According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 53.3 million people – nearly one in six U.S. residents – are Hispanic. By 2060, this demographic segment is expected to make up approximately one third of those living in the United States. As this demographic shift occurs, marketers must have well-designed strategies for targeting this important segment, which has many unique media habits – particularly when it comes to digital.
One of the more interesting behavioral attributes of Hispanics is that an especially high percentage are mobile-only internet users, accessing the web exclusively from mobile devices and eschewing the use of a desktop computer. Although this pattern of behavior is growing among the general population, mobile-only behavior is still not common. Among Hispanics, however, 21 percent of digital media users are mobile-only, compared to just 9 percent among Non-Hispanics.
This behavior is even more prevalent among young Hispanic Millennials, of whom an astounding 40 percent are mobile-only internet users. U.S. Millennials (defined here as 18-34 year-olds) skewed mobile-only due to their greater proficiency in performing more functions with smartphones and perhaps less need for the advanced functions provided by desktop computers. It therefore makes sense that the cross-section of two populations known for having mobile-only tendencies might have an especially high incidence of this behavior.
This finding highlights the importance of understanding your target audience’s digital behaviors. This one characteristic about Hispanics – and particularly young Hispanics – conveys a key insight for marketers targeting this consumer: a mobile strategy is not just nice-to-have; it is absolutely critical.
