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Rediscovering Market Segmentation

Decent Essays

Introduction: Through this paper, the authors Daniel Yankelovich and David Meer direct the attention to the true purpose of Market Segmentation – “Discovering Customers whose behaviors can be changed or whose needs are not being met”. Through analysis the authors describe how the Segmentation, if properly applied, would guide companies in tailoring their products & services to the groups most likely to purchase them. Good segmentations identify the groups most worth pursuing – The Underserved, the dissatisfied and those likely to make first time purchase. Good Segmentations are “Dynamic” in the sense that they recognize that the 1st-time purchaser may become underserved or dissatisfied if his/her need changes. Historical Perspective – …show more content…

For example, Babies R Us’ decision to offer cleaning supplies was in response to identification of changing needs of its customers. - Focus on Actual Customer behavior: Meaningful segmentations encompass the predictive power of actual purchase behavior – heaviness of use, brand switching, retail format or channel selection. When Apple decided to introduce iPhone with different purchase model it identified its customers need for change and Apple’s introduction of iPhone 3GS shows how keenly Apple analyzes its Customers’ behaviors - Make sense to top executives: Meaningful Segmentation will always make intuitive sense to senior managers. - Accommodate or anticipate changes in markets or behavior: Effective segmentations are dynamic since they concentrate of consumers’ needs, attitudes and behavior which can change quickly and they are reshaped by market conditions. The decision by many fresh food stores to offer Organic Produce was in response to changing consumer behavior. This strategy has helped these stores to capture a market segment that would have otherwise gone to Whole Foods for their needs. And the strategy of Whole Foods to display origin of produce was in response to needs of consumers who want to buy locally grown produce “Gravity of decision” spectrum: This focuses on form of consumer behavior that should be of greatest interest to marketers – The relationship of consumers to a

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