Cultural Immersion
Case Study
Challenge
The majority of the employees of a major retail store were not very knowledgeable about the Hispanic culture. They realized that if they wanted to keep increasing this market share, then they needed to better understand the intricacies of the Hispanic culture. This would help determine what products they should be offering in their stores and on online. Because the retailer has many departments, the focus was on home décor for this particular cultural immersion project.
Solution
We selected two cities – Dallas and NY – that would give us a tailored representative sample of the US Hispanic population in terms of acculturation, country of origin, lifestyles and socioeconomics. We conducted 2 to 3 hour in-homes in each of these cities. But, in order to give our clients a truer experience, we planned cultural learning activities and visits to specific venues to help them really immerse in the culture. Some of these experiences included shopping, entertainment, art and culture, and food.
Results
Our client gleaned a lot of rich insights that will help them be sensitive to the needs, desires and beliefs of this large population. It also showed them that with only a few tweaks or changes they can be inclusive of Hispanics and still remain true to their brand. They could truly be the retail chain that provides products that can appeal to all.
