Market segmentation definition. Market segmentation: concept, goals, principles, approaches

After the company has conducted a comprehensive and thorough analysis of the market, the desires and characteristics of consumers, it must select the most profitable market segment for it.

Market segment- this is the part of the market that the company can effectively serve.

Market segmentation is the process of dividing a single consumer market into a number of segments according to some factor (attribute).

Market segmentation- This is one of the main elements of the company's market strategy.

Target– the most complete satisfaction of the needs and requirements of customers, and as a result, the successful functioning and prosperity of the company.

Well-known marketer S. Majaro noted that a marketing specialist who is able to offer a new way of market segmentation for his product can enable the company to avoid intense competition. Consequently, the company's success in competition will largely depend on how well the market segment is chosen.

The main segmentation of the market is the position of the company in a competitive environment when it is not able to satisfy all the needs for a certain product, and therefore must focus only on those segments that are most preferable from the point of view of the production and commercial capabilities of the company. Objects of sales market segmentation– these are groups of consumers, goods (services), as well as enterprises (competitors).

2. Segmentation stages

Exist (highlight) main stages of segmentation:

1) identification of the requirements and main characteristics presented by the consumer to the product (service) offered by the company: at this stage, using various marketing methods, the requirements and wishes of consumers are determined and systematized;

2) analysis of the similarities and differences of consumers: the collected information is analyzed; identifying similarities or differences should influence the marketing plan being developed;

3) development of profiles of consumer groups: consumers with similar characteristics and needs are separated into separate profiles that define market segments;

4) selection of consumer segment(s): follows from the previous stage;

5) determining the company’s place of operation in the market relative to competition: at this stage, the company needs to answer two questions - which market segments will not create great opportunities for the company and how many consumer segments it needs to target; Moreover, the company must realistically represent its goals, strengths, level of competition, market sizes, relationships with sales channels, profits and its image in the eyes of others;

6) creating a marketing plan: after the company has collected and analyzed information about consumers and identified its market segment (or segments), it must study in detail the properties and images of its competitors’ products, and subsequently determine the position of its product in the market; As a result, the company develops a marketing plan that includes: product, distribution, price, promotion.

3. Types of segmentation

Market segmentation requires a detailed study of the consumer's requirements for the product, as well as knowledge of the characteristics of the purchasing motivations of the consumers themselves.

Segmentation is divided into the following types depending on its nature and the type of consumer of the product (service).

1. Depending on the nature of segmentation:

1) macro-segmentation - dividing markets by region, country, degree of industrialization;

2) micro-segmentation - the formation of consumer groups of one country (region) according to more detailed characteristics (criteria);

3) segmentation in depth - the segmentation process begins with a wide group of consumers, and then it is gradually deepened (narrowed) depending on the classification of end consumers of any group of goods (services); for example, cars, cars, luxury cars;

4) segmentation in breadth - the segmentation process begins with a narrow group of consumers and gradually expands depending on the scope and use of the product (service); for example, skates for professional athletes, skates for amateurs, skates for youth;

5) preliminary segmentation – study of the maximum possible market segments;

6) final segmentation – the final stage of market research; here the most optimal market segments for the company are determined, in which it will further develop its market strategy.

2. Depending on the type of consumers:

1) the process of segmenting consumers of consumer goods (services);

2) segmentation of consumers of goods for industrial and technical purposes;

3) segmentation of consumers of two types of goods.

However, in practice, each type of market segmentation is not used separately. As a rule, market marketers use a combination of these types when analyzing.

4. Market segmentation criteria

Market segmentation is carried out according to criteria and characteristics.

Criterion is a way of assessing a firm's choice of a particular segment.

Market segmentation criteria:

1. Segment capacity, i.e. how many goods (services), at what cost, can be sold in a given segment, and therefore, how many potential consumers can be served; Based on this, the company determines the required production capacity.

2. Segment availability, i.e. e. obtaining distribution and sales channels for the company, as well as conditions for transporting products in this segment.

3. The importance of the segment, i.e. how resistant the market is to the utilization of the enterprise’s capacity.

4.Profitability.

5. Protection from competition , i.e., how compatible the market segment is with the market of its main competitors; the opportunity to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of “rivals”.

6. Experience of the company's personnel.

7. Media accessibility.

8. Impact of business structure.

9. Legal aspects.

10. Demographic characteristics.

11. Lifestyle.

12. Consumer attitude towards this brand.

13. Expected risk.

14. Importance of purchase.

15. Geographic, i.e. urbanization, relief, climate.

16. Demographic.

17. Economic (property).

18. Social.

19. Cultural.

20. Psychological, etc.

5. Market segmentation strategy and capabilities

After market segmentation, the company needs to decide how many and what segments it will operate in. It is also important to choose a strategy.

There are three types of strategies:

1) undifferentiated;

2) differentiated;

3) concentrated.

Strategy undifferentiated marketing- This is a company strategy focused on the common interests and preferences of customers, and not on differences in needs and relationships. Target– development of such products and marketing programs that can satisfy the maximum possible number of customers. In other words, the company's goal is achieved by finding a compromise line. The company adheres to standardization and mass production of goods. This strategy is significantly economical. However, it is not recommended for use by enterprises in the same industry, since fierce competition may arise in large segments.

Strategy differentiated marketing is a company strategy aimed simultaneously at several market segments with the development of separate offers. This strategy more fully reflects the market situation, and therefore provides large sales volumes and a low level of risk. On the other hand, large investments, production and management costs are required, therefore the differentiated marketing strategy is feasible mainly for large companies.

Strategy concentrated marketing is a strategy for focusing a firm's efforts on one or more profitable market segments. It is especially attractive in cases where the enterprise’s resources are quite limited. This strategy is preferable for small and medium-sized companies. It consists in offering one or more products to the market, which are accompanied by targeted marketing programs. At the same time, it is necessary to pay great attention to the reputation of your company, the prestige of your product, carry out constant analysis of selected segments, monitor the dynamics of market share, and also take measures to prevent the emergence of new competitors.

The main arguments in favor of market segmentation are:

1) the ability to provide a better understanding of not only the needs and requirements of customers, but also knowledge of your potential or actual consumer “in person” (personal characteristics, motives for behavior in the market, etc.); result - the product better meets market requirements;

2) the possibility of better understanding the nature of competition;

3) the emergence of the possibility of concentrating limited resources and organizational capabilities in more profitable areas of their use;

4) studying the most promising buyers;

5) the ability to take into account the characteristics of various market segments.

6. The concept of market segment and niche

Segment- this is a certain group of consumers that has one or more stable characteristics that determine their behavior in the market.

Consumer needs are constantly evolving and changing under the influence of changing market trends, new offers from companies, and outside opinions. Therefore, market segments are not constant.

The success of firms in the market depends not only on finding their segment, but also on finding an unoccupied place in the market - a market niche. For a company to find its market niche means to find “its home,” i.e. a niche is a part of the market where the company has secured a dominant position. It is believed that an enterprise operating in niches is so knowledgeable and able to satisfy the needs and requirements of buyers of its niche that the latter are willing to pay even a higher price for the goods (services) of this enterprise.

