Mkt Segmentation Guide #6

In consumer goods categories, segmentation can only be accomplished by rigorous marketing research.

Market segments are the result of differing wants/needs within different groups of consumers.  One can’t have a conversation with a few consumers and determine what wants/need motivate their behavior in a product category.  It takes research.  Consumer markets are large.  One would never be able to talk to enough consumers to generalize about the consumer market overall much less to generalize about the segments within that overall market.  It takes consumer research.

The typical consumer segmentation study probes all aspects of the consumer that may contribute to influencing their behavior – product or service category knowledge, attitudes and/or opinions toward the category and brands within the category, prior purchase behavior, personality characteristics, lifestyles, demographics, etc.

One cannot observe consumers in a given product category and determine what segments exist.  You need research.