Hispanic Consumers and Household Products - US - March 2014
Scope and Themes
 
What you need to know 
Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing minority group in the US with a purchasing power projected to reach $1.7 trillion by 2017. Because Hispanics tend to live in larger households, household cleaning and laundry products are in high demand. Hispanics enjoy scented products and other value-added segments, often agreeing that it is worth paying more for higher quality goods. They are brand loyal, but aware of costs and frequently look for value and ways to save money. Readers of this report will gain new insight on how members of this important demographic relate to household cleaning and laundry products.

This report builds on the analysis presented in Mintel’s Hispanics and Household Products—US, November 2012. 

Definition
For the purposes of this report, “household products” include cleansing/toilet tissue, paper towels, napkins, household soaps/detergents, laundry cleaning products, and similar products.

Value figures throughout this report are at rsp (retail selling prices) excluding sales tax unless otherwise stated.

Data sources
Consumer survey data
For the purposes of this report, Mintel commissioned exclusive consumer research through GMI in partnership with Offerwise to explore Hispanic consumers’ consumption of/attitudes and behaviors toward household products. Mintel was responsible for the survey design, data analysis, and reporting. Fieldwork was conducted in November 2013 among a sample of 950 Hispanic adults aged 18+ with access to the internet who are the primary/shared shopper for household products.

Please note that our surveys are conducted online and in English only. Hispanics who are not online and/or do not speak English are not included in our survey results.

Mintel has also analyzed data from Experian Marketing Services, using the NHCS (Simmons National Hispanic Consumer Study). The Experian Marketing Services, Simmons NHCS was carried out during July 2012-September 2013 and the results are based on the sample of 24,219 adults aged 18+, with results weighted to represent the US adult population. 

While race and Hispanic origin are separate demographic characteristics, Mintel often compares them to each other. Please note that the responses for race (White, Black, Asian, Native American, or other race) will overlap those that also are Hispanic, because Hispanics can be of any race.

Expenditure data
Expenditure estimates are derived from the CEX (Consumer Expenditure Survey), which is conducted annually by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The estimates are calculated using three-year rolling averages to reduce the volatility that can result from relatively small subsamples and items that are infrequently purchased.

●	Market size estimates in this report are based on consumer data (estimated average expenditures aggregated to the total market), and may not be comparable to estimates in other reports that are based on point-of-sale data or retailer revenues.
●	Note that the CEX measures spending by “consumer units” rather than households or individuals. See the Terms section for a definition of “consumer unit.”

Abbreviations and terms
Abbreviations
The following is a list of abbreviations used in this report: 

BLS 	Bureau of Labor Statistics	
CEX 	Consumer Expenditure Survey	
DIY  	Do-it-yourself 	
GED  	General Educational Development 	
HE 	High Efficiency 	
NHCS 	National Hispanic Consumer Study (Experian Simmons)	
rsp 	Retail selling price	

Terms
Generations are discussed within this report, and they are defined as: 

World War II/Swing generation 	Members of the WWII generation were born in 1932 or before and are aged 82 or older in 2014. Members of the Swing Generation were born between 1933 and 1945 and are aged 69-81 in 2014.	
Baby Boomers 	The generation born between 1946 and 1964. In 2014, Baby Boomers are between the ages of 50 and 68.	
Generation X 	The generation born between 1965 and 1976. In 2014, Gen Xers are between the ages of 38 and 49.	
Millennials* 	The generation born between 1977 and 1994. In 2014, Millennials are between the ages of 20 and 37.	
iGeneration 	The generation born between 1995 and 2007. In 2014, iGens are between the ages of 7 and 19.	
Emerging generation 	The newest generation began in 2008 as the annual number of births declined sharply with the recession. In 2014 members of this as-yet-unnamed generation are younger than 7.	

* Also known as Generation Y or Echo Boomers

Consumer Unit (CU): The US BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) CEX (Consumer Expenditure Survey) measures spending by consumer units rather than households. A consumer unit is all related members of a household or financially independent members of a household. A household may include more than one consumer unit. A CU may be comprised of (1) all members of a household related by blood, or by a legal arrangement such as marriage or adoption, (2) a financially independent individual living alone, sharing a house, as a roomer in a private home, or in living quarters of a hotel or motel, or (3) two or more individuals living together, pooling their income, and jointly making expenditure decisions. There are slightly more CUs than there are households in the US.

The expenditure categories used include the following products: cleansing/toilet tissue, paper towels, napkins, household soaps/detergents, laundry cleaning products, and similar products.