Occupying your niche is a chance to withstand competition by focusing your resources on serving narrower market niches that do not arouse interest or that larger competing companies do not pay attention to.

7. Multiple segmentation

Multiple segmentation- This is one of the methods for determining the target market, characterized by the scale of activity.

Scale of activity consists of involving several market segments in the purchase and sale process, which indicates certain production and sales capabilities of the company.

This method takes into account the various specific needs of buyers (for example, automobile manufacturing plants, electronics industries, banks, etc.)

Benefits of Multiple Segmentation consist in an expanded assortment, which allows the company to significantly increase its turnover volumes by involving several market segments in the production and sale of goods, which allows for potentially higher profits, and also conducting parallel work with several segments can really reduce the threat of deterioration in the company’s performance , due to the emergence of a powerful competitor or a change in consumer preferences. The loss of one market segment will not be so painful for the entire company. At this time, you can successfully work in other market segments and carry out technical re-equipment or reconstruction of production, update the range or improve quality. This method is used mainly by large companies that have the necessary material, financial and labor resources.

The multiple segmentation method involves researching potential market segments where the company intends to operate. A thorough study of consumer needs in different segments is quite an expensive pleasure. However, in case of successful research and making the right decision, the company receives significant advantages over competitors, and, consequently, impressive results.

8. Selecting target segments

Conducting marketing segmentation allows a company to identify the different market segments in which it will participate.

1) decide how many market segments it should occupy;

2) it is necessary to determine the most profitable segments for it.

To do this, a company can use the following strategies:

1) undifferentiated marketing;

2) differentiated marketing;

3) concentrated marketing.

Managers of small firms usually choose the third option for a market coverage strategy, taking into account several factors:

1) the company was created recently and (or) its resources are very limited;

2) provision of various services.

When choosing a target segment, it is advisable to use the following segment analysis methods:

1. AID – automatic determination of relationships by sequential comparison according to specified parameters (criteria).

2. Cluster analysis – sequential grouping of consumers (over 200) into groups with subsequent study.

3. Factor analysis.

4. Joint analysis – analysis of the consumer’s choice of preferred goods (services).

The assessment of a market segment is based on the attractiveness of the segment: analysis of current sales volumes and expected profits for each segment; size and growth opportunities in the long term; knowledge of your competitors; availability of substitute goods;

It is also necessary to identify the company's strengths.

So, the end result of a firm's selection of target segments is that it identifies the segment or segments on which it will concentrate its efforts.

9. Classification of consumers

One of the main goals of marketing is to carry out a competent strategy for promoting a product on the market, where it is very important to identify the most significant, large target groups of consumers that differ from each other, but have common intra-group interests (needs, demands).

Five types of consumers are defined:

1. Individual – these are consumers who purchase goods only for their personal needs. For example, single people or citizens living independently.

Personal items include clothing, shoes, personal items (except for gift purchases). First of all, these consumers are interested in the consumer qualities of the product: usefulness, price, appearance, packaging, service, guarantees. However, at the moment the market of individual consumers in Russia is relatively narrow.

2. Families or households are a group of buyers of food and non-food products, excluding personal items. Decisions are made jointly by the spouses or the head of the family.

3. Intermediaries are a type of consumer who purchases goods for subsequent resale. Intermediaries are not interested in the consumer qualities of a product, they are concerned with exchange characteristics - price, demand, profitability, speed of circulation, shelf life, etc. Intermediaries are more professional buyers, unlike families and individual consumers. The demand they present can be both quite broad and quite narrow.

4. Suppliers or representatives of companies, i.e. buyers of industrial goods. They buy goods for their further use in production, so everything is taken into account: price, quantity, speed of delivery, transportation costs, completeness of the assortment, the company’s reputation in the market, level of service and much more.

5. Officials or government workers. The peculiarity is that when purchasing a particular product, an official does not manage his own money, but government money, and, therefore, this procedure is bureaucratic and formalized. Important criteria when choosing a supplier or manufacturer are reliability, loyalty, honesty, personal connections, etc.

The international market also distinguishes such types of consumers as foreign legal entities and individuals.

There is also traditional classification consumers according to the following criteria.

1. Gender: there are products with a clear gender identity - bras, dresses, electric shavers, smoking pipes, shaving foam, etc. There are male and female models: cigarettes, deodorants, trousers, shirts, etc.

2. Age.

4. Education.

5. Social and professional criterion.

6. Quick response to new information or the appearance of a new product on the market. It is customary to divide consumers into the following groups:

1) “innovators” – consumers who dared to try a new product;

2) “adepts” - followers who make the product fashionable and famous;

3) “progressives” - consumers who ensure mass sales at the stage of product growth;

4) “skeptics” – they connect to demand at the saturation stage;

5) “conservatives” - they show demand when the product becomes “traditional”.

7. Personality type: there are four main psychological types - sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric, melancholic. The practical application of this classification in marketing is quite difficult, since it is difficult to determine a personality type using 10–12 test questions.

8. Lifestyle: analysis of values, relationships, rhythm of life, personal behavior.

10. Buyer characteristics that influence their purchasing behavior

One of the main tasks of a marketing specialist is to identify those who make purchasing decisions.

The decision to purchase a particular product is made by a person (or group of persons) who has a common goal and shares the risk associated with making this decision.

For certain types of goods (services), identifying such persons is relatively simple. For example, a man usually decides for himself which brand of cigarettes to buy, and a woman decides which company to give preference to when choosing lipstick. Decisions related to determining where a family will vacation or purchasing an apartment will most likely be made by a group of people consisting of a husband, wife, and adult children. Therefore, the marketing specialist must determine as precisely as possible the role of each family member in making a decision, which will help him in developing product characteristics.

There are several roles that a person plays in the process of making a decision to purchase a product:

1) initiator of the proposal;

2) the decision maker;

3) person exerting influence;

4) buyer;

5) user.

Thus, in the process of deciding to purchase a computer, an offer may come from a child (teenager). Each family member can have a certain influence on the decision or any of its components. The husband and wife make the final decision and, in fact, become the buyers. Users can be all family members.

To determine the roles of buyers, marketing specialists conduct research on the various participants in the decision-making process. Mostly a survey is used. It is important to determine the relative influence of different family members on the purchasing process. For example, J. Herbst identifies four types of families.

1. Each family member makes an equal number of independent decisions.

2. Families where the husband makes most of the decisions.

3. Dominance of wife's decisions.

4. Joint decision making (syncretistic).

All four types of families exist on the market, but their ratio changes over time. In modern society, due to rising incomes and education, there are more and more syncretic families and less and less with the dominance of the “masculine principle”. This circumstance must be taken into account when choosing and developing a marketing strategy.

