As part of its efforts to address the needs of the growing Latino market, Sears Holdings has launched two new social media channels: Facebook.com/SearsLatino and a Twitter handle @SearsLatino. Through these efforts, Sears is showcasing its commitment to better engage with customers culturally and strengthen relationships within the Latino community.
“The Latino market is a vitally important customer segment for us. Given its population growth and high adoption of social media, this is a natural extension of our online initiatives,” said Oscar H. Castro, director/GM International eCommerce. “We want to create an engaging community for all of our Latino customers, whether they prefer English or Spanish, and whether they are in California, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Brazil or elsewhere in the world. We want to embrace the diversity within the community and facilitate interesting conversations that will help them enjoy shopping with us even more.”
In order to make online shopping more accessible and convenient for Latino customers, Sears encourages them to share stories and ideas, provide feedback and learn more about Sears’ Latino initiatives while they connect with other Latinos who love the Sears brand. Conversations occur in both English and Spanish on the Facebook page, which serves as a forum to engage with U.S. Hispanics and customers in Latin America and Puerto Rico.
Sears also debuted a new Facebook experience titled “Mama Back to School”, on Aug. 1, 2011. It will feature fashion trends 101; essential must-haves to complete an outfit; tips on accessorizing; and sale highlights to help customers prepare for the busy back-to-school season.
To entice and reward new followers to visit the Facebook page, Sears is teaming up with Whirlpool to offer exclusive deals and prizes to its new fans:
- The Whirlpool Washer and Dryer Sweepstakes launches July 25. Fans can enter for a chance to win a Whirlpool washer and dryer. One winner will be selected at random.
- The Whirlpool Kitchen Suite Recipe Contest launches Sept. 9. Fans can submit their favorite comfort food recipes. Ten finalists will be selected. The finalist with the most votes will win the Whirlpool kitchen suite.
- A recipe gallery launches Oct. 3. All recipes submitted to the Whirlpool Kitchen Suite Recipe Contest will be available to fans via a tab on Facebook.
As an industry leader in e-commerce, Sears currently runs three websites that serve the diverse Latino market:
- Sears Espanol: Launched in 2009, it serves Spanish-speaking customers in the continental United States.
- Sears PR: Launched in 2010, it ships merchandise only to the island of Puerto Rico. This site serves island residents as well as customers in the U.S. who want to send gifts to someone on the island. The experience is available in English and Spanish.
- Sears Internacional: Launched in 2009, this portal serves customers around the world, including 25 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The site handles multiple currencies and is available in English or Spanish.
Hispanic Market Advisors likes the fact that Sears wants to engage the Latino consumers with a customer centric approach by facilitating interesting conversations and offering language options letting it up to the consumer to decide in which language and form to communicate. Best of lucks! We hope this becomes a case study.