Why SpanishTech

The verdict of history is that success in business is simple.
If you're in the right place at the right time, you succeed.
And if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, you fail. No matter how hard you try.
That's why consumer trends are vital to business.
They point you towards the right place and the right time. - Silverter.com

According to the U.S. Census Bureau http://eire.census.gov/popest/data/states.php, Hispanics now comprise over 30% of the population in Texas and California, and they are the fastest growing minority in the U.S. Simplicity dictates people would rather speak and read in their native language when possible. Therefore, to be in the right place and the right time, mainstream businesses must use Spanish to reach this growing population.

With a market size of 35.3 million people and a buying power of $454.2 billion, it seems obvious to give serious consideration to the Hispanic market in the U.S. Hispanics have garnered great interest since their recognition as the fastest growing minority; a population that increased 57% between 1990 and 2000 and now accounts for 12.5% of the total U.S. population. Similarly, Hispanic purchasing power has increased 156% over the last seven years. As this market continues to experience growth, so will its purchasing power. Focusing on this segment of the population can present a tremendous marketing opportunity, one that has not yet been fully explored.

Hispanic Use of Internet Increases

Half of Hispanic adults use the Internet and e-mail, according to a survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which found the online Hispanic population grew 25 percent over a period of one year.

Much of the growth in Internet use can be attributed to young people, women and those from modest income households flocking online. In total, 78 percent of Hispanics said they go online at least 3 to 5 times a week and 61 percent of Hispanics with Internet access are online on a typical day.

Hispanic Internet users enjoy using e-mail to sustain and enrich relationships and they found the Internet a valuable source of information for things like news, financial data, product information and trip planning.

Nielsen Media Research also found that the overall use of Spanish-language Internet sites is growing as more Hispanics access the Internet from home on a daily basis. These findings are in line with data gathered by Roslow Research Group in late 2001 indicating that 55 percent of the surveyed Hispanic population spent their online time in Spanish and 45 percent in English, representing a 41 percent increase over the March 2001 ratio (39 percent/61 percent).

More than three-quarters (78 percent) indicated that they have computers at home and 63 percent access the Internet from a home computer, although a full 90 percent have the ability go online from home. Those surveyed stated that they are going online 6.6 times a week, with each session lasting almost an hour (58 minutes).

Additionally, Roslow found that almost half (49.6 percent) of Hispanics 16 years of age and older are active users of the Internet - this figure represents a 16 percent increase from March 2001.

Internet Incidence of Use
Internet Use	Jul. 2000(%)	Mar. 2001(%)	Fall 2001(%)
No Internet Usage	40.8	37.1	32.1
No Usage -- Past 30 days	21.2	19.9	18.3
Used Internet in past 30 days	38.0	43.0	49.6
Base	1562	1428	1231
Source: Roslow Research Group

Roslow Research conducted telephone interviews of 600 Spanish-surnamed Internet users in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, San Francisco, Chicago and San Antonio. All respondents had to identify as Hispanic; speak Spanish at home at least some of the time; and have used the Internet in the past 30 days.

Fully 50% of Hispanics who are 18 and older have used the Internet. Overall, 11 million Hispanic adults have Internet access and there was a 25% increase in the population in the twelve months from March 2000 through February 2001, which is the month we measured the access rate at 50%. By comparison, 58% of white adults have been online and 43% of African-Americans have been online.

More of the Hispanic newcomers are women than men. The overall Hispanic population with Internet access is split evenly between men and women.

Two-thirds of the growth came from those under age 34 and, overall, 61% of Hispanic Internet users are 34 and under. A high proportion of Hispanic Internet users are also parents of children under age 18.

72% of online Hispanics have gone online "just for fun," compared to 62% of white Internet users.

71% have used the Internet to get information about books, movies and other leisure activities, compared to 62% of whites.

48% of online Hispanics have listened to music on the Web, compared to 33% of online whites.

36% of online Hispanics have downloaded music files, compared to 21% of online whites.

Online Hispanics also use the Internet to get information related to their economic and personal advancement. They use these features of the Web in roughly the same proportions as whites.

The latest Census Bureau findings reveal that there are now 22 million Hispanic adults. A survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in February shows that half of them, or 11 million Hispanics, have Internet access. While this figure is still lower than the level of Internet access among whites, which now stands at 58%, it represents a striking story of the rapid penetration of a technology in this large population. In March 2000, the first month of survey work by the Pew Internet Project, 40% of Hispanic adults had Internet access. That means more than two million Hispanics came online in the 12 months ending in February 2001.

Several factors stand out both as explanations for the continuing, though shrinking, divide between Hispanics and whites and as backdrop for this phenomenon of rapid growth in access. First, use of the Internet is still closely linked to socioeconomic factors. The higher a family's income, the more likely members are to have access. Similarly, the higher a person's education level, the more likely he is to go online. Overall, Hispanics lag behind whites economically and in educational attainment. The U.S. Census Bureau reported last year that the median household income of Hispanic Americans was $30,700 in 1999. This compares to $42,500 for whites, and $27,900 for African-American households. The Census Bureau said that 9% of Hispanics 18 and older had received a college or post-graduate degree. This is less than the 15% of African-Americans and the 26% of whites who have received the same degrees. Thus, a major part of the explanation for a continuing gap between access by whites and Hispanics can be traced to income and education levels.