Another important characteristic of the buyer is the period of the family’s life cycle. Seven periods are identified:

1) bachelor period, unmarried;

2) young families;

3) young families with a child under 6 years of age;

4) young families with children under 6 years of age;

5) married couples living with minor children;

6) elderly couples living separately from their children;

7) elderly singles.

Every family has certain needs at some point in its life cycle. For example, a young family with a minor child under 10 years of age is the main buyer of washing machines, televisions, kitchen appliances, and toys, while a family with adult children purchases expensive video and audio equipment. Depending on the life cycle of the family, the roles of individual family members may change, and accordingly, their influence on decisions made also changes.

11. Personal and psychological factors

There are four groups of factors that have a direct impact on purchasing behavior: personal, psychological, social and cultural.

Let's take a closer look at the first two.

Personal factors include: age, gender, income of the person, stage of the family life cycle, nationality, profession, lifestyle, personality type, etc.

Lifestyle refers to a person’s life stereotypes (his interests, beliefs, his own opinions). Sometimes it is quite difficult for marketers to study this factor. For this purpose, special marketing programs are specially developed, within the framework of which research is carried out.

Human is a personality, therefore, over a relatively long period of time, his reactions to the influence of the external environment are practically constant. Personality type is characterized by such traits as self-confidence, independence, sociality, active (or passive) behavior, adaptability, etc. For example, when conducting research, coffee producers discovered that active coffee consumers are quite highly social individuals.

Psychological factors include: motivation of human behavior, perception of the surrounding world.

Studying motivations (or drives) is necessary because this is what motivates a person to make a purchase.

Marketers are looking for answers to questions such as: “Why is this purchase being made?”, “What basic need does the buyer want to satisfy with this product?” and so on. Motive- This is the need that prompts a person to satisfy it. When studying the motives of human behavior, motivational analysis is used, based on the theory of S. Freud and A. Maslow.

Z. Freud studied the consumer purchasing decision-making process. He believed that important consumer motives are embedded in the subconscious and that the buyer cannot always justify one or another of his choices.

According to Z. Freud, a person from birth is under the pressure of many desires that he is not able to understand and control, that is, the individual is never fully aware of the motives of his behavior.

A. Maslow, in his theory of motivation, developed a hierarchical system of needs and explained why people have different needs at a certain point in time.

He built a system of needs based on the principle of importance:

1) physiological (need for food, clothing, housing);

2) self-preservation (protection, safety);

3) social (belonging to a certain social group, in love);

4) in respect;

5) in self-affirmation (the need for self-development, self-realization).

A person satisfies needs according to their importance. For example, a hungry person first of all tries to satisfy his need for food, rather than the need for his respect and love from others. And only having satisfied his important need, he moves on to satisfy the next less important need. This knowledge is used in assessing the possible behavior of different groups of consumers, as well as in motivating the work of employees.

Perception– this is how a person interprets information received from the outside. It is necessary to take into account the internal motivations of buyers, tips from other consumers in the process of stimulating demand.

Beliefs is a person’s idea of ​​something. It is based on knowledge, faith, experience, opinion. This is one of the important knowledge that marketers need to have.

Relationship– these are different assessments, feelings in relation to specific objects and ideas. They have a strong impact on human behavior, they are difficult to change, but they must be taken into account when forming the company’s marketing policy, trying to bring them as close as possible to certain relationships.

12. Buying behavior model

The purchasing behavior model includes the following categories:

1. Marketing incentives (product, its price, distribution methods and sales promotion).

2. Other stimuli (economic, political, cultural, social, scientific and technical).

3. Consciousness of the buyer (his characteristics and the process of making a purchase decision).

4. Buyer responses (choice of product, brand, supplier, time of purchase).

The process of purchasing a particular product includes the following steps:

1. A need arises:need arises under the influence of external and internal factors. For a person to undertake specific actions, his need must reach a certain level of intensity, that is, crowd out or suppress other desires. The marketing specialist must find out what needs the buyer satisfies by purchasing this product, as well as through what measures the intensity of the need can be increased.

2. Search for information: To satisfy a need, a person needs relevant information about a specific product. Depending on the intensity of the need, two states of a person are distinguished: a state of increased attention (increased attention to the information that is related to the satisfaction of his need) and a state of active search for information (when the intensity of the need increases, a person deliberately begins to look for information about the product that interests him).

Information sources:

a) personal (friends, family, acquaintances, neighbors);

c) public (media);

d) empirical (product use, experiment, test).

3. Evaluation of information: a person correlates the information received with his capabilities and forms an appropriate attitude towards this product.

4. Making a purchasing decision: assessment of the information received about the product, as well as taking into account the influence of various factors on the buyer’s purchasing behavior. A marketing specialist must provide the consumer with the necessary information and draw his attention to those factors that will help motivate him to purchase, that is, help him buy a specific product.

5. Impressions after the purchase. The impression from purchasing a product can be different: from complete satisfaction to complete negativity towards this purchase. The marketer must do everything to ensure that the buyer is not disappointed in his choice.

The main areas of consumer research are identified:

1) the consumer’s attitude towards a specific company;

2) attitude towards various aspects of its activities;

3) level of satisfaction of needs;

4) buyers' intentions;

5) making a purchase decision (see in the previous section);

6) buyer behavior during the purchase process and after;

7) motives of consumer behavior.

The consumer's assessment of the information received about the product is formed either on the basis of existing knowledge or on the basis of evoked emotions.

Using various marketing methods, marketers study attitudes towards their product. This is necessary in order to timely adjust the company’s actions in the market.

Two main approaches are used to determine the type of customer relationship with a product:

1) identification of preferences;

2) identifying propensities to purchase a particular product.

For example, there are two product models on the market: A and B. Using the question “Which model is more preferable to you?” buyer preferences can be identified. You can identify purchasing propensity by asking the question “Which model are you most likely to purchase?” A consumer may prefer Model A, but due to lack of the required amount of money (or other factors), buy Model B.

Also, an important area in the study of consumers is the value system they focus on when choosing a product.

It is necessary to conduct an in-depth analysis of the degree of customer satisfaction using a satisfaction map. To do this, calculate the average value of the level of satisfaction for the given indicators and the standard deviation for each of them. And they carry out the analysis by comparing the data obtained. Using this technique, you can get a fairly complete picture of the market’s perception of the quality of the product, its price, level of service, etc.

It is also important to regularly measure customer satisfaction (and dissatisfaction) and find out the reasons for dissatisfaction.

Market segmentation– division of consumers with their numerous and complex needs into narrow, homogeneous groups of requirements.

Market segment– market sector, a group of consumers with certain similar characteristics, significantly different from all other market sectors and consumer groups.

The need for segmentation is determined by market pressure:

▪ if economic growth is observed, then the segmentation process becomes more complex, which is explained by an increase in needs and opportunities to meet them;

▪ if the economic situation worsens, then the segmentation process is curtailed, which is explained by a decrease in the level of satisfaction of needs by the majority of consumers.

Purpose of segmentation– identification of relatively homogeneous needs for goods in each group of buyers and organization of the commodity, pricing, and sales activities of the enterprise in accordance with this.

