• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, November 25, 2013

U.S. Hispanics are more likely to use digital coupons than the U.S. population in general. Some 84.2% of U.S. Hispanic consumers said they have searched for an online coupon based on a recommendation, compared to 70.6% of all U.S. consumers.

The findings, based on a national consumer panel survey by Valassis, also noted that 80.2% of U.S. Hispanics surveyed said they have used discounts from a mobile device or downloaded them to a loyalty card, compared to 66% of the overall population.

Turning to social media, 69.6% of U.S. Hispanics surveyed by Valassis said they have used coupons found on social media sites, compared to 53.9% of the population at large. Plus, 61.2% said they have shared coupons via social media, compared to 39.4% of all consumers.

These findings seem to agree with other research showing, for example, higher rates of mobile device ownership among Hispanics. A Pew survey published in May found that 86% of U.S. Hispanics own a cell phone, compared to 84% of the U.S. white population, while 76% of U.S. Hispanics said they use a mobile device to go online, compared to 60% of U.S. whites. 

In addition, 68% of Hispanics surveyed by Pew said they use social media, compared to 66% of whites.

Valassis also noted the importance of geographic targeting for reaching U.S. Hispanics, who tend to be concentrated in metropolitan areas. In April, Valassis unveiled new targeting capabilities through Brand.net, with a service called Geo-Commerce Retail Zone, which uses over 100,000 local targeting zones created by Valassis to reach prospective consumers on their way to retail.