Adherence to Cultural Traditions Drives Demand for Ethnic Products and Services in Dallas/Ft. Worth, Study Shows

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The study helps to expand the cultural intelligence of its subscribers by providing an objective second opinion to traditional sources of market intelligence.

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) September 10, 2008

Multicultural consumers - including African-Americans, Hispanics and Asians - have been moving in large numbers to the Dallas/Ft. Worth metropolitan area, and causing many area businesses to re-think their marketing plans. Rather than assimilating - which means replacing one culture with a new one - these consumers are adopting mainstream consumer behavior while also maintaining their cultural traditions - a process known as acculturation. This process is creating unprecedented demand for new products, services, and shopping environments.

Multicultural consumers now represent over four in ten residents in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metropolitan area, and boast an aggregate income of $41 billion - 27 percent of the total aggregate of $155 billion. Of the one million residents added to the Dallas/Ft. Worth metro since 2000, seven in ten were multicultural persons. By the year 2040, three in four Dallas/Ft. Worth residents will be a multicultural person - representing 13 million of the projected 17 million total residents.

Until recently, detailed information on the consumer behavior of multicultural consumers in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metro has been not available to guide interested marketers. The Dallas/Ft. Worth Multicultural Trendline Study 2008, conducted by Dallas-based Rincon & Associates, is a ground-breaking study that required five languages - English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese - to complete telephone interviews with 400 African-Americans, 600 Latinos, and 400 Asian adults.

Following are some of the key study findings:

•     Bank of America is doing the best job of serving the financial needs of African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asians.
•     Multicultural consumers spent an estimated $5.2 billion at area supermarkets, primarily at stores like Wal-Mart, Fiesta Mart, Hong Kong Marketplace, and Saigon Taipei Supermarket.
•     Multicultural consumers who planned to buy an automobile were interested in different brands. African-Americans planned to buy American brands, Asians preferred Asian brands, and Hispanics planned to buy both American and Asian brands.
•     For home furniture, African-Americans shopped at Rooms-To-Go and Ashley's Home Furniture; Hispanics shopped at Rooms-To-Go and FAMSA; and Asians shopped at Rooms-To-Go and IKEA.
•     For home appliances, Sears-Roebuck was the preferred destination for all multicultural consumers.
•     For men's, women's, and children's clothing, multicultural consumers shopped at a mix of discount and retail stores.
•     Less than one in ten multicultural consumers were planning to buy a home in the next 12 months.
•     In general, Hispanics and African-Americans were more likely than Asians to plan purchases of major products over the next 12 months.
•     While multicultural consumers frequently visited area shopping malls, visitation patterns are likely to change with the addition of several ethnic-themed shopping malls currently in development.
•     Television was the most important source of shopping information for Hispanics and African-Americans, while Asian shoppers primarily used the Internet.
•     Among registered voters, three in four African-Americans would vote today for Barack Obama, while slightly over four in ten Hispanics supported his candidacy. Asians were the least supportive of Barack Obama and relatively more supportive of John McCain.
•     Among multicultural persons who were planning to further their education, four-year universities were a distant reality towards achieving their aspirations.
•     Multicultural consumers used both English and native-language media to meet their needs for news and entertainment.
•     The children of multicultural consumers used English more often than their native language to read, talk with friends, and watch television. Both languages, however, were used at home to communicate with family members.

"Brands that are doing the best job of attracting multicultural consumers regularly utilize credible research to understand how to best satisfy the needs of their potential customers," explains Dr. Edward T. Rincón, principal investigator of the study. "The study helps to expand the cultural intelligence of its subscribers by providing an objective second opinion to traditional sources of market intelligence."

The Dallas/Ft. Worth Multicultural Trendline Study 2008 is a syndicated study conducted by Rincón & Associates that tracks media usage (newspapers, television, radio, magazines, Internet) in five languages, language abilities, shopping destinations, travel destinations, attitudes, purchase intentions, healthcare experiences, education plans, and socio-demographic characteristics. For further information about the study, please visit the following web site address: http://www.rinconassoc.com/dfw08.php.

About Rincon & Associates:

Rincón & Associates, based in Dallas Texas for the past 30 years, specializes in the measurement of multicultural consumers. Dr. Rincón, president of Rincón & Associates, has taught university coursework on survey research methods and Hispanic marketing.

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