Purpose of segmentation analysis– identifying a niche, its development and subsequent development in the fight against competitors. The effectiveness of segmentation analysis is assessed using the following factors:

▪ the possibility of a comparative assessment of the market relative to other markets, commensurability and identifiability of markets;

▪ significant size of the promising market, allowing us to identify at least two types of consumer behavior, and the capacity of the segments, sufficient for the program of developing targeted marketing designed for these segments to acquire real meaning;

▪ the existence of sales promotion tools suitable for influencing market segments;

▪ consumer responsiveness to external influences.

Various criteria are used to determine segments (Table 3.3). The segment selected during marketing research should open up good prospects for the further development of the enterprise. In this regard, the implementation of segmentation is determined by the strategic goals of the manufacturer.

The indicators that determine the effectiveness of the segmentation performed include:

▪ market size adequate to the manufacturer’s needs;

▪ weak connection between segments;

▪ low competitiveness of goods and services offered by competitors;

▪ persistent differences between segments;

▪ low additional costs for servicing the segment;

▪ significant segment demand for goods and services from this manufacturer.

Table 3.3

Criteria for determining a market segment

When segmenting a market, various characteristics are distinguished. Some of them are presented in table. 3.4

Table 3.4

General signs of market segmentation

The main advantages of market segmentation:

▪ creation of new products that meet market demands;

▪ determination of effective sales promotion strategies;

▪ assessment of competition in the market;

▪ objective assessment of existing marketing strategies.

Main disadvantages of market segmentation:

▪ conclusions regarding market segmentation characterize only the average statistical trend in consumer behavior;

▪ diversity of consumer “lifestyles” since the 1980s. makes segmentation difficult in many markets;

▪ segmentation does not allow solving problems associated with insufficient attention to other elements of marketing. Even the most accurate segmentation is of no value if the organization has not developed strategies for assortment formation, sales promotion, pricing, and product distribution.

When conducting segmentation, it is necessary to select segmentation characteristics, taking into account the differences between the markets for consumer goods and industrial products.

Segmentations for personal consumer goods are:

segmentation by application circumstances– dividing the market into groups in accordance with the circumstances and the motive for making a purchase;

benefit-based segmentation– dividing the market into groups depending on the benefits, benefits, and advantages that the consumer sees in a given product;

segmentation by user status– dividing the market into groups depending on the degree of regularity of use of a product by its users, among whom are distinguished those who do not use this product; former, potential, regular and new users;

segmentation by consumption intensity– dividing the market into groups of weak, moderate, active consumers of a particular product;

segmentation by degree of loyalty– dividing the market into groups in accordance with consumer commitment to a certain brand of goods, measured by the number of repeat purchases of goods of this brand;

segmentation by stage of buyer readiness– classification of buyers into ignorant and knowledgeable, well-informed about the product and interested in it, and those unwilling and unable to purchase this product.

In Russia, segmentation of consumers depending on their ability to pay is very common.

General rule for segmentation: it can be carried out on the basis of one criterion, as well as through the sequential application of several criteria.

In practice, six types of market segmentation are used (Table 3.5).

Table 3.5

Types of market segmentation

Segmentation is successful if a market window is identified or a market niche is discovered.

Market window– groups of consumers whose specific needs cannot be directly satisfied by a product specially created for this purpose, but are satisfied as a result of the use of other, similar products.

Market Niche– a segment for which the products of a given company are optimal and their supply seems most appropriate. Has a high level of specialization.

Market niches can be quite profitable due to the high level of quality satisfying the specific needs of a limited number of consumers at increased prices.

The main stages of planning a segmentation strategy are:

1) determining the characteristics and requirements of consumers regarding the type of goods or services offered by the enterprise;

2) analysis of the similarities and differences of consumers;

3) development of profiles of consumer groups;

4) choice of consumer segment;

5) determining the enterprise’s place in the market relative to competitors;

6) preparation of an appropriate marketing plan.

After identifying market segments, it is necessary to determine the degree of their attractiveness, select a target market and determine marketing strategies in relation to it.

Several segments selected for marketing research and activities of this enterprise represent the target market.

Target market– an attractive market area in which the company concentrates its activities in order to fully realize its marketing opportunities.

The following factors influence the choice of target markets:

▪ enterprise resources– if they are limited, it is most advisable to use concentrated marketing;

▪ degree of product homogeneity– for goods with a possibly wide range of products (clothing, radio equipment, furniture, etc.), product-differentiated or concentrated marketing is most suitable; for homogeneous goods (cotton, oranges, etc.) - mass marketing;

▪ life cycle stage vara - when entering the market with a new product, mass or concentrated marketing is more acceptable, and at the maturity stage, product-differentiated marketing is more acceptable;

▪ degree of market homogeneity– if the buyer is homogeneous and reacts equally to marketing actions, it is advisable to use mass marketing;

▪ competitors' marketing strategies– if competitors segment the market, then the mass market is impractical; If competitors use mass marketing, then you can benefit from using concentrated and differentiated marketing.

There are five possible options for selecting the target market (Fig. 3.3:

1) concentrate efforts aimed at selling one product on one market segment (Fig. 3.3-a);

2) offer one product to all market segments (Fig. 3.3-b);

Rice. 3.2 Options for selecting target markets

3) offer all goods to one market (Fig. 3.3-c);

4) offer different products for some selected market segments (Fig. 3.3-d);

5) do not take into account the results of segmentation and supply all manufactured goods to the entire market (Fig. 3.3-e).

The development of selected target markets can be carried out by three alternative methods (Table 3.7)

Test market- some part of a certain market used by an enterprise for the purpose of experimental testing of consumer reaction to a new product.

Consulting firm “A.‑S. Nelsen" provides the following recommendations for organizing methods of working on a test market.

1. The purposes of a trial sale may be:

▪ assessment of product chances;

▪ identification of factors influencing the demand and sales of goods and their analysis;

▪ rational and targeted preparation for large-scale entry into the market.

Table 3.6

Alternative methods of developing the target market

5. The timing of sales in the test market depends on the type of product and competition (especially for industrial goods).

Along with segmentation, product positioning and differentiation are an essential element of market research.

Positioning– determination from the consumer’s point of view of the place of a product on the market among other similar products.

Positioning is carried out after the company has chosen a market segment, when it seeks to occupy a certain place in it. If the segment is strong, then competition already exists in it and competitors within the segment have taken their “positions”. Determining the positions of all existing competitors is the first thing a company must determine when deciding on its own positioning.

TO main types of product positioning on the market include:

▪ distinctive qualities of the product;

▪ existing benefit;

▪ a special way of using the product;

▪ the relationship of the product to the competitor’s trademark.

Positioning is two interrelated processes:

1) work with potential consumers, which allows you to assess how the consumer actually perceives the product;

2) work with the product, which allows you to determine the actions necessary for this product to take a certain place among competing products.

