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Monday, December 30, 2013

The Basics Regarding Behavioral Segmentation In Marketing

By Harriett Crosby


Behavioral segmentation is strategy that is commonly used in marketing. The strategy entails the subdivision of a consumer pool into smaller units that share a number of characteristics. The main criterion that is used is the knowledge of different groups of consumers as regards the use of different goods and services. Using this strategy many businesses have been able to maximize on their sales because each customer has been served well.

There is sharp contrast between market segmentation and mass marketing. The latter is the traditional method of advertisement that approached the market as a unit. The disadvantage of doing this is that some customers will not have their needs fully met and this reduces the cells of the business in the end. Segmenting is more customer-centered and rewards the users well.

There various types of behaviors frequently used in the creation of segments. Occasional buying refers to the act of buying goods or demanding for services at given times and at no other time. For example, the demand for Christian gifts tends to be particularly high at the time of Easter and Christmas. Similarly, cakes and chocolates sell highly during festivities. The business needs to recognize the presence of these buyers and to plan accordingly.

It is not uncommon for different customers to demand for different benefits from the same products. In the event that a business is dealing with products that have multiple benefits, there is need to know the various groups interested in each of the benefits. By so doing, it will be possible to modify the products so that each of these benefits are maximized and all the customers are happy.

Another significant customer behavior that may be used in segmentation is product loyalty. In many industries there are customers who remain loyal to given brands of products for many years and this is very important in the sustenance of the products. Marketers need to identify who these customers are and seek ways on which they can maintain the loyalty. Rewarding loyal customers would be a good way of reinforcing the loyalty as well as encouraging the customers that are not as loyal to use the products more often.

The usage rate of different customers is another criterion commonly used. For any given service or product, the rate usage is variable among different consumers. The main groups that can be considered are the heavy, the moderate and the light users. Usage rate can also be regarded in terms of quantity. This refers to the amount of goods that are bought at any given time.

By identifying usage rate segments, it will be possible to make important business decisions. The group with lesser usage rates, for example, can be targeted for more aggressive advertisement campaigns aimed at improving demand for the products or services. Similarly, the moderate and heavy users can be rewarded so as to encourage them to continue using the products frequently.

There are several other criteria that are available today besides behavioral segmentation. These include demographic, psychographic and geographic segmentation. Demographic categories are centered on factors such as age, gender, income and so on. Geographic subdivision is based on the different geographical locations of the potential customers. Psychographic segmentation is uses customer attitudes as the basis for categorization.




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