One of the main directions marketing activities is market segmentation, which allows the enterprise to accumulate funds in a certain area of ​​its business. To date, the economic literature has clearly defined the concepts target market and the target segment, the identification of which is the main goal of market segmentation.

A target market is a firm's potential market, which is defined by a population of people with similar needs for a particular product or service, sufficient resources, and the willingness and ability to buy.

A target segment is a homogeneous group of consumers in a company's target market that has similar needs and purchasing habits in relation to the company's product.

Thus, market segmentation is the division of the market into distinct groups of buyers, each of which may require separate products and/or marketing mixes.

Segmentation goals.

Any activity of people pursues certain goals, including market segmentation. Three goals of segmentation can be formulated. The first arises from the fact that the company is not able to master the entire market, and is forced to be content with only part of it. By highlighting this part through segmentation, it is able to purposefully concentrate its efforts on those groups of buyers that will be more attractive to it.

The second goal is due to the fact that the identified group of buyers (target market) may be partially inaccessible to the company due to the actions of competitors. Analysis of the capabilities of competitors in the structure of selected segments allows us to identify those in which competitors are either less active or buyers are skeptical about their products. These segments, if the company does not want to fight with competitors, will be the most preferable for it.

The third goal of segmentation is reasonable in cases where the market does not have a complex multidimensional structure of segments. Its essence lies in the fact that if there are few segments, the company should strive to ensure its presence in each of them, i.e. To offer each segment a special product model that is most suitable for it.

In other words, the purpose of segmentation is to identify one or several target consumer groups for which the entire complex is “tailored” marketing activities- from product development and branding to the choice of tone and media marketing communications. The purpose of segmentation is to increase the company's profit by increasing competitiveness in a specific segment.

From this we can draw several important conclusions:

• 1. To assess the feasibility of segmentation, it is necessary to be able to assess demand in the selected segments.
• 2. The segment must be large enough and have existed long enough for investments in increasing competitiveness in this segment to lead to a corresponding increase in sales.
• 3. The profitability of working with the segment should be sufficient. That is, the costs of logistics and communications with the segment should lead to the desired profit.

In fact, it is these conclusions that form the basis of the principles of effective segmentation formulated by the classics.

Market segmentation is the activity of identifying potential consumer groups for a particular product of an enterprise.

Rice. 1.

This market segmentation scheme is of a general nature and can be used in planning various directions marketing activities.

Note that the above market segmentation scheme corresponds to the approach proposed by Lambin and takes into account macro-segmentation to identify the base (otherwise, target) market and micro-segmentation to determine the target segment of the enterprise. This scheme, in turn, is a development of segmentation schemes proposed in other studies.

Principles of segmentation.

The principle of differentiation between segments - the main goal of segmentation is to obtain groups of consumers that differ from each other. Accordingly, each resulting segment must have a set of unique characteristics.

The principle of similarity of consumers in a segment is homogeneity potential buyers within a segment in terms of the goals of segmentation tasks. The resulting segments should be fairly homogeneous - the differences between consumers within a segment should be less significant than the differences between segments.

The principle of large segment size - target segments must have sufficient potential capacity to be of commercial interest to the company. It is necessary to find a balance between taking into account all significant factors, on the one hand, and the size and number of segments obtained, on the other.

To carry out successful market segmentation, it is advisable to use proven practical activities five principles:

• 1. differences between segments
• 2. consumer similarities
• 3. large segment size
• 4. measurability of consumer characteristics
• 5. reachability of consumers.

The principle of distinction between segments means that as a result of segmentation, groups of consumers that differ from each other should be obtained. Otherwise, segmentation will be implicitly replaced by mass marketing.

The principle of similarity of consumers in a segment provides for the homogeneity of potential buyers in terms of purchasing attitudes towards a specific product. Consumer similarity is necessary so that an appropriate marketing plan can be developed for the entire target segment.

The large segment size requirement means that the target segments must be large enough to generate sales and cover the costs of the business. When assessing the size of a segment, one should take into account the nature of the product being sold and the capacity of the potential market. Thus, in the consumer market, the number of buyers in one segment can be measured in tens of thousands, while in the industrial market, a large segment may include less than a hundred potential consumers (for example, for cellular or satellite communications, for consumers of power engineering products, etc.).

