Do you need help understanding Spanish customers?
We live in a big planet with different cultures, languages, customs, history, etc. Every country is different, unique and special. So from Spain Market Research we would like to give some interesting information about Spanish customers:
- Spain should be in the same time zone as the UK and Portugal, but it is not, so people follow the sun instead of the watch. The reason is that in 1942, the Spanish dictator General Franco moved Spain onto Central European Time to follow Nazi Germany. Due to that Spaniards sleep 53 minutes less, on average, than other Europeans. They also work longer hours — but at lower productivity.
- The schedules in Spain are slightly different from other countries. Per example, lunch is around 2 or 3pm and dinner at around 9 to 10 pm. Also, in some
areas people sleep siesta and they go to bed very late at night.
- Most households buy fresh bread every day. Bread is present (and required) at almost every meal.
- Spain has the second highest number of bars per inhabitants (a 2013 study found one bar per every 132 people). Bars are an important part of life. “Bar” it doesn’t have the mildly negative connotation of being a place where all you do is drink. People go to bars for breakfast, for their coffee break, for lunch, for their afternoon coffee and snack, and for dinner. Some bars are almost restaurants, some look like nightclubs, and many others are classic “cafés” with different coffees and teas to choose from, lots of newspapers, and the understanding that you’ll go there to spend some time sipping your beverage and catching up with your friends, reading, or even working.
- Physical contact is common in a casual conversation: it’s common to stand very close, gesticulate, and pat each other on the shoulder when conversing.
- Cheek kissing is a standard greeting friends or acquaintances, but less common in professional settings. Men only kiss women. Hugging is common between men.
- Spain is the number one country in regards to organ donation in the world.
- Spain was the fourth country in the world where same-sex marriage became legal (on July 3, 2005).
- Most of Spanish people live in cities: 21% rural vs 79% urban.
- The most popular sport is Football. Spanish national football team topped the FIFA World rankings for five consecutive years. “La Roja”, as the national team is known, also holds the world record for winning the most consecutive competitive matches (28).
- For 40 years, between 1936 and 1975, Franco ruled Spain as a dictator. After his death, the King Juan Carlos I had a key role in returning the country to a democracy with a new constitution. There were many changes in the country in numerous aspects, although still there are some taboos and legacies about Franco´s time.
- Although the crisis seems too far and the economic problems are improving little by little, the unemployed rate is very high: 20 %. Customers have low buying power and the price is an important asset in the buying process decision.
- Spain has a very low birthrate. Most attribute this to high unemployment, job instability, low wages and steep housing costs.
- Female entrepreneurs set up 40 percent of all new businesses in Spain– since the beginning of the recession in 2008 to 2013, around 800,000 businesses.
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