Hispanics in the United States (U.S.) are utilizing mobile devices more than ever, and a new report suggests the demographic outpace non-Hispanics when it comes to shopping.

According to BIA/Kelsey, which advises companies on local media space via consultations and valuations, stated Hispanic consumers topped non-Hispanics with their adoption of mobile, online, and social source for local shopping notably with their smartphones and tablets.

BIA/Kelsey defined "local shopping" as various stages including researching or purchasing a product or service from within a 25-mile radius of the surveyors' primary home. The products and services can range from drugstore items, gasoline, groceries, restaurants, and "other high-frequency purchases."

The Consumer Commerce Monitor study revealed approximately 23.6 percent of Hispanics used their tablets for local shopping while non-Hispanics represented 15.5 percent. Hispanics using mobile devices for local shopping purposes garnered 48.5 percent of responses compared to 32 percent for non-Hispanics.

Within the Hispanic consumers demographic, surveyors acknowledged to using their tablets more than smartphones to shop with 52.5 percent and 42.5 percent respectively.

"How the Hispanic consumer shops will affect how a local business advertises and builds loyalty with this community," said BIA/Kelsey's Vice President of Analysis and Insights Celine Matthiessen. "An integrated social, mobile and loyalty strategy will be a necessity to attract this demographic, as Hispanic consumers are very loyal to local businesses. Hispanic respondents to the CCM study reported that they supported an average of six businesses by becoming a fan or follower or liking a local business."

Search engines are the popular resource of local shopping than mobile apps. Hispanic consumers, at 61 percent, stated to "mostly" using search engines when shopping locally, which is down compared to the 69 percent registered from non-Hispanics. Although mobile apps was not the popular choice compared to search engines, Hispanics were more likely to use the apps than non-Hispanics by nearly two to one.

Hispanics also dominated desktop and laptop use. Local shopping via desktops by Hispanics represented 40.3 percent of responses while non-Hispanics triggered 25.8 percent. Laptops were used by 36.6 percent of the Hispanic consumer population while non-Hispanics represented 27 percent.

The presence of social media proved important when shopping locally.

With the exception of Facebook, Hispanics ranked higher than non-Hispanics on all social media networks including Google+, Twitter, Yahoo, and YouTube. Facebook was still the popular social media network among Hispanics at 60.9 percent although non-Hispanics agreed but at 67.2 percent. YouTube was the second popular social media network among Hispanics with 17.7 percent, narrowly ahead of Yahoo's 16.8 percent. Google+ ranked four by Hispanics with 11.9 percent while Twitter rounded the top five with 11.1 percent.

For non-Hispanics, Yahoo was the second most-utilized social source with 16.4 percent, ahead of Google+'s 10.8 percent. YouTube ranked fourth among non-Hispanics with 10.3 percent while Twitter placed last, representing 6.7 percent.

While social media use was heavy among Hispanics, 83.2 percent of Hispanic consumers stated family and friends were their "most trustworthy" source for local shopping information.

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