Measurability of consumer characteristics is necessary for targeted field marketing research, as a result of which it is possible to identify the needs of potential buyers, as well as study the reaction of the target market to the marketing actions of the enterprise. This principle is extremely important, since the distribution of goods “blindly”, without feedback from consumers, leads to the dispersal of funds, labor and intellectual resources of the selling company.

The principle of consumer reachability means the requirement for communication channels between the selling company and potential consumers. Such communication channels can be newspapers, magazines, radio, television, media outdoor advertising etc. Reachability of consumers is necessary for organizing promotional campaigns, or informing potential buyers about a specific product: its characteristics, cost, main advantages, possible sales, etc.

The basis of the market segmentation procedure, along with the application of segmentation principles, is the informed choice of the appropriate segmentation method.

Approaches to market segmentation.

There are two approaches to market segmentation. In the classical approach, the entire market is segmented. That is, the market is divided into segments in accordance with the maximum number of selected criteria. This method allows you to cover the entire market and cover all segments with one analysis. A consistent deepening of segmentation with analysis at each stage is necessary. Thus, the analysis is carried out to the required depth without losing the accuracy of the analysis.

The second approach is necessary if it is not possible to segment the entire market or it is impractical due to insufficient resources to process all possible segments. Take, for example, the ice cream market. No one bothers you to identify the differences in the behavior of representatives of any particular segment. If the volume of demand in it can be determined thanks to the available (or possible to obtain) data. Let it be at least 10-15 year old children who prefer to play pirates. If it is possible to determine potential demand, which they can provide, and estimate what part of them will prefer the new variety of ice cream “young pirate”. Why not put it on sale. This is a creative approach that can be used for some markets and complements the full segmentation method.

To implement segmentation, a company needs to test segmentation options based on different variables, one or more at a time, in an attempt to find the most useful approach to looking at market structure. For this purpose it is used factor analysis, exploring the influence various factors on the result and allowing you to select exactly those factors that have the maximum impact on the final result. All approaches to market segmentation can be divided into two types:

Unordered selection of segmentation criteria. The selection of segmentation criteria is carried out arbitrarily. It is used in situations where constructing a hierarchy of segmentation criteria is difficult or there is not enough data to construct it.

Multi-step approaches. Construction of a hierarchical system of criteria based on assessment of importance for segmentation. There are two or more levels of criteria through which segmentation is carried out. An example is the micro-macro model proposed by Wind and Cardoza (1974). At the first, macro stage, general factors are used - demographic characteristics of the population, geographic location, consumption activity, etc. The micro stage consists of defining segments within macro groups based on the characteristics of the decision makers. Another example is Bonhomme and Shapiro's (1983) nested model.

Market segmentation is necessary for market-oriented companies for the following main reasons: different groups of people have different needs and therefore the company needs to tailor the product for each group; the company must position its products in a specific way for each group; the company must select the appropriate price for each of the groups; Some groups may require dedicated sales channels.

Segmentation - This is the process of dividing buyers into separate groups according to certain characteristics by virtue of which they respond similarly to a specific positioning strategy. Characteristics include: volume, frequency of purchases, commitment to a certain trademark, method of using the product. Segmentation is the process of identifying subgroups of buyers in the total mass of market consumers; the possibility of segmentation appears when the total market demand, thereby presenting the possibility of its division into separate segments, according to one or another dominant feature.

The basis for segmenting consumer markets is the characteristics of buyers and their reaction to the products offered. The main variables for segmenting consumer markets include: geographic, demographic, psychographic, behavioral. Variables can be used individually or in combination with each other. Market segments must be measurable, accessible, of appropriate size, distinctive features, and activity.

Market segment - a group of buyers with similar needs

Levels of segmentation. The variety of media - advertising means and distribution channels makes it difficult to use unified marketing. Some analysts argue that mass marketing is dying. More and more companies are abandoning its use and turning to micromarketing for one of the four levels - level segment, niche, region and individual level.

