With the kickoff of Hispanic Heritage Month, retailers are eager to join the fiesta.And they’re hoping to woo Hispanic shoppers, who are typically younger and more open to shopping through both social media and mobile devices.
As the Hispanic population grows in the U.S., the stakes get higher for stores every year, with retailers struggling to keep up with key demographic changes. Nielsen reports that 38% of Hispanics between the ages of 18 and 29 are bilingual — a jump of 73% in the past decade. (Nielsen calls this group the Bi-Llennials.)
And Latino Millennials now account for nearly 20% of Gen Y.
Macy’s, for example, is zeroing in on these young women with its programs this year, bringing together three notable Latinas — Jasmine Villegas (actress, singer and Twitter powerhouse), fashion blogger Julie Sariñana and Kika Rocha, former People en Español fashion director — for a talk tour at seven of its stores. The trio will dish on culture and fashion influences, and Villegas will also sing.
Some retailers are creating campaigns designed to promote causes that resonate with young Hispanics. Sherwin-Williams, for example — the Cleveland, Ohio-based paint retailer — is partnering with artists Edwin Gil and Alexander Mijares, who are using Sherwin-Williams colors to create community art projects. Gil, who is a Colombian native, will use the paint in his international anti-bullying project, called Faces of Diversity. And Mijares, a Miami native, is set to help headline the opening of LAB ART Texas.
The company says it’s part of an effort to connect the cultural color elements of Hispanic heritage, including a hashtag campaign, #EstoPintaBien, to help people connect with the company and show off the colors that make their homes and communities come alive.
The Minneapolis-based Target is sponsoring the Hispanic Heritage Awards, hosted by actors Edward James Olmos and Award-Winning Actress Judy Reyes.
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