AOL Latino

More Hispanics Compare-Shop Online
Orlando Business Journal - 11:48 AM EDT Monday

Hispanics in the Unites States are relying more on the Internet in making purchasing decisions, a new AOL Latino Hispanic Cyberstudy released Monday shows.

According to the study, 68 percent of Hispanics surveyed say the Internet is their best source for making final brand decisions -- a 17-point spike since 2004.

In addition, about three of every four Hispanics in the country use the Internet to learn about brand products, compared with 59 percent two years ago.

The Internet also is a popular tool for Hispanics who want to compare prices and learn about brand features or benefits, the study concludes.

Mark Lopez, publisher of AOL Latino, says the new data will help marketers better understand how to reach the rapidly growing online Hispanic market.

The study, undertaken by Synovate's Diversity Group, a market intelligence researcher, interviewed 502 participants in English or Spanish over the age of 18 who accessed the Internet in the past month.

According to the study, there are more than 16 million Hispanics online, or 55 percent of the total U.S. Hispanic population.

The Hispanic population in Central Florida is estimated to be more than 549,000, and Hispanic buying power in the Orlando area is expected to surpass $8 billion in 2006, according to a recent study by the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia.

The AOL Latino survey also shows that 81 percent of Hispanics online are mostly acculturated or partially acculturated, while only 19 percent is relatively unacculturated.

Acculturated Hispanics are defined as those who tend to be U.S. born or have lived in the United States for more than 20 years.

Partially acculturated Hispanics are defined as having lived in the United States several years, with 50 percent of being Spanish dominant and about one-third bilingual or English dominant. This continues to be the largest Hispanic segment.

The unacculturated Hispanics have lived the shortest amount of time in the United States and are 90 percent Spanish dominant.