1) Marketing in the market segment. The company's task is to identify segments and decide which of them to serve. A company can create a product or service according to its functional and price characteristics that meets the needs of the segment of consumers. The choice of optimal distribution and communication channels has been simplified, and the circle of competitors is more clearly visible - these are companies serving the same market segment. Possibility of applying a flexible market offer - a general solution (elements of products and services that have value for all members of the segment) and additional options (value for some entities)

2) Marketing in a market niche. A market niche is a narrower group that requires a distinctive set of benefits; a niche is usually identified by dividing the segment into subsegments or identifying a group of consumers seeking a specific set of benefits. The attractiveness of market niches is determined by the following characteristics: niche buyers have a specific set of needs; they are willing to pay a high price to the company that is best able to satisfy their needs; the likelihood that a competing company will pay attention to this particular niche is low; the company receives certain cost savings due to narrow specialization; a niche has a certain volume, profit level and growth prospects.

3) Local marketing. It is based on special marketing programs aimed at meeting the needs of local groups of customers: shopping areas, stores for residents of remote areas, stores for specific customers. Proponents of this level consider national advertising campaigns to be pointless, since they do not take into account regional characteristics and needs. Possible disadvantages: reduced savings associated with the scale of production, increased production marketing costs, erosion of the brand image.

4) Individual marketing. At the last level of segmentation there are “segment-individual”, “personal marketing”, “adaptable marketing”. This approach is not applicable everywhere, but with its help a company can quickly secure a competitive advantage.

Stimulate trade and repeat purchases by meeting individual customer preferences and demonstrating additional features.

Real-time market research, studying customer preferences.

Reduced costs for manufacturers and suppliers: goods are not needed, they are not produced, and therefore there is no forced sale at discounts and disposal.

Stages of the segmentation process

1. Segmentation by needs. Consumers are grouped into segments based on the similarity of needs and benefits sought when solving a specific consumer problem.

2. Identification of segments. For each needs segment, distinctive (functional) demographic characteristics, lifestyles and consumer behavior are identified.

3. Assessing the attractiveness of segments. Using predefined criteria (such as market potential, intensity of competition, market access), the overall attractiveness of each segment is determined

4. Assessing the profitability of segments. The profitability of each segment is determined.

5. Positioning in segments. For each segment, based on its unique needs and characteristics, a “value proposition” and product positioning strategy (including approximate price levels) are developed.

6. “Litmus test” of your own capabilities. To assess the attractiveness of positioning strategies, individual “stories” are developed for each segment.

7. Drawing up a marketing mix. Expanding the positioning strategy to include all other elements of the marketing mix: product, price, promotion, distribution

Segmentation strategies:

1) Concentrating efforts on a single segment. Conducting concentrated marketing allows a company to more clearly assess customer needs and ensure a strong market position. Through specialization, the firm achieves cost reductions, which contributes to the expansion of production and allows for increased spending on advertising and promotional activities. In addition, by occupying a leading position in the chosen segment, the company reduces the payback period for investments. Concentrated marketing involves increased level risk. Many firms prefer the tactic of simultaneously entering several market segments.

2) Selective specialization. A selectively specializing company selects several market segments that are attractive from the point of view of its goals and available resources. Target segments can be either similar or completely different, but each of them promises the company high profits. The strategy of simultaneously covering several Segments gives the company the opportunity to distribute risks between several areas.

3) Product specialization. Some companies concentrate their efforts on producing one product, but offering it to several market segments. However, with this approach there is a risk that its products will be forced out of the market by a new, more advanced product produced by a competitor using advanced technology.

4) Market specialization. In market specialization, companies focus on satisfying the various needs of a selected group of consumers. However, with this approach, there is a risk that if the budgets of consumers in this group are cut, they will refuse the services and goods of the supplier.

5) Full market coverage. With full market coverage, the company strives to provide all consumer groups with all the goods they need.

Only large companies are able to implement a strategy of full market coverage. The company aims to reach the market through undifferentiated or differentiated marketing.

