The Basics Regarding Behavioral Segmentation

By Judy Sullivan


As a marketer, it is very unlikely that you will encounter a set of two consumers who have exactly the same tastes and preferences. That is expected. As human beings, many differences exist among others. From our genetic make-up, our cultural background, our levels of education, life experiences and so on. One will therefore not be surprised to when consumers demand different things from a product or service. Behavioral segmentation is the subdividing of a market based on these differences.

The traditional way of marketing is rather straightforward but has poor returns. The marketing involves targeting the entire pool of consumers regardless of any differences that exist between them. The marketer sends out a message to all the potential consumers in the hope of reaching out to willing buyers. This is different from the segmentation approach where different groups of customers are treated differently depending on their specific demands.

There are several types of behaviors that one may choose to use in the stratifying the market. There are really no hard and fast rules about these. All that you need to do is to identify the determinants of the demand for your goods. Product loyalty varies widely among clients. By identifying the groups of loyal and the less loyal customers, several segments can be created on this basis. The next this is to identify the reasons behind this difference.

Using benefits sought is also a common way of segmenting. It is important for the producer and the marketer to understand that consumers demand goods and services for different reasons sometimes even when the use of that product appears straightforward. It is the responsibility of the marketer to establish the driving forces behind the demand of their goods. If this is properly understood, then modifications can be made to make sure that benefits are maximized.

Occasional buying is the buying of goods in high quantities during certain occasions. For example, Christians tend to buy more religious based gifts during the Easter and Christmas festivities. Chocolates are reported to be on high demanded during festivals. By knowing what products are demanded on given occasions and by which groups of customers, the suppliers will position themselves to ensure that the demanded products are made available in timely fashion.

The rate of usage is proportional to the demand. Clients who demand more of a product are more likely to be heavier users than those who demand less. One can use this attribute to divide their pool of clients into the heavy, moderate and light users depending on the frequency of use of a certain product. Apart from the frequency of use, the quantity used should also be factored in.

Buyer readiness stage may be used in some cases. There are about six stages that can be considered including awareness, knowledge, liking, preference, conviction and purchase. These stages include an increasing level of readiness to buy or use a certain good or service. Awareness denotes that clients know that the product exists in the market and at the purchase stage they spend money to get it.

There are several other options of market subdivision that can be considered besides behavioral segmentation. Demographic, psychographic and geographic characteristics can all be used. The main objective is to make sure that the groups are large enough.




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