The sequence of actions when positioning a product is presented in table. 3.8

Table 3.8

Stages of product positioning

When constructing a perception map (positioning map), in practice, a two-dimensional matrix is ​​most often used, in which the products of competing companies are presented (Fig. 3.4)

Positioning, carried out according to two indicators - quality and price, should be carried out in the following sequence.

1. Evaluation of the goods of this enterprise and its main competitors according to two criteria: an integral indicator of quality and price.

2. Plotting all the goods under study on the field of the “quality - price” matrix, using, if necessary, the sales volume (radius of the circle) as the third coordinate.

3. Determination of the average value of quality and price indicators for the entire set of analyzed goods.

4. Determining the severity of competition in markets by the degree of concentration of goods of competing enterprises in various quadrants of the matrix.

5. Adjusting the production and sales policy of the enterprise in terms of quality, product release price and market segment.

Rice. 3.4 Positioning map “price - quality”

No market is homogeneous. Of course, one might think that all consumers are the same, but even the most superficial reflection shows that this is not the case. Some people love sweets, others are indifferent to them; some people strive to buy a car, others tend to refuse it; Some people have children, other people don't. We could give a lot more examples that would show in what situations consumers behave differently, but perhaps the ones given are enough.

Studying the question of whether a product is needed on the market or not, one must begin with an understanding of the essence of the process, i.e., with whether this product is needed by an individual consumer? This type of research establishes the habits, tastes and reactions of people living within a given market. It helps answer questions regarding the behavior of these people as buyers: who? What? Where? When? How? Why? How many?

The essence of segmentation, and indeed marketing research, was very successfully outlined by R. Kipling in one of his poems:

Consumer research helps the manager responsible for promoting products to the market to establish:

• 1) who are the people who make up his market;
• 2) what they want to buy;
• 3) what they need and use;
• 4) where they buy the products they need;
• 5) in what quantity the products are purchased;
• 6) when they buy;
• 7) how often they buy;
• 8) how they use the products they buy.

To take into account this “stratification” in the market, marketers resort to such an operation as segmentation. Market segmentation- this is the division of a specific market into parts (segments) or groups of consumers who have a stable demand for a certain product, the implementation of which depends on how each of these parts reacts to the product offer, taking into account the activity of marketing means of promotion (advertising, sales forms and etc.).

There are several main types of segmentation. Traditionally, marketing differs:

• 1) macro-segmentation - dividing the market into segments by region, country, level of development, etc.;
• 2) micro-segmentation - a more granular division of the market than macro-segmentation depending on private parameters (characteristics of consumers by income level, age, marital status, etc.).

Market segmentation involves identifying groups that differ from each other in their behavior. At the same time, a market segment is a fairly large part of it; in reality, an enterprise can focus on an even smaller group of consumers. In this case, the following concepts are used.

• 1. Market Niche- a subgroup of consumers within a segment. Although some aspects make it possible to identify these people with other consumers belonging to the same segment, they are still characterized by some additional characteristics.
• 2. An even narrower concept - local group. By focusing on a local group, the enterprise seeks to take into account the differences in interests and needs that are typical for residents of a particular locality, city, village, district, or even visitors to a particular store. The concept of “local group” is especially important when an enterprise cannot satisfy the needs of the market for a particular product as a whole, and therefore the natural decision is to limit its activities to a specific territory.
• 3. Individual Marketing implies a desire to take into account the interests of one specific buyer. In fact, individual marketing takes place in the activities of a tailor who sews clothes to order. In this case, the tailor strives to take into account as many characteristics of his customer as possible: height, volume, his aesthetic preferences, intentions regarding the use of the clothes that will be sewn, etc.

An individual consumer is, by and large, the limit of market segmentation, since further division is simply impossible. There is an opinion that modern production and the technological progress associated with the desire to develop it tend precisely to this limit.

Some businesses are forced to choose one-to-one marketing because their markets include only a few or even one consumer. In particular, aircraft manufacturers are forced to choose this strategy, since a very small number of organizations and people purchase their products. In conditions of mass production, one regularity should be taken into account, which applies with one exception: the narrower the group that the enterprise is targeting, the more expensive the product turns out to be.

Naturally, this generally does not apply to a small enterprise, which has limited production volumes due to limited capacity and resources. However, on a larger scale, attempts to accommodate private interests lead to a noticeable increase in production costs. For example, in order to bake a thousand identical loaves of bread, certain costs are required; however, in this case the production will run continuously since all the buns are the same. When a manufacturer seeks to take into account the interests of customers (for example, it begins to bake three types of loaves of bread that differ in size), there is a need to reconfigure equipment, use different baking forms, etc. As a result, more demands are placed on workers; conveyor production must, at least at least rebuild twice.

It makes sense to distinguish between preliminary and final segmentation. When planning to enter the market with a new product, experts make some assumptions about why this particular product will be purchased by consumers belonging to a particular group. Such assumptions have the nature of hypotheses - provisions that must be tested in the process of marketing research. These provisions are usually called preliminary segmentation.

Unlike pre-segmentation, final segmentation presupposes precise knowledge of consumer preferences and more accurate assumptions about the success or failure of the project, based on data from market research. It is advisable to distinguish between preliminary and final segmentation because our assumptions and assumptions do not always correspond to reality, and therefore they always need to be verified.

In marketing practice, it is customary to distinguish between segmentation of the consumer market and segmentation of the market of organized consumers.

1. Segmentation of the end-consumer market is aimed at identifying factors that are significant from the point of view of ordinary consumers - individuals and families. Inclusion in this series of families is due to the fact that a person’s needs are not determined solely individually; belonging to a family imposes important restrictions on his behavior. In particular, a person who does not have a family can spend money solely on meeting personal needs and entertainment. A person who has a family acquires a number of responsibilities, in particular, the responsibility to feed, clothe, and teach his children.

Segmentation of the end consumer market. It is carried out according to a number of characteristics, which are presented in table. 6. There are quite a lot of these signs, so usually marketers choose only a few as a basis, those that are the most significant; there cannot be any single basis for all cases. In practice, marketers have to determine the most important criteria based on the specific situation, that is, on the characteristics of the product and the characteristics of consumers who may be interested in it.