A company pursuing an undifferentiated marketing strategy ignores segment differences and enters the entire market with a single offering. When developing products aimed at reaching as many consumers as possible and marketing programs the emphasis is on mass sales and mass advertising. The supplier's goal is to formulate in the minds of consumers positive image product. Undifferentiated marketing is “the cousin of standardization and mass production.” The development of a narrow assortment group of goods allows you to reduce production costs, reduce storage and transportation costs, as well as costs for marketing research and advertising.

The differentiated marketing strategy involves the company's development of several market segments, for each of which a separate program is being developed. Differentiated marketing allows you to achieve larger (compared to undifferentiated) sales volumes, but the costs of doing business also increase. Costs that may increase when using differentiated marketing:

Costs for modifying goods. The development of a modified product in order to more accurately meet the needs of various market segments entails additional costs for research, development and/or the purchase of special equipment,

Production costs. Release of ten units of ten various types production costs significantly more than producing one hundred units of one product. The longer the process of organizing a new production, the smaller the “circulation” of each type of product produced, the more expensive the product itself becomes. However, if the sales volume of all types of goods produced by the company is large enough, the high costs associated with organizing production, in terms of per unit of product, are no longer so large.

Administrative costs. The company must develop different marketing plans for each market segment, which involves conducting additional marketing research, analyzing sales volumes, and increasing advertising costs.

Costs associated with storing inventory. Managing a large range of inventory is more expensive than ensuring the safety of several types of goods.

Costs associated with product promotion activities. Attacking different market segments will require the firm to develop various advertising campaigns and promotional activities. As a result, the costs associated with promotion and use of various media are increasing.

Because differentiated marketing increases both sales and costs, determining its effectiveness poses significant challenges. Manufacturers need to be careful to avoid dividing the market into too small segments. Otherwise, they might have to do the reverse operation of merging several tiny segments into one.

Market segmentation in marketing is a set of actions aimed at dividing the consumer into different groups, also known as market segments. This policy is carried out by many analytical departments or marketing departments in large organizations. Segmentation allows you to more clearly understand which consumer advertising should be aimed at, and, accordingly, what types and methods of advertising should be used. And although segmentation is carried out mainly only by large companies, it is useful for absolutely all companies, regardless of size and focus of activity. You can read more about what marketing is in the article:

Thanks to market segmentation in marketing, the entire mass of potential consumers is divided into groups according to different criteria. For example, this could be age, gender, nationality, etc. Moreover, each of these groups receives a certain status. There are three such statuses in total:

1. Segments with priority consumers. As you might guess, all members of this group are the main clients of the company that conducts the segmentation. For example, for car manufacturers these are middle-aged people (30-40), and for manufacturers of women's cosmetics these are girls and women up to 40-50 years old. Of course, the data is usually inaccurate, but it is enough to determine the main direction of marketing.

2. Segments with impossible consumers. This group is the opposite of the first. Its representatives will under no circumstances use your services, or will, but in small quantities. An example would be black caviar for low-income people or cheap clothes for rich members of our society.

3. Alternative segments. Representatives of these groups, for the most part, do not use certain types of services, but can use them with proper marketing. Many marketers classify such people as the second type of segment, but in fact, they can bring significant profits. Just think that there is a mass that, under certain circumstances, can begin to buy goods from you, while ignoring your competitors, because it was you who attracted them. For example, why not conduct marketing campaign jewelry among young people, or try to sell computer games to adults. To achieve a positive result, you need to conduct truly professional marketing, but if everything works out, your income will increase significantly.

Why is market segmentation necessary in marketing?

1. Targeted marketing is usually much more effective than general marketing. If you know who your main consumer is, then you will only make advertising that has a greater impact on him. So, for example, it is better to attract young people through social media, and older people - through newspapers, magazines and television advertising.

2. In addition to efficiency, targeted marketing also has a more favorable price. You pay only for those ads that your potential consumers read, while general advertising you are wasting a lot of money. If your main clientele is teenagers, then why pay for a commercial between the program “Wait for Me” and the soap opera “The Wedding Ring”?

3. Any company sooner or later conducts market analytics in order to improve operational efficiency. So it’s much more convenient if you know who is buying your product. Then all you have to do is analyze your preferences certain group people, and not try to please absolutely everyone.

