offers bilingual customer service, making it easier for native speakers to reach out to Spectrum Servicio al Cliente for a plan or issues about their connection.
Personalized Marketing
Marketing is the first point of interaction for Hispanic customers with your brand.
You want to make sure to grab their attention instantly, and the key to that is personalization. This is the strategy of tailoring your marketing content to resonate with the unique needs and preferences of, in this case, Hispanic customers.
To effectively personalize, you will have to understand the cultural elements across different Hispanic cultures and the buying stage of each of these consumers. Then, you have to tailor your content and messaging accordingly.
For example, let’s say you’re launching a new salsa sauce for your Mexican audience, you could highlight your use of local ingredients to create an environment of authenticity, relatability, and respect.
But your work doesn’t just end with new customers; you’ll also have to personalize for those who’ve used your products or services before. You can use data such as their buying patterns or demographics to create and offer relevant offers, bundles, or deals.
Offering Relevant Payment Methods
Ah, yes, we’re down to the most important part of your customers’ shopping journey, the checkout. All that effort you’ve put into bringing your potential customers to the final stage is dependent on a very crucial factor: the payment methods you offer.
Different segments of your target audience may prefer to use different payment methods, depending on their digital literacy and the availability of resources.
When it comes to Hispanic shoppers, the most commonly used payment methods include cash, followed by debit cards, and finally credit cards. According to a survey by Unidos, 64% of Hispanic shoppers use cash, whereas 61% use their debit cards, and 27% use their credit cards.
This difference between debit and credit cards may be because credit card ownership is still difficult for Hispanic people to obtain, mainly due to income inequality and creditworthiness. Despite these constraints, credit card ownership has also grown in recent years, with 72% of Hispanic adults owning a credit card.
A lot of, if not all, e-commerce businesses can be considered examples of those that offer various payment methods since a large number of payment methods increases their chances of reducing cart abandonment and securing that sale.
Hispanic Customers – A Goldmine for E-commerce Businesses
As the second-largest population in America, the Hispanic community is a goldmine of opportunity for e-commerce businesses.
By tailoring your marketing messages, offering bilingual websites and customer service, and the right blend of payment methods, you can tap into this market in a way that feels authentic and resonates with their unique cultural perspectives.