Basis for market segmentation

Reason for partition	Example of partitioning
Demographic characteristics
	up to 10 years old, 11-15 years old, 16-20 years old, 21-30 years old, 31-40 years old, etc.
	male/female
Seed position	married, single, divorced
Income level	up to 1000 rubles, from 1000 to 3000 rubles, from 3000 to 5000 rubles, from 5000 to 7000 rubles.
Education	incomplete secondary, complete secondary, specialized secondary, incomplete higher, complete higher
Occupation	worker, employee, peasant, creative worker
Religion	Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, non-believer
Nationality	Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Tatar, Armenian, Jew, etc.
Family size	1 person, 2 people, 3 people, etc.
Psychological and social signs
Values	Conservative (traditionalist), radical
Political preferences	Democrat, socialist, communist
Class affiliation	Low class, middle class, upper class
Behavior
Peculiarities consumption	Constant use, occasional use, potential (possible) use, no use
Degree of commitment to the product	Absolute, average, zero
Basic requirements for the product	High quality, low price, prestige, etc.
Attitude to the product	Positive, negative
Reason for partition	Example of partitioning

Geographical feature
	Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Türkiye, China
	Central Federal District, Southern Federal District, etc. Moscow, Moscow region, St. Petersburg, Leningrad region, Voronezh region, Rostov region, etc.
Locality (according to administrative status)	Capital, regional center (capital of the republic), district center
City (by number of inhabitants)	Up to 10,000 inhabitants, from 10,001 to 50,000 inhabitants, from 50,001 to 100,000 inhabitants, from 100,001 inhabitants to 200,000 inhabitants, from 200,001 inhabitants to 500,000 inhabitants, from 500,001 to 1,000,000 inhabitants, over 1,000,000 inhabitants
A district of the city	City center, city outskirts
	Cold, warm, etc.

The more attributes a marketer uses to segment the market, the more segments are obtained. This has both advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage is that as the number of parameters and segments increases, the accuracy of predictions increases. However, this increases the amount of information you have to deal with and therefore makes it more difficult to analyze. In addition, excessive detail makes it difficult to select a large enough segment that would fully meet the interests of the enterprise.

Therefore, it is not at all necessary to segment the market according to all possible criteria; it is necessary to select the most significant of them. The main task of the marketer in this case is to obtain exactly the information that is most important. And in many cases, it is enough to take into account only three or four criteria.

2. The market of organized consumers is a market of a wide variety of companies, firms and other organizations. In addition, this market also includes numerous trade organizations that mediate connections between the manufacturer and end consumers. Its differences from the end-consumer market are very significant; first of all, they relate to the goods that are purchased in this market, as well as the volume of purchases. There are also differences in segmentation.

Successful market segmentation can be considered the goal of any enterprise. In the modern economy, there are too few monopoly markets; in the vast majority of cases, competition is developed to one degree or another in the markets. The fact is that consumers who buy a certain product of a particular brand, as a whole, form a market segment identified on a special basis. It is quite natural that an enterprise should strive to ensure that its market segment is larger.

Obviously, market segmentation and the search for an unexploited segment should be resorted to only if the market as a whole has already been at least partially developed, so developed that there is no shortage in it. In a situation of shortage, consumers are ready to buy any product, and it may have qualities that do not fully satisfy consumers. Then mass marketing turns out to be much more effective.

In this case, the most important indicators are those that relate not to the characteristics of individual consumers, but to complex organizations that purchase goods or services to satisfy their own needs. It is clear that the needs of organizations are qualitatively different from the needs of people.

The most important parameters for the market of organized consumers are the following:

• 1) industry sector, field of activity of the company (usually in this case they say three areas: technology, marketing and financial sector);
• 2) company size: there are large, medium and small companies;
• 4) geographical region;
• 5) technologies used by the company;
• 6) the volume of goods and services that the consumer needs: it can be large or small;
• 7) features of the size and frequency of orders: non-periodic small, non-periodic large, periodic large, periodic small;
• 8) qualities and characteristics of goods and services necessary for the company: price, quality, service, the possibility of systematic procurement, mandatory (non-obligatory) urgent deliveries;
• 9) features of the current use of goods and services: they can be used widely, limitedly or not used at all; Accordingly, a distinction is made between active users of the product, inactive users of the product and potential (possible) users.

There are two reasons for market segmentation, which are directly related to the product and its qualities.

• 1) the benefit that the buyer is looking for. Different consumers may purchase the same product for different reasons. For some, the price is important, for others - the fact that other people buy this product, for others the most important thing is quality, for others - some special quality associated with the specifics of the product. Thus, according to research conducted by marketer R. Haley, there are four main consumer groups of toothpaste buyers: for the first group, cost savings comes first, for the second - the therapeutic effect, for the third - the ability of toothpaste to whiten teeth, for the fourth - taste;
• 2) commitment to the product (brand). A buyer who is committed to a certain product, or more precisely, to a brand of product, is ready to purchase it at a higher price; if one store is out of stock of that brand, he is usually willing to go to another.

Naturally, only approximate division bases are given here: in reality they can be different, more or less detailed, fractional. When determining the basis for division, it is necessary to proceed, first of all, from what features will be truly significant, and to avoid excessively fractional division. The first requirement is clear in itself: incorrect market segmentation will lead to the fact that the enterprise's marketing strategy will be ineffective, all efforts will be in vain.

As for the second requirement, it is due to the fact that too much fragmentation of the market as a result of research provides too much diverse information that is difficult to organize and generalize. Usually, when starting segmentation, specialists have some assumptions about what exactly interests them and have information about what resources the enterprise has at its disposal. Therefore, whenever possible, market segmentation should be aimed at ensuring that it is proportionate to the real needs of the enterprise.

There is one important recommendation to make here. When segmenting a market, it is not always necessary to rely on standard, already existing grounds. As noted researcher Majaro pointed out, a marketer who is able to discover a new basis for market segmentation can avoid intense competition. This means that the most profitable basis for an enterprise is such a basis for segmentation that is not used by other enterprises operating in the same market.

Let's say that there is a book publishing house that focuses on producing cheap products accessible to a wide range of readers. A natural, but wrong solution for another book publishing house would be to focus on the production of expensive book products (for example, gift books). However, in reality, the second publishing house will benefit much more if it starts publishing, for example, books for children and does not play by the rules that are ultimately set by the competitor.

We should not forget about searching for “market windows”. This is the name for a market segment that, for some reason, has remained untapped by other manufacturers of the same type of product. Typically, market windows occur when a new product is introduced that simply cannot satisfy the needs of a certain part of the population.

For example, copying equipment was initially created by analogy with printing equipment, and therefore only expensive and large equipment was available on the market. Several Japanese firms took advantage of this by starting to produce inexpensive and less powerful equipment that could be used by small firms and individual consumers. A similar situation was observed in the market for shampoos and pet food. The thing is that traditionally they were washed with the same thing that people themselves washed with, and they were fed with ordinary food.

Concept of market segmentation

Selecting target market segments

Product positioning.

Market niche.

1.The concept of market segmentation

In modern conditions of market development, it is almost impossible to satisfy all consumers with one product or service. Everyone has their own desires, interests and expectations from the product. Therefore, companies need to take into account differences in consumer requirements and expectations when developing a marketing strategy and marketing mix. This can be done by dividing the market into specific groups, each of which contains consumers with common characteristics and similar needs for certain goods and services. Identifying these groups is called market segmentation.

An enterprise in its activities can focus on the entire market or on individual market segments. The task of marketing is to help an enterprise find its place in the market.

Under segmentation understand the division of the market into separate segments that differ either in their parameters and or in their response to certain types of activities, or in some other way.

Market segment- this is a specially selected part of the market, a group of consumers, goods or enterprises that have some common characteristics.