4. By knowing who uses your services, you can determine why this is happening. And knowing the answer to this question, you will understand what needs to be done to improve your sales effectiveness.

Segmentation is a complex system!

As a rule, when segmenting a market in marketing, it is not enough to define a group of potential consumers according to one criterion. You need to take into account several characteristics at once and determine the segment you need more accurately. For example, these could be elderly men with low incomes or middle-aged women on a business trip. However, you don’t have to choose one group at all. Basically, at large companies There are dozens of such specialized segments that marketers work with. For example, the tenants of an inexpensive apartment can be young students, employees of companies with average incomes on business trips, young families with average incomes, etc.

Statistics are an important element of segmentation!

Without a large amount of statistical data, it is impossible to carry out normal segmentation. As a rule, there is a lot of information in the public domain about which product or service is popular among a particular group of the population. If the data you are interested in is not available, you will have to conduct research yourself. Best option for this purpose it is social surveys. They won't cost you a lot of money, and the results will be fresh and relatively accurate. Many organizations post opinion polls on their official website or ask clients who come to them to fill out a questionnaire. Having received the necessary statistical data, you can easily carry out segmentation and select groups of potential consumers.

What groups of segments are there?

IN modern marketing There are many groups among the population, and no one prohibits entrepreneurs from creating new ones. Below are the main ones:

1. The most traditional classification of the population is by age. You can distinguish young people, middle-aged people and the elderly, or you can divide the entire society into a larger number of age groups. As a rule, over the years, people’s preferences change, just like their incomes, so most companies first segment consumer market by age.

2. Dividing the population according to gender is also quite popular among marketers. Thus, men are unlikely to buy women's cosmetics or clothing, and women will not be regulars construction stores or bookmakers.

3. Revenue is an important component of any segmentation system. If a person earns little, then there is no point in trying to sell him an expensive car or a precious ring. And vice versa, if a person earns a lot, then there is no need to attract him with sales and five percent discounts on discounted goods. Selling Zhiguli cars or cheap jewelry to such people will also not work.

4. A person’s occupation often determines his tastes. Thus, businessmen prefer to dress in respectable business tuxedos, which cannot be said about factory workers. If these are education employees, then they will be regulars at stationery and bookstores.

5. A person’s physique is an important characteristic for manufacturers and distributors of clothing. Statistical data of this type can be found in the public domain, and they are constantly updated as a result scientific research. Assessing which people are more numerous in a certain region, you should plan the volumes of each size of certain clothes.

6. Having statistics of human tastes and preferences, you can conduct truly competent and effective marketing. Unfortunately, obtaining such information is very difficult. We will have to conduct mass opinion polls, and it is not always possible to achieve an objective result, because sometimes people themselves do not understand what they want.

7. One more important indicator for segmentation, this is a person’s permanent place of residence. If he came from afar on vacation, then he is a potential consumer of apartment landlords and souvenir shops. But a person who permanently lives in a particular city is unlikely to buy refrigerator magnets depicting the sights of that very city.

Segmentation requires imagination!

The number of options for dividing into groups depends only on your imagination. The population can be classified according to completely different criteria, which have meaning exclusively in your field of activity. For example, you can divide people into those who wear watches and those who do not wear them. The bottom line is that when sewing shirts for the first time, you cannot make the button on the sleeve fasten too tightly, because in this case a person will not be able to check the time without unbuttoning it. And there are a great many such options, believe me.

Segmentation of a market is its division into separate segments that differ in the sales capabilities of the manufacturer’s goods.

A market segment is a large group of buyers identified by certain characteristics (similar needs, purchasing power, region of residence, consumer priorities and habits). A market segment consists of consumers who respond in the same way to the same set of marketing incentives. A market segment is a part of a market, a group of consumers of products that have certain similar characteristics and are significantly different from all other groups and market sectors.

The purpose of segmentation is to identify relatively homogeneous needs for a product (service) in each group of buyers and, in accordance with this, orient the organization’s product and sales policy.

