5/30/07-So you finally got some of those Hispanic customers you’ve been targeting. That’s great! Well how do you keep them coming back?
Need
The good news is that as customers, you know they needed your product. So you filled a need. That’s half the battle. Hispanics are finicky customers, and if they don’t need a product, they’re not going to buy it. It’s as simple as that.
Many Hispanics, especially new arrivals on the lower end of the income chain, don’t have a lot of dispensable income, so the fact that you’ve gotten them as customers is great.
¡Build Relationships!
This Is the cincher. If there is one thing to take home from this article it is this. Building a relationship with your Hispanic clientele may very well be the most important thing you can do for your business. Hispanics as a culture tend towards tribalism and a certain style of “group-think”. It doesn’t matter if you have the lowest prices, the best selection, or the best product if you haven’t developed that relationship.
Examples for ya
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Heineken: they’ve been working on developing a relationship with the Hispanic market for decades. It didn’t happen overnight, but it’s happened, and now they have a huge following in the Hispanic market place.
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My family in Latin America comes shopping in the U.S. once a year, and they are devoted customers of stores where they are treated well.
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Fiesta Supermarkets & HEB Grocery Stores: cater to their Hispanic clientele. I know Hispanos that will drive wa-ay out of their way to go to Fiesta or HEB, even when there Is a Kroger or Randalls, or other supermarket on their way.
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Recommendations: Hispanics, especially recent immigrants, will ask friends and family for recommendations on products/items/businesses, especially since many are in a foreign land.
And if you haven’t banked on building that relationship, that first-time latino customer will turn into a 1-time customer…as your competitor builds that relationship with them...See that money later!
Lesson
Build a need into a relationship, and you & your business will prosper with repeat Hispanic customers. As a bonus, your word-of-mouth reputation will grow among your Hispanic customers, their friends, and family.
-La Marketer