Home Depot targets Hispanic shoppers with Spanish-language site

Home Depot Inc. joins a small but growing number of big chain retailers launching a Spanish version of their web sites.

The updated Spanish web site, which Home Depot launched yesterday, gives shoppers access to more than 40,000 items – the same number as the English version of HomeDepot.com, No. 42 in the . “Espanol.homedepot.com is the first home improvement e-commerce site where Hispanics can access, browse, and purchase products in-language from start to finish,” says a Home Depot spokeswoman. The Home Depot originally launched a pared-down Spanish-language site in 2003 that included Do-it-Yourself tips, and ideas, the retailer says

Like other big chain retailers, Home Depot sees opportunity among the growing Hispanic population. Hispanics in recent years have accounted for more than half of the population growth in the U.S., and research firm Forrester Research projects there will be more than 17 million Hispanic consumers online by 2011. Many online Hispanic shoppers prefer to read and make a purchase in Spanish, even if they are bi-lingual, Forrester says.“The Internet is a preferred venue for Hispanics to research and access information, as they are more likely than non-Hispanics to research products online before shopping offline,” says the Home Depot spokeswoman.

Other big chain retailers and consumer brand manufacturers that have introduced Spanish-language web sites recently include Avon Products Inc., No. 31 in the , and Best Buy Co., No. 12 in the .

Cosmetics manufacturer Avon Products Inc. launched a Spanish version of its e-commerce site in October. Shop.Avon.com features a Spanish/English toggle button atop the landing page that enables visitors to switch between English and Spanish pages. Consumers electronics chain Best Buy Co. launched a Spanish-language version of its web site in September 2007, and it too allows consumers to switch back and forth between the English and Spanish sites.
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