The selected segments should be:

1. specific, i.e. have a clear set of needs and respond in a similar way to the product (service) offered;

2. sufficiently significant in size;

3. available for marketing activities;

4. quantitatively measurable;

5. Used for a long period of time.

Types of segmentation depending on the nature of its implementation, on the type of consumers of goods/services:

• market macro-segmentation - markets are divided by region, degree of industrialization, etc.;
• micro-segmentation – the formation of consumer groups (segments) of one country or region according to more detailed characteristics (criteria);
• segmentation in depth - the segmentation process begins with a wide group of consumers, and then gradually deepens it depending on the classification of end consumers of the product or service;
• Breadth segmentation - starts with a narrow group of consumers, and then expands depending on the purpose and use of the product;
• preliminary segmentation – the initial stage of marketing research, focusing on studying the maximum possible number of market segments;
• final segmentation is the final stage of market analysis, the implementation of which is regulated by the capabilities of the company itself and the conditions of the market environment.

The goal of the first stage, called macro-segmentation, is to identify “product markets,” while the second stage, called micro-segmentation, aims to identify consumer “segments” within each previously identified market.

Target market segment – ​​one or more segments of a specific market that are most significant for marketing activities:

1. concentration on a single segment, decide to serve only one market segment (a group of middle-aged people);

2. orientation to consumer needs; the company can focus on satisfying any one consumer need (one product for all types of buyers);

3. orientation to a group of consumers;

4. servicing several unrelated segments; a company may decide to serve several market segments that are loosely related to each other, except that each of them represents an attractive opportunity for the company;

5. coverage of the entire market; a company may decide to produce a full range to cater to all market segments.

When selecting target segments, company managers decide whether they will concentrate their efforts on one sector or several, on separate product(market) or mass market. A firm may choose to address the entire market or focus on one or more specific segments within its core market.

The so-called targeted marketing is of particular importance in marketing activities. This is the process of segmenting the market, selecting the target segment(s) based on its results and positioning the company's product in the selected target segment by developing and implementing an appropriate marketing mix. Target marketing – differentiation of market segments, selection of one or more segments and development of products and complexes.

Stages of targeted marketing:

• Market segmentation – determining the principles of market segmentation, compiling profiles of the resulting segments.
• Selection of target market segments - assessment of the degree of attractiveness of the resulting segments, selection of one or more segments.
• Positioning of a product on the market - a decision on the positioning of a product in each of the target segments, development of a marketing mix for each target segment.

Selection of market segmentation criteria, i.e. parameters by which market segmentation is carried out.

1. Quantitative boundaries - the capacity of the segment - how many goods and at what value can be sold on it, to how many actual and potential consumers, what is the area of ​​the segment, what resources will need to be used to work in this segment.

2. Availability of a segment - the ability of an enterprise to obtain distribution and sales channels for products, conditions for storing and transporting products to consumers in this segment.

3. Information richness of the segment - is it possible to obtain the necessary information to create a data bank for the segment, are there closed zones.

4. Segment importance – determining how realistically a particular group of consumers can be considered as a market segment, how stable it is in terms of the main unifying characteristics.

5. Segment profitability - determines how profitable work in this segment will be for the enterprise.

6. Compatibility of the segment with the market of the main competitors - to what extent are the main competitors ready to sacrifice the chosen market segment, to what extent does the promotion of products affect their interests?

7. Protection from competition - the management of the enterprise must assess its ability to withstand the competition with possible competitors.

8. Effectiveness of work in the selected segment - checking whether the enterprise has the necessary experience in the selected segment, checking how ready engineering, production and sales personnel are to effectively promote the product in this segment.

At the macro-segmentation level, only general characteristics, especially when it comes to markets for industrial goods. Consumer products often require more nuanced criteria such as age groups, benefits sought, purchasing behavior or lifestyle. Determining them is the task of microsegmentation.

Technologies. Various technological know-how that provide various functions are discussed here. For example, paint or wallpaper for the function of interior decoration of a home, road, air, rails or sea for international transport products, bitumen or plastic films for roof impermeability function, X-ray, ultrasound and computed tomography for medical diagnostic function, etc.

