What: Portada talked to Christian Martinez, the director of US Multicultural at Facebook, about how U.S. Hispanics are planning and making purchases for their trips.
Why It Matters: We take a look at the results of Facebook’s latest research, The Mobile Compass: How Smartphones Guide the US Travel Purchase Journey, to draw insight about what U.S. Hispanics are expecting from the travel industry.
To find out what shapes travelers’ routes, Facebook IQ analyzed Facebook and Instagram data and commissioned GfK to survey 2,400 people ages 18–64 in the U.S. who had booked a business or leisure trip in the last three months. The study also specifically analyzed how US Hispanics are using mobile to book their trips.
1. Go mobile
“In the U.S., mobile has become a very powerful platform, which is even more relevant among the U.S. Hispanics thanks to its huge penetration,” said Martinez. According to his numbers, 83% of U.S. Hispanics use a smartphone to connect to the internet, in comparison with 73% of the general market.
“Smartphones have become U.S. Hispanic’s main internet connection, mainly because they are cheaper than a desktop or laptop computer,” he added.
That said, it is understandable that 68% of surveyed U.S. Hispanics said they are more willing to book a trip through their phones.
2. Take advantage of online video marketing
“Everything on video is important when trying to impact the Hispanic market, and it becomes even more relevant when it comes to the travel market,” explained Christian Martinez, director of US Multicultural at Facebook.
3. Focus your ads on Hispanic culture
“Personalized ads which are culturally relevant to the Hispanic market have a greater impact when generating a buy among Hispanics,” said Martinez. “Using Spanish, and talking about family and cooking is very relevant to them.”
4. Multiplatform is key
According to the study, people reward brands that adjust to their multi-device behavior. 62% of US Hispanic travellers surveyed said that they’re more likely to book with providers who make it easy to buy across several devices.
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Overall, when planning their last trip, 85% of travellers used their smartphone, 38% used a tablet, and 63% a desktop or laptop. But even more relevant is that 64% used two or more devices.
5. Develop an app
Facebook’s survey showed that booking apps generate interest, especially among Millennials and people who self-identified as U.S. Hispanic. 57% of them already own a travel app. They like it because they are easier to use, and because they adapt to what they are looking for when booking a trip.
6. Offer full travel packages
34% of U.S. Hispanics are looking to book a full travel package (flight plus hotel, for example) when searching a trip through the app.