Market segmentation is one of the functions in the system of marketing activities and is associated with the implementation of work to classify buyers or consumers of goods located on the market or introduced to it. Main goal of segmentation- “revive” by focusing on the consumer the designed, manufactured and sold flow of goods (services) in a specific market segment.

The division of the underlying market is carried out in two stages, which correspond to two levels of market division.

At the first stage, which is called macro-segmentation, the “product market” is identified.

In the second stage, called microsegmentation, consumer segments are identified within each previously identified market (i.e., selecting small areas of the base market to apply the company's marketing efforts to them).

The segmentation process consists of the following steps:

Analysis of the company's market and marketing capabilities

Study of segmentation criteria

Market segmentation

Market environment analysis and target market selection

Selection and planning of a company's behavior strategy in the market

Assessing attractiveness and selecting target market segments

Positioning of products on the market

Marketing mix planning

Development of a marketing mix

Organization of the company’s activities in a new market segment

Segmentation goals:

The best satisfaction of the needs and requirements of people, customization of goods according to the wishes of the buyer

Strengthening competitive advantages

Ensuring rationalization of costs for production and sales of products

Orientation of all marketing work towards a specific consumer

Linking a scientific and technical company with consumer needs

Avoiding competition by moving into an untapped segment.

Pre-segmentation– the initial stage of marketing research, focusing on studying the maximum possible number of market segments.

Final segmentation– 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. It is associated with the search for optimal market segments in order to position products there that meet consumer demand and the capabilities of the company.

Depending on the type of consumer of goods or services, a distinction is made between consumers of consumer goods and consumers of goods for industrial and technical purposes.

Thus, the consumer segment in a firm's product market consists of consumers with similar needs and behavioral or motivational characteristics, which creates favorable marketing opportunities for the firm.

The main goal of segmentation is to ensure targeting of the product being developed, produced and sold. By means of it, the basic principle of marketing is implemented - consumer orientation.

For the convenience of studying the material, we divide the market segmentation article into topics:

For segmentation of the consumer goods market (CPG), the main criteria (features) are:

Geographical,
demographic,
socio-economic,
psychographic.

Geographical characteristics include: the size of the region, population density and size, climatic conditions, administrative division (city, village), distance from the manufacturer’s enterprises. This criterion was used in practice earlier than others, which was determined by the need to determine the space of activity of the enterprise.

Demographic characteristics- age, gender of the consumer, size and life cycle of the family, number of children - refers to the most commonly used segmentation criteria. This is due to the availability of their characteristics, as well as the presence of a significant correlation between them and demand.

Market segmentation criteria

Market segmentation criteria are understood as signs by which consumers differ from each other or, conversely, can be combined into one group (segment).

All signs (criteria) of segmentation can be divided into five large groups::

Geographical;
demographic;
socio-economic;
psychographic;
technological.

Let's take a closer look at the segmentation criteria included in each of these groups.

Geographical criteria. The name of the group speaks for itself. These criteria determine the differences (similarities) between consumers based on geography.

Geographic criteria include:

Size of the region;
population density;
climatic conditions;
administrative division (region, city, village, etc.);
distance from the company’s central and regional warehouses.

Demographic characteristics.

This group of market segmentation criteria includes:

Age of consumers;
floor;
family size and structure, number of children.

Currently, demographic groups are usually distinguished into consumer groups such as children, youth, middle-aged people, large families, etc.

Socio-economic characteristics

This group of criteria is very extensive. These include, for example, the following:

Education;
income level;
position held;
professional affiliation;
living conditions.

Psychographic signs

If the above criteria are objective, then psychographic characteristics reflect the subjective attitude of consumers towards goods and services.

Psychographic criteria include:

Lifestyle (interests, organization of recreation);
personal qualities;
motives for purchasing behavior (orientation towards low prices, long product life, high quality, etc.);
reaction to innovation (innovators, conservatives, intermediate types of reaction).

Technological criteria

These criteria are applicable mainly for segmenting consumers of industrial products. These include:

Industries (transport, mechanical engineering, etc.) in which consumers work;
size of the consumer enterprise;
form of ownership of the consumer enterprise.

The main requirements for segmentation criteria are:

Possibility of measuring the value of this criterion under research conditions;
the ability to really differentiate consumers according to this criterion.

Consumers grouped according to this criterion should react in a similar way to the company's actions. In other words, segmentation according to this criterion should have a marketing meaning (for example, it hardly makes sense for an online store to segment buyers of educational literature according to the climatic conditions of the regions in which they live, but it makes direct sense to segment them according to their level of education and professional affiliation).

Signs of market segmentation

Segmentation feature- this is an indicator of the method of identifying a given segment in the market.

The main segmentation criteria include:

Segment capacity, on the basis of which the number of potential buyers is calculated, and, in accordance with this, the required production capacity;
- channels through which the distribution and sale of goods or services will be carried out, and which provide information on how to form a sales network;
- market stability, with the help of which it is possible to determine to what extent it is advisable to load the company’s capacity;
- profitability, reflecting the degree of profitability of the organization in a specific market segment;
- compatibility of the market segment with the market of the main competitors, on the basis of which one can make an assessment of the high or low potential of competitors, and also decide whether it is worth incurring additional costs, focusing on this segment;
- assessing the work experience of a certain (sales, production or engineering) in a certain market segment, as well as taking appropriate measures;
- competitiveness of the selected segment.

The main distinctive features of market segmentation by consumer categories are based on:

Geographies
- demographics
- psychographics
- behavioral criteria.

The main distinctive features of market segmentation by product groups are:

Price
- functional and technical characteristics

The main distinctive features of market segmentation by competing organizations:

- these are the quality characteristics of the product,
- its market promotion
- price and distribution channels.

The correct selection of the most effective market segment is carried out on the basis of a comprehensive study of all the results of assessing market segmentation by customers, products and competitors. All of these types of segmentation are complementary.

Services market segmentation

The basis of the entire planning system in market conditions is sales forecasting. Therefore, the first task of the company’s management is to determine in accordance with demand and only on the basis of an assessment of the sales market can one begin to plan the production and financial activities of the company.

In addition, the increasing role of state regulation of the social and labor sphere may be due to the strong influence of a number of non-economic factors, among which demographic processes are of particular importance.

In relation to the labor market, segmentation is the breakdown of the supply of labor and the demand for it into groups that respond equally to the same incentive for employment. The objects of segmentation can be employers, employees, and recruitment agencies.

The tasks of labor market segmentation may include:

Analysis of market opportunities, identification of existing labor supply and demand for it, assessment of prospects for the development of the labor market for the purpose of subsequent assessment of labor and forecasting demand for labor;
study of the labor market from the point of view of its quantitative and qualitative characteristics, as a result of which labor-scarce and labor-intensive geographic regions, population cohorts according to various age criteria, levels of professional and qualification training, persons in need of special employment promotion programs, and population groups can be identified with various motives for behavior in choice, attitude towards the processes of labor release, retraining and other processes in the field of employment;
carrying out employment policy measures, taking into account the interests of various groups of the population, including employed and unemployed, trade unions, employers, the state, municipalities and other public institutions; opportunities arise for ranking these activities, which is especially important when implementing employment policies in conditions of limited financial opportunities. General economic crisis;
development of programs for training and retraining of personnel, preservation and expansion of jobs, geographic mobility, development of methods for stimulating labor and demand for labor;
positioning in target labor markets, for example, labor markets of a specific city, town, certain professions, economic sectors, etc.;
stimulating the activity of a certain contingent of workers.