Functions or combinations of functions. We are talking about the needs that a product or service must satisfy. Examples of functions include: interior decoration of homes; international freight transport; roof waterproofing; corrosion protection; brushing teeth; deep and subsurface drilling; medical diagnostics, etc. Features can also be defined as sets of benefits sought by different consumer groups.

Classification characteristics: age, marital status, level of education, income level, attitude towards a new product (service), lifestyle, social status, etc.

1. geographic segmentation criterion (region, districts, population density, climate);

2. demographic, socio-economic (gender, age, family size, stage of family life cycle, level of education, income level, occupation, religious beliefs, race, nationality, social status (highest - senior management), middle (entrepreneurs, managers, independent workers: lawyers, journalists, teachers, office workers and workers, working pensioners), low (non-working pensioners, low-skilled workers, unemployed). Needs and preferences, the intensity of product consumption are often associated with demographic characteristics. They are easier to measure;

3. psychographic criterion – social class, temperament, personality type (addicted nature, lover of doing “like everyone else”, authoritarian nature, ambitious nature), lifestyle (sedentary, nomadic);

4. behavioral – reason for making a purchase (routine purchase, special occasion), user status (non-user, former user, potential user, novice user, regular user), intensity of consumption (weak consumer, moderate consumer, active consumer), degree of commitment (unconditional adherents, tolerant, fickle, wanderers), by the benefits sought (quality, service, savings), by speed of response; by degree of need (strong, low, average); by degree of readiness to purchase (ignorant, aware, informed, interested, willing to buy, intending to buy); by level of purchase intensity (regular, irregular), attitude towards the product (enthusiastic, positive, indifferent, negative, hostile).

Marketing market segmentation is subordinated strategic goals manufacturer and is aimed at:

• increasing market share;
• mastering new markets;
• weakening the position of competitors;
• maintaining their positions in the most important markets, etc.

The most used methods in segmentation:

1. Grouping method. It consists of a consistent breakdown of a set of objects into groups according to the most significant characteristics. the entire base market is divided into groups in stages - at each stage of sequential division only one segmentation criterion is used.

2. Multidimensional classification method (“tabular”). Classification is carried out according to a complex of analyzed characteristics simultaneously. The base market is divided into groups of consumers according to several simultaneously used segmentation criteria. The results obtained are presented in table form.

Based on the results of segmentation, “profiles of consumer segments” should be obtained. These are the corresponding descriptions of each of the resulting consumer groups. For example, “the profile of the segment – ​​consumers of French perfumes” may sound like this: these are young ladies with an income level per family member of at least 24,000 rubles per month, with an active lifestyle, with high brand loyalty and an average propensity for risky purchases...”

After identifying market segments, it is necessary to assess their attractiveness and select one or more segments for development. Criteria for assessing the attractiveness of a segment: size and speed of change of the segment; structural attractiveness; goals and resources of the organization itself.

Target market (basic) – the most important and promising segment for the manufacturer, selected on the basis of segmentation commodity market. Actions of the organization when choosing target segments:

1. Concentrate efforts aimed at selling one product (service) in one segment.

2. Offer one product (service) to all market segments.

3. Offer all goods (services) to one market.

4. Offer different products (services) for some selected segments.

5. Ignore the results of segmentation and supply all manufactured goods (services) to the entire market.

Positioning is the development of a product (service) and the creation of an image that, in the buyer’s mind, would compare favorably with competing products. Positioning is the logical continuation and completion of the market segmentation process and the starting point for detailed planning and programming of the marketing mix.

The purpose of positioning is to help potential buyers distinguish a product from among its analogue competitors on some basis and give it preference when purchasing. Determine the possible place of the product on the market at present and in the future. Strengthen competitive positions in a specific market segment by creating preferred incentives for potential buyers to purchase it.

The main approaches to product positioning are based on:

1) on certain advantages of the product (service);

2) to meet specific needs or special uses;

3) with the help of a certain category of consumers who have already purchased a product (service), or by comparison;

4) using stable ideas.

Options for an organization to determine its market position:

• positioning itself next to a competitor and starting to compete for market share.
• creating a product of market novelty, with the help of which you can fill the existing “gap” in the market in the absence of competition.

