A September 2014 study by cloud commerce provider Avangate found that nearly half (48 percent) of U.S. Internet users have never used their mobile device (smartphone or tablet) to make a purchase. Of that 48 percent, 40 percent cited safety concerns as the main reason they have yet to adopt mobile commerce. Of the 52 percent who do make mobile purchases, Hispanic consumers in the United States are likelier than non-Hispanic consumers to make a purchase via their smartphone or tablet.

According to August 2014 data collected from ThinkNow Research and Zpryme Research & Consulting that looked at products purchased via mobile device by U.S. Hispanic versus non-Hispanic consumers, approximately half of U.S. Hispanic buyers had purchased clothes, electronics, music, or movie tickets via their mobile device within the past month. In contrast, non-Hispanic consumers were significantly less likely to have made any of these purchases within the same time frame. The breakdown of the data is as follows:

  • Clothes: 52 percent of Hispanic consumers made a purchase in the past month, compared to 38 percent of non-Hispanics.
  • Electronics: 52 percent of Hispanics made a mobile purchase in the past month, and only 37 percent of non-Hispanic consumers.
  • Music: Around 50 percent of Hispanics made a music purchase via mobile versus 40 percent of non-Hispanics.
  • Movie Tickets: 49 percent of Hispanic mobile users made movie ticket purchase within the prescribed timeframe, versus 31 percent of non-Hispanic respondents.

Likewise, the ThinkNow/Zpryme survey found that U.S. mobile buyers are more likely to use their mobile device to research products online, looking in particular to online product reviews, with expert product ratings being the second most-utilized resource. While 53 percent of Hispanic consumers searched for product reviews on their smartphone or tablet, only 44 percent of non-Hispanics did the same. As well, 36 percent of U.S. Hispanic mobile buyers searched for expert advice versus 26 percent of non-Hispanics.

  • Online Product Reviews: 53 percent of U.S. Hispanics researched products using online product reviews in the past month compared with 44 percent of non-Hispanic mobile buyers.
  • Product Ratings by Experts: 36 percent of U.S. Hispanics consulted product ratings by experts versus 26 percent of non-Hispanic consumers.
  • Social Media: 35 percent of U.S. Hispanic mobile users went on social media forums via their mobile device for product advice compared to 24 percent of non-Hispanic mobile users.
  • Videos about Products: 31 percent of Hispanic mobile buyers watched product information videos on their device, in contrast to only 20 percent of non-Hispanic mobile consumers.

The ThinkNow Research and Zpryme Research & Consulting study “Hispanic Purchasing via Mobile Devices” surveyed respondents between the ages of 18 and 64 who made a purchase in the past 30 days using a smartphone and/or a tablet.

Reference:

eMarketer. “US Hispanic Mobile Buyers More Inclined to Buy, Research on Device.” 11/5/14.