Are the bigger 'Net players neglecting the Hispanic market? With 40 million Latinos in the U.S., if they are they are not doing enough to cater to this important audience. 17 million Hispanics are online in the US representing 750 million in buying power and that number is expected to double in five years. Yahoo does have an online property in Spanish as does MSN but neither seem to be catering to this burgeoning Web audience as does QuePasa. You may not remember or know about QuePasa but they have remained more than just a viable online property the past few years, they are actively engaged (with unique content and offers) in the Hispanic online marketplace and have earned enough mindshare to be supremely competitive.

Quepasa Corporation operates one of the premier bilingual Internet portals and online communities primarily aimed at the United States Hispanic market, and, has done so for several years - 1997 in fact. QuePasa has built one of the strongest brands targeting Hispanics online and now finds itself the fastest growing companies in the sector. When asked how QuePasa has remained a player, Dennis O'Neill, Director of Sales & Marketing for QuePasa said "We attribute our success to understanding what Hispanics are looking for online and delivering it. We have built a platform that is getting significant traction both for users and advertisers and we believe this is the tip of the iceberg. Our future looks bright and we are proud to be a leader in the fastest growing demographic in the U.S."

The company’s Web site, quepasa.com, provides users with information and content centered on the Spanish language and Hispanic culture. In addition, it offers traditional portal services, including performance-based marketing, email, and news in Spanish and English. Quepasa Corporation also develops information retrieval and management software technology products for publishers of interactive online content offerings, certain specialized online communities, online virtual product exchanges, and online advertisers that target Spanish speaking users.

A look at the numbers:
U.S. Hispanics with Internet access at home are rapidly adopting broadband, with half of online Hispanics going online over high-speed connections at home, according to a recent AOL/Roper U.S. Hispanic Cyber study. The survey also found that Hispanic online consumers have quickly made the Internet part of their everyday lives; going online at home an average of 9.2 hours a week, for example, compared with 8.5 hours for the general online population and they now heavily rely on the Internet to learn more about products, to share opinions, and to improve their lives. In fact, 70% now view the Internet as the best source for comparing prices, making it the most powerful information medium for influencing online Hispanics throughout the purchase decision.

Online Hispanic consumers are younger and heavier users of the most cutting edge features of the Internet as compared to the general online population. 56% of Hispanics online are between the ages of 18 to 34 vs. 34% for the general online population. The survey found they use the Internet far more frequently than the general online population to listen to music (55% vs. 41%), download music files (37% vs. 25%), and for instant messaging (59% vs. 48%). The survey also indicates that 47% of online Hispanics have children under the age of 18 at home vs. 37% for the general online population and that they are far more upbeat about the ability of the Internet to improve the lives of their children.

Are you ready for the HispanoBoom?
See what's happening at QuePasa.com.

Pete Prestipino - WSM Managing Editor

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