Source - Marketing: educational manual / comp. I.V. Ilyicheva. – Ulyanovsk: Ulyanovsk State Technical University, 2010. – 229 p.

Marketing. Short course Popova Galina Valentinovna

6.1. The concept of market segmentation

A market segment consists of consumers who respond in the same way to the same set of marketing incentives. Markets are made up of buyers, and buyers differ from each other in a variety of ways. Needs, resources, geographic location, purchasing relationships and habits may vary. And any of these variables can be used as a basis for market segmentation.

Typically, segmentation means dividing the market into groups of homogeneous composition, from which those with whom the organization intends to work are selected. Actually Segmentation is the process of analyzing the market and selecting those groups that correspond to the marketing interests of the organization and correlate with its capabilities. Generally speaking, then Segmentation is an orderly, systematic attempt to identify the areas in which the organization will work and to whom this or that type of product will be supplied. In addition, segmentation allows you to create a certain social, psychological, economic portrait of a group of clients, and create certain ways of distributing products.

The entire segmentation process can be divided into six stages.

1. Determining the current position of the company. At this stage, the general direction of the organization’s activities is determined; the company is trying to fix how it will develop, what it has production capabilities, investment resources and human resources. In addition, it should be emphasized that of particular importance for the organization at this stage is how the current position of the company is determined, how managers determine the edges/limits to which the organization can move and develop. This requires completely special mechanisms for analyzing the organizational situation, ways of constructing joint activities managers of various functional departments. There are a variety of ways to analyze the current situation of an organization.

2. Determining the needs and desires of consumers. This stage is probably one of the most important in the entire segmentation process, since it is here that those specific parameters are analyzed that in the future will become the basis for the created product samples. It is at this stage that organizations often make key mistakes regarding the definition consumer preferences and wishes. It is at this stage that a correct or incorrect perception of the market situation arises, which can lead to large profits or large financial failures.

3. Dividing the market in the right areas. It is this direction that is often associated with the entire segmentation process, although this approach, in our opinion, is not justified, since it does not take into account all the other stages of segmentation, which we have already discussed above. Segmentation is of two types − a priori And ad hoc. Within a priori segmentation The manager independently decides, before conducting any research, by what parameters the market should be divided. Within ad hoc segmentation First, research is carried out, after which the relevant market segments are identified. From a psychological point of view, in both cases, organizations in the process of dividing the market often fall under the influence of managers and their already formed position regarding the products with which the organization works. As a rule, managers in the segmentation process define segments based on their own experience and the experience of their colleagues, which is always fraught with certain errors. Therefore, in the chapter on new product development, we will pay special attention to mechanisms for identifying and defining all that is associated with customer needs and their inclusion in the range of organizational capabilities.

It should be noted that in the traditional scientific understanding of segmentation, its main parameter is the grouping of consumers according to a number of characteristics, namely:

Geographic segmentation (at place of residence potential clients );

demographic segmentation(by age, family size, gender, income, nationality, religious affiliation, etc.);

psychographic(social classes, lifestyles);

cognitive(for example, habits, behavior patterns, status, participation in product consumption).

However, it should be especially noted that in Russia, due to radical changes social structure society in the 90s, due to the large difference in the amount of funds possessed by different groups of consumers, such segmentation does not always correspond to the real requirements of the market. Therefore, the basis for segmentation in Russia should be determined exclusively with the participation of customers and based on their requirements and wishes.

4. Determining product positioning. At this stage, it is determined how the product could be fixed in the minds of consumers and in their purchasing habits. At this stage, the way we want our product to be perceived by potential consumers is formed, how they would analyze and read its properties and characteristics.

5. Defining a segmentation strategy.

6. Defining strategy regarding the marketing mix. At this stage, specific actions are determined at the organizational level in terms of product characteristics, pricing, advertising campaign and distribution systems. In fact, at this stage, the actions that the organization takes to implement the chosen strategy regarding a particular type of product are determined.

The segmentation stages are presented in Fig. 10.

Rice. 10. Stages of the market segmentation process (according to A. V. Rubtsov)