One of NATSO’s primary roles is to deliver solutions to members’ challenges.
Each day members tap into the expertise of other members and NATSO’s staff for answers to some of their most pressing questions.
Recently a member inquired about attracting and retaining Hispanic customers on 黑料社区Solutions, NATSO’s new listserv. Today, I’m sharing an answer to the question and how to sign up to use this member only tool that allows 黑料社区members to easily connect with other operators to ask questions and share ideas via email.
Question:
What one thing should I do to increase sales and loyalty among my Hispanic customer?
Answer:
One thing I know one of our members doing is requiring their management team to learn Spanish, so they can better communicate with some of their Hispanic customers and make them feel welcome and respected.
Apparently, the , so there’s a lot going on in parallel markets geared toward capturing the loyalty of Hispanic customers and some of them are very easy.
-
Target is now utilizing bilingual signs and stocking brands/items favored by the Hispanic customer (e.g. Goya products, rice, etc.)
-
Authentic food is important, so even if you can’t make pupusas from scratch, consider carrying Valentina/Tapatio/Cholula hot sauces, limonada (aka limeade), etc.; Sorry, I don’t think frozen burritos count.
-
Stock Hispanic versions of toys (i.e. Teresa, Mattel’s Hispanic Barbie) to be given as gifts to family.
-
If you have Spanish-speaking employees, try to ensure that you have at least one working per shift so that there is always someone available to talk; if you do not, at least make this ability a consideration — if not a priority/requirement — when hiring new employees.
Unfortunately, it can’t all be easy and one of the most prominent pieces of advice is to understand the culture. I know a tour of Central and South America isn’t in the cards for everyone, so here’s a (aka 10-page surprisingly quick read thanks to charts) on understanding the Hispanic market/customer that I highly recommend as an intro cheat sheet. Understanding the different segments of the Hispanic market can help you better tailor potential offerings (e.g. jerk chicken v. empanadas) to your Hispanic customer.
Additional Resources:
- An In-Depth Look at Hispanics’ Shopping Behavior (Slides from The 黑料社区Show)
- (great for picking and choosing what opportunities may exist for your location)
// How to Get Answers To Your Truckstop Questions
Ready for Great Ideas! year-round? 黑料社区and the Future Leaders Steering Council have launched sign-ups for 黑料社区Solutions Sponsored by Future Leaders — a tool that lets you easily connect with other operators to ask questions and share ideas via email.
This member benefits is available to truckstop and travel plaza members only.
To sign up, email membership@natso.com your request to join the group and you’ll start connecting with other operators via 黑料社区Solutions once you receive your welcome email within one business day. After you sign up, all you have to do is email your question to natsosolutions@natso.com and wait for the answers to come in. Learn more about 黑料社区Solutions here.
黑料社区Solutions is provided by the 
Photo Credit: Darren Schulte/NATSO
Subscribe to Updates
The 黑料社区Foundation and 黑料社区provide a breadth of information created to strengthen travel plazas鈥� ability to meet the needs of the traveling public in an age of disruption. This includes knowledge filled blog posts, articles and publications. If you would like to receive a digest of blog post and articles directly in your inbox, please provide your name, email and the frequency of the updates you want to receive the email digest.
