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The U.S. consumer landscape is increasingly diverse, yet decision-makers risk missing critical opportunities when not all voices are represented. Hispanic Americans are among the fastest-growing demographics and are poised to significantly influence holiday spending this year. Eighty-five percent plan to shop for the holidays, and among them, as many as 71% say they have only done ‘a little’ shopping or haven’t started yet. This means now is a pivotal window for advertisers to reach this key segment before they finalize lists and check out.
The CivicScience database of one million daily consumer-declared responses reveals five key points to know about the American Hispanic consumer as holiday shopping begins to ramp up:
1. More spending, more gifts, and more BNPL
Hispanic American holiday shoppers are far more likely to plan on spending ‘more’ on the holidays this year compared to last (43%) than they are to say they’ll spend ‘less’ (25%). But this increase in spending isn’t just the result of higher costs and tariffs—an additional survey finds they’re also much more likely to plan on buying ‘more’ gifts this year, too.
With this intent for increased spending comes a coinciding percentage of Hispanic holiday shoppers who tell CivicScience they are more likely to use Buy Now, Pay Later services for holiday shopping this year (45%), compared to last year. Just 23% say they are less likely to use BNPL this year.
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2. How, where, and the critical factors that will shape Hispanic American holiday shopping
In-store looks to lead as more than two in five (42%) of Hispanic American shoppers say they’ll do less than half of their holiday shopping online this year; an exact contrast of the 42% of non-Hispanic shoppers who will do +50% of their shopping online. Big box shopping is most common; however, Hispanic shoppers over-index non-Hispanic shoppers in intent to shop at dollar stores, department stores, and specialty/chain stores by five percentage points each.
Although these consumers will lean heavily toward in-store shopping, there are still online factors to emphasize when looking to reach these shoppers before they buy. Deals and free shipping are the top determining factors, although Hispanic holiday shoppers are notably more likely to prioritize Buy Now, Pay Later options, expedited shipping, and curbside pickup as they choose where to shop this year.
Take Our Poll: Do you procrastinate on holiday shopping?
3. Quality drives brand loyalty
Hispanic American holiday shoppers are quite loyal to their favorite brands, as 84% say they’re at least ‘somewhat loyal’ and 3 in 10 report they are ‘very’ loyal to their favorite brands. When asked why they’re loyal to the brands they buy, the plurality (42%) cited ‘quality,’ outpacing ‘price and deals’ by nine points and other factors such as service and convenience by nearly 30 points.
4. Social media is influential, but so is their own research
Community matters: Hispanic holiday shoppers are much more likely than Gen Pop to say contacts on social media and influencers shape their purchasing decisions overall, and particularly across key holiday categories like clothing and electronics.
But they’re also proactive in their research: Nearly 9 in 10 Hispanic holiday shoppers say they seek out online reviews for items they want to purchase at least ‘sometimes,’ with 28% doing so ‘always.’ Additionally, in another survey, 51% Hispanic holiday shoppers report that they ‘always’ compare prices before deciding to buy a product (excluding those unsure).
5. Hispanic American well-being continues to fall
In recent months, Hispanic Americans have continued to report lower well-being. The CivicScience Well-Being Index (WBI) through the end of September reveals Hispanic American well-being hovering around its lowest point in more than four years—significantly lower than that of non-Hispanic Americans and Gen Pop overall.
This is culminating in higher holiday spending among Hispanic shoppers. For example, 62% of Hispanic holiday shoppers report at least somewhat strong feelings of stress (a core component of the WBI) over the past week, and they are far more likely to say they’re spending ‘more’ on holiday shopping this year (37%) than they are to spend less (25%). It’s a similar story among those experiencing feelings of fear, where those spending more (38%) again outpace those spending less (26%).
What Americans experience on a daily basis matters, especially for those whose voices are often underrepresented and whose perspectives can be overlooked. Hispanic Americans, for example, are facing a uniquely challenging period, as reflected in their current emotional well-being. Acknowledging this context helps ensure that the perspectives of all communities are recognized and understood—not merely considered in terms of consumer behavior.
Activate With Insights That Matter
CivicScience captures millions of consumer-declared perspectives each day, providing advertisers with real-time visibility into the subtle behaviors, priorities, and attitudes that define diverse segments. This depth of insight allows decision-makers to explore and understand each group on its own terms, highlighting the richness and diversity of the U.S. consumer landscape.
