Latino Consumers Are Redefining the U.S. Marketplace: Is Your Brand Listening?
- DataSense | Market Research
- Aug 15
- 5 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
At DataSense, we believe market intelligence should reflect the real people driving today’s economy. In 2025, there’s no better example of this than the Latino consumer. With over 60 million Latinos now living in the United States and a purchasing power exceeding $2 trillion, this community represents one of the most influential forces shaping the American marketplace.
Yet too many corporate teams still rely on generalizations when engaging this dynamic group. To build future-ready strategies, brands need deeper insight into who Latino consumers are, how they buy, what they value, and how they want to be seen.
Here’s why it matters, what to watch, and how to evolve your research strategy accordingly.
Why Latino Consumers Should Be Central to Your Strategy.
This is about growth, not just representation. Latinos now make up nearly 20% of the U.S. population, and they are reshaping every major consumer category. Ignoring them is no longer a gap, it’s a missed business opportunity.
1. Untapped Growth Potential
Latino consumers contributed over $2 trillion in purchasing power in 2025 alone. They are the fastest-growing demographic group in the country and represent a rising share of new household formations, college enrollments, and business startups.
2. Cultural Influence Drives Relevance
Latino culture is driving trends in food, fashion, music, and media. From Bad Bunny to adobo-flavored snacks, what begins in Latino communities often scales into the mainstream. Brands that recognize this early and reflect it authentically stay relevant longer.
3. A Digital-First Demographic
Latinos consistently over-index in mobile usage, social media engagement, and e-commerce participation. They are more likely to use grocery and retail apps, stream content, and discover products through digital channels.
4. Loyalty Built Through Authenticity
When brands reflect their language, values, and identity, Latino consumers respond with long-term loyalty and advocacy. This includes bilingual communication, cultural representation, and personalized content that acknowledges their lived experience.
5. Cross-Generational Influence
Latino families are often multigenerational, and purchasing decisions are influenced across age groups. Whether it’s a Gen Z daughter suggesting a product or a Baby Boomer parent making the purchase, brands that resonate with the whole household win.
6. A Key to the Future of Gen Z
Nearly 1 in 4 Gen Z Americans is Latino. These consumers are shaping what the next 10 years of commerce, content, and culture will look like. Understanding their values today means future-proofing your brand tomorrow.
How to Research Latino Consumers More Effectively.
Effective research with Latino audiences goes beyond adding a Spanish-language question to your survey. It requires structural and cultural shifts in how studies are designed and executed.
1. Segmented Sampling Matters
The Latino community is incredibly diverse. To capture it accurately, you must stratify your sampling by country of origin, acculturation level, region, age, and language preference. A first-generation Cuban grandmother in Miami and a third-generation Mexican American teen in Los Angeles have different reference points and expectations.
2. Cultural Context in Methodology
Translation is not enough. Surveys, focus groups, and ethnographic studies should be culturally adapted. Consider idioms, tone, and response tendencies. Facilitators and moderators should reflect or deeply understand the communities they’re studying.
3. Online + Offline Behaviors
Latino consumers often blend traditional and digital shopping behaviors. For example, they may browse offers through an app but prefer to shop in-store with family members on the weekend. Mapping these hybrid journeys reveals rich insight.
4. Emotional and Cultural Drivers
Family, identity, and community are powerful motivators. Messaging that emphasizes connection, support, and cultural pride performs significantly better than purely functional appeals.
Where Latino Consumers Are Leading Market Shifts
Across nearly every industry, Latino consumers are active and growing in influence. But in some categories, they are leading the charge.
1. Food and Grocery
Food is a cornerstone of Latino identity and community. In 2023, Hispanic households spent an average of $4,000 annually on groceries, placing strong value on fresh produce, traditional ingredients, and quality. While 54% of Latino shoppers still prefer in-store shopping when given the option, 72% use grocery apps to plan their purchases. This hybrid behavior creates a strategic opportunity for retailers to optimize both digital engagement and in-store experience.
2. Beauty and Personal Care
Latinos outspend the general population in beauty and grooming. The average household spends $600+ annually, especially in skincare and fragrance. Natural products and sustainable packaging are growing priorities, particularly for less acculturated consumers.
3. Apparel and Footwear
In 2022, Latino households spent over $1,200 annually on clothing. Gen Z and Millennial Latinos are driving demand for athleisure and fast fashion, using fashion as a form of identity, self-expression, and cultural visibility.
4. Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
Latino households are driving above-average growth in the CPG space. They recorded 3.5% dollar sales growth compared to 2.6% for non-Hispanic households, and 1.7% unit sales growth compared to a decline of 0.3% for others. Categories like baby food, bottled water, pet care, and laundry products are seeing significant lift.
How to Earn Trust and Loyalty Among Latino Consumers?
Many brands make the mistake of viewing Latino consumers as a single, uniform group. Relying on a one-size-fits-all campaign or a token Spanish translation misses the mark. Latino audiences are culturally diverse, spanning multiple countries of origin, generations, and acculturation levels. When brands overlook these nuances or rely on outdated stereotypes, they risk appearing inauthentic and losing long-term loyalty. Trust is not built through broad gestures; it is earned through thoughtful attention to cultural, linguistic, and generational detail.
1. Cultural Representation
When Latino consumers see themselves reflected in campaigns, product design, and customer experience, trust builds. This means going beyond tokenism and showing real cultural understanding.
2. Family-Centric Messaging
Latino households are often multigenerational and collaborative. Campaigns that celebrate family values, shared experiences, and togetherness create resonance.
3. Personalization
Bilingual content, targeted digital ads, and omnichannel experiences matter. Latino consumers expect to be served content that aligns with their language, location, and preferences.
Final Thought: From Margin to Mainstream
Latino consumers are central to the U.S. consumer economy, not just a “niche” audience. For corporate researchers and strategy teams, this moment calls for depth over generalization. It’s time to stop asking whether to include Latino audiences and start asking how to understand them more fully.
At DataSense, we specialize in research that reflects the full complexity of Latino communities. We bring cultural fluency, methodological precision, and a commitment to elevating Latino voices across every touchpoint. As one of the few market research firms focused on Latino audiences in the U.S., we help brands go beyond assumptions and build strategies rooted in cultural intelligence. Because real growth starts with real understanding.
Contact us to build insights that move your business forward.
Sources:
U.S. Hispanics: shopping behavior - statistics & facts – Statista, 2024
Insights on U.S. Hispanic Shopper Behavior: What You Need to Know – Abasto (Acosta Group, 2024)
Hispanic Consumer Trends 2025: What to Expect – Hispanic Marketing Firm, 2025
Charting the surge in Latino or Hispanic-owned businesses in the US – Brookings, 2025
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