Beyond Bodegas: Developing a Retail Relationship with Hispanic Customers

Citation

Kropp, F. (2007), "Beyond Bodegas: Developing a Retail Relationship with Hispanic Customers", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 24 No. 3, pp. 183-184. https://doi.org/10.1108/07363760710746201

Paramount Market Publishing (PMP) positions itself as a niche publisher that publishes books by practitioners who have insights into the marketplace. According to its web site, www.paramountbooks.com, it publishes books that are not theoretical and publishes books by “consultants and researchers whose main aim in publishing a book is to gain credibility in the marketplace.” Beyond Bodegas presents Jim Perkins' insights into marketing to Hispanics/Latinos.

I found myself questioning some of the author's ideas. In addition to anecdotal observations, I like theoretical explanations of consumer behavior, and the author did not provide this bridge. I tried to get over this because I feel it is important to review the book that was written instead of the one that I wished was written. It would be akin to disliking War and Peace because it was not a warm romantic comedy. I would like to describe some of the positive elements of the book.

First, there is some useful content, including helpful demographic information such as Hispanic spending power and spending patterns, the ten fastest‐growing Hispanic markets, and Hispanic segmentation schemes, all from reputable sources. Mr Price provides valuable cultural insights, including cultural differences between Hispanics and non‐Hispanics and amongst different Hispanic/Latino cultures. He also identifies the importance of relationships, loyalty, and cultural context.

Some of the chapters in Beyond Bodegas are user friendly and provide numerous tips on marketing to Hispanics. In one chapter, “Building the Hispanic‐friendly environment,” Mr Price discusses the importance of creating an appropriate environment. He provides tips to easily research the Latino market. Some of them are obvious, such as joining the Chamber of Commerce, while some of them are not so obvious, such as attending Catholic church events in your neighborhood and mystery shopping.

He also presents an approach to best serve the customers, detailing differences between general public stores, multicultural stores, and ethnic stores. He emphasizes the importance of a diverse staffing policy. The book also has chapters on Latin‐American brands, the role of “Spanglish” in marketing, and crafting a message designed for Hispanic customers, amongst others.

Again, acknowledging personal preference, the writing style was not as I would have liked it to be. I found it too anecdotal, too much writing in the first person, and, in some places, a little wandering. A quick example, “In July 2004 I had the opportunity to chat with Nancy Tucker following her return from a business trip to South Africa. She suggested that US retailers must understand the need to build displays of fruit and vegetables that allow the US Hispanic to feel comfortable with the display and the interaction with the fruit on display” (p. 23).

In addition, the book could have benefited from a more thorough editing. Another example from pp. 64‐5:

The process of identifying your customers' needs begins with time spent with customers, at the library, on the internet, with the chamber of commerce, with the vendor or manufacturer, or even in the country of origin of your predominant customer. Rick Bayless, the restaurateur I mentioned earlier, travels to Mexico to understand the tastes, available ingredients, and the culture surrounding food and food preferences. I suggest using a combination of such knowledge as the above to make decisions surrounding product selection, language, staffing, and marketing. I suggest using several different methods.

(It goes on to present some interesting ideas.)

So, where does this leave us? There are many good ideas and tips to marketing to Hispanics/Latinos. However, depending upon your personal preferences, you may not totally agree with the author's observations/recommendations.