Watch for a lot more announcements like this one in coming months and years. Hispanics in the U.S. played a larger role than ever in both the pre-election dialogue, as well as the election itself. They will continue to play an ever greater role in the business sector, as well -- both as consumers and as business owners, professionals and a growing percentage of the work force.
A key component of my last company's business was multilingual U.S. ethnic marketing. We created not only localized versions of print material and websites, but completely custom versions, as well. Wells Fargo, Albertsons and Southwest Airlines are just some of the clients that have been doing U.S. ethnic marketing right for some time.
Launching a Spanish-language website is not a gamble for retailers like Home Depot. The numbers and survey data make it clear that the investment is a sound one:
The home-improvement retailer's Spanish site, which launches Monday, replicates its English language e-commerce site, with 12,000 products available to online shoppers.
Home Depot, like many other national retailers, views Hispanics as a lucrative growth opportunity. A study of English and Spanish-language consumers conducted last year by Forrester Research Inc. found that one-fourth of Hispanics must be served in Spanish if retailers want their business. More than half of Hispanics who shop online -- 7.1 million people, by Forrester's count -- prefer Spanish.
Home Depot's New Web Site Opens Door to Hispanics | Wall Street Journal
