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Important Information On Market Segmentation Strategy

By Eugenia Dickerson


Market segmentation strategy is one of the emerging trends in business. The process which entails subdivision of the consumer pool into smaller units based on a number of criteria has been found to have numerous advantages. The need for segmentation was realized following numerous challenges that were encountered in meeting the needs of a huge heterogeneous group of clients. Many businesses have turned to segmentation in a bid to improve their returns.

For one to divide the market into the said units, they first need to conduct research. The research will help identify the exact needs of the customers and how best their needs can be addressed. It will also help the business in determining the criteria that can be used in creating the segments. Market research may take days, weeks or months depending on how large the market is.

Research can be conducted in various ways so as to create the segments. This may be done through telephone interviews, face-to-face interviews, email surveys and questionnaires. The research tools are created in a way that will help collect information such as personal information including, geographical location, tastes and preferences and bio data. Customers that give similar responses are placed into the same groups.

There are numerous criteria that can be used when segmenting. Commonly used characteristics include age, gender, consumer tastes and preferences and geographical location. Differences in age affect the type of goods that are demanded and it is important that a business appreciates this. The elderly tend to be rather resistant to change while the young are more likely to embrace changes in products and service delivery.

Gender bears great influence on the market as well. Men and women demand different goods and respond differently to changes in the market. While women are more likely to be aware of changes in fashion, men tend to be more conservative. Women are also more regular shoppers than women world over. The business should therefore ensure that this is taken into account when designing various goods and services.

Seasonality in demand is a form of behaviour segmentation that is fairly common and affects a variety of goods and services. The demand for certain goods increases during certain seasons and decreases thereafter. If the producer has this information, then they will make sure that the goods in question are produced at the required time and adjust downwards later to avoid unnecessary losses.

Behavioural subdivision also includes the use of different levels of product loyalty. Through research, the business should seek to identify the customers that are loyal to the products and those that are not. The loyal customers should be rewarded so as to encourage them to continue using the products and those that are not should be encouraged to be more loyal. Factors that can be used to enhanced loyalty should be identified.

Market segmentation strategy ensures that both the producer and the consumer are happy. This happens because the specific demands of consumers are identified and dealt with and when the consumers feel that their demands are well addressed, they are ready to spend and the business gets good returns. This is very different from the traditional approach where customers were placed into a single heterogeneous group.




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