CHICAGO -- At nearly 33 million, U.S. Hispanics of legal drinking age (LDA) are important adult beverage consumers, and their influence will expand rapidly. By 2015, Hispanics will account for 15% of the total U.S. LDA population. By 2045, one-quarter of the U.S. LDA population will be Hispanic, according to the Trends in Adult Beverage (TAB) Report: Hispanic Consumer Insights just released by Technomic.
“Hispanics are an extremely important demographic group for the adult beverage industry, and many of their preferences and purchase habits are different from the general population,” observes Donna Hood Crecca, senior director at Technomic. “Currently, the LDA Hispanic population skews young and male, and strongly favors beer, tequila and red wine. Similar to the general population, they value variety and competitive pricing when purchasing adult beverages, but they buy them in a broader range of retail outlets. They enjoy adult beverages frequently, but consume more drinks and spend more per occasion than the general population, whether at a restaurant or bar or at home.”
To help adult beverage suppliers, marketers and operators better anticipate and meet the evolving needs of Hispanic consumers, Technomic added the new report to its Trends in Adult Beverage (TAB) series. Interesting learnings include:
- Latinos most frequently buy adult beverages at liquor and wine stores (48%). However, they are more likely than the overall population to purchase at other types of retail outlets such as convenience stores (19% vs. 14%).
- Hispanics are more likely than the broader population to have purchased adult beverages online (17% vs. 11%) in the past year.
- Casual-dining restaurants are frequented by Hispanics, but among them, English-dominant (36%) and bilingual (38%) consumers are more likely to order adult beverages during their visit than Spanish-dominant (27%) consumers, and are also more likely to try new adult beverages in on-premise locations.
- Beer—particularly imported beer—is the top adult beverage choice for Hispanic consumers. Mexican beer is more preferred by Hispanics (85%) than general consumers (70%) when ordering drinks in restaurants and bars.
- Hispanics over-index on red-wine varieties in restaurants and bars compared with the general population, particularly red blends (41% vs. 28%).
Chicago-based Technomic provides clients with the facts, insights and consulting support they need to enhance their business strategies, decisions and results. Its services include numerous publications and digital products, as well as proprietary studies and ongoing research on all aspects of the food industry.
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