Hispanic Consumers Want Spanish Websites
Many companies are starting to see the Hispanic market in the U.S. as an opportunity for them to increase their business. Regardless of the industry, the Hispanic community has become a mayor consumer force. And although only 1% of websites are translated into Spanish, this is likely to change soon.
Hilton Hotels, for example, followed the hospitality and travel industry’s trend by reaching out to its customers in their own language and launched a Spanish-language website in 2007. Other companies which have launched Spanish-language websites include Marriott, W Hotels, Jet Blue and Delta.
Hispanic shoppers can also go to BestBuy.com/espanol and view Spanish-language content on more than 12,000 products, gift cards and service plans. “By making BestBuy.com bilingual and revising our store signage and staffing, we are taking another step toward fulfilling Hispanic customers’ needs,” says Jeff Weness, director of Hispanic Initiatives.
However, not all companies seem to realize that Hispanic consumers want to see a Spanish version of their website. Such is the case of Puma, one of sport’s biggest brand names, which has failed to target this critical customer market. Passionate consumers created a Facebook group to apply pressure on Puma to launch their US site in Spanish. Their slogan: PUMA – Un millón de amigos para que PUMA nos hable en español (PUMA: one million friends to make PUMA communicate with us in Spanish).
The group complains that the official Puma website can be viewed only in English, German and French but not in Spanish. Nor do they have any representatives for those who speak Spanish. Apparently, Puma brand sneakers are very popular among US Hispanics (Who knew?).
For more information on website translation, visit Spanish Translation Solutions