As in conventional product markets, different approaches to segmentation are possible in the labor market. Single segmentation focuses on a specific market segment (searching for workers in certain professions for specific industries with specific characteristics of the workforce) and forms the basis of targeted marketing. Marketing strategies target a specific, well-defined group of employers through a highly specialized marketing program. There is one salary range, tailored to one group of employees. Multiple segmentation is aimed at two or more clearly defined groups of employers and is associated with taking into account the distinctive features for individual groups: young professionals, women, etc. Based on these traits, marketing plans targeting each segment are developed.

Finally, mass marketing assumes that the main goal in the labor market is to maximize employment and reduce the number of unemployed. The target market here is a wide range of consumers-employers who have a demand for labor in mass professions.

Since the reproduction of the labor force is carried out primarily in a territorial aspect, the regional segmentation of the labor market plays a decisive role in the study of the structure of labor supply. In this regard, segments such as relatively prosperous areas, backward (agriculturally stagnating), areas of new industrial development, etc. are distinguished.

In each such segment, a specific system of external factors develops that influence the level and structure of the workforce, such as:

Ethnocultural, influencing the gender and age characteristics of the involvement of the working population in social reproduction, the intensity of demographic reproduction processes, the quality of labor potential, etc.;
regional-economic, determining trends in the location of productive forces, development of natural resources, economic potential and the degree of development of social, everyday and socio-cultural infrastructures, etc.;
socio-political, related to the retonal policy of the state, the allocation of priority development territories and free economic zones, investment policy, and the implementation of social programs;
natural and climatic, etc.

In accordance with this, relatively prosperous, economically developed areas become an object of attraction for migration flows; on the other hand, they are distinguished by intense anthropogenic pressure on the natural environment, low intensity, and in some cases degradation of demo-reproduction processes and, in connection with this, a deterioration in the age-sex structure of the population and a decrease in the psychophysiological parameters of labor potential, as a result of which the proportion of marginalized people in its structure increases contingents that are not sufficiently competitive in the labor market.

Agrarian-reversing regions are characterized by a low level and pace of industrial and social development, traditionally high birth rates, which form powerful demographic pressure on the labor market, low quality of educational training, and a decrease for a number of reasons in the psychophysiological parameters of labor potential, which causes an increase in forced unemployment of the working population, especially young people , entering working age, and the associated increase in social tension. Interethnic conflicts and forced migration outflow of non-indigenous people.

In addition, when segmenting the regional labor market, the structure of settlement should be considered (urban, suburban and rural population, agglomeration connections, the intensity of pendulum migration, expanding the territorial boundaries of the labor market). Within the region, there are megacities, mono-industrial (single-industry) cities, old, medium-sized cities with unclear specialization, so-called urban-type settlements, and rural settlements. In the composition of the labor market in rural areas, it is useful to distinguish between non-agricultural and agricultural.

Each of these groups may have specific characteristics of demo-reproductive behavior, respectively, a gender and age structure, a different degree, for example, of employment of able-bodied women in social production, and a different quality of labor potential. On the other hand, labor mobility determines its migration. Including seasonal, and makes the intra-country (national) and global labor markets a reality. There are also macro-regional (inter-country) labor markets, for example, the de facto common market of the CIS (due to the visa-free regime, the real language of interethnic communication, and established traditions).

The segmentation of the labor market is not limited to regional characteristics. Already at the regional level, it is influenced by factors such as the socio-demographic structure of the population, the level and structure of employment of the economically active population and the professional and qualification structure of the hired workforce, which ultimately shapes the supply in the labor market. Consideration of the gender and age structure of the identified settlement groups makes it possible to determine within their framework such segments that form the labor supply as young people entering working age, the working age population, persons with limited working ability and socially unprotected people, persons of pre-retirement and retirement age. These groups are characterized by varying degrees of participation in social production, the need to implement targeted social policies towards them, etc.

In some cases, segmentation by ethnicity is of interest. Where certain traditions of labor behavior and specialization are associated with this. Changing ethnic composition of the population and labor force leads to new aspects on the labor supply side. For example, the emigration of the Russian-speaking population from various CIS republics led to the loss of key personnel in industry, science, education, and medicine; Serious problems for Russia and other post-Soviet countries are caused by the emigration of Jews and Germans. Immigration into a country increases the overall supply of labor and increases competition in the labor market.

The considered classification and structuring of labor resources is objective; it is a classification “from below”. Along with it, structuring “from above”, from the point of view of employers and their requirements, is of utmost importance for the segmentation of the labor market.

First of all, employers themselves can be conditionally divided into groups with different not only labor requirements, but also the ability to compete in attracting exactly the kind of personnel they need:

Enterprises that produce products that are in demand, competitive and paid for by consumers and, accordingly, have successful financial and economic results;
enterprises producing uncompetitive products, in relation to which procedures may be launched;
trying to adapt to the market situation, draw up and implement a business plan for the financial recovery of the enterprise, they occupy an intermediate position between the first and second groups;
a special group that includes state and municipal enterprises, as well as joint-stock companies and limited liability companies (usually with shares in), the products of which are socially significant, competitive, but the demand for it is insolvent - enterprises of the electric power industry, coal industry, municipal transport , railway passenger transportation and other industries that are subsidized and/or have unpaid government orders;
agricultural large-scale commercial farms.

It makes sense to segment employers by behavioral factors. Recruitment agencies are interested in this classification, in relation to which employers act as clients. Factors taken into account may include: the regularity of attracting new employees in the direction of the employment service; requirements for candidates for a vacant position; degree of commitment to the service brand (i.e. to this agency), etc.

Segmentation of the professional structure of labor supply can be carried out by distinguishing the following groups:

Professions of highly qualified, creative and intellectual work, the demand for which is growing;
mass cross-cutting professions of cross-industry application and stable demand, the need for which is determined by trends in the economy;
unattractive professions of heavy, unskilled manual and hazardous labor that do not meet the socio-cultural and psychophysiological requirements of the modern workforce, which until now have been characterized by an acute shortage of personnel and low quality of labor potential;
professions for which production demand is falling as a result of structural and technological restructuring, which forces displaced workers to undergo retraining;
low-prestige and low-paid professions.

Like physical goods, goods traded in the labor market can be classified according to the time parameter depending on the type of contract:

“long-term use”, when concluding unlimited terms; More often than not, these are workers of the so-called primary labor market; subsequently, some of them may form the core personnel of the company; they have some advantages in drawing up employment agreements and in income; in order to terminate an employment contract with them at the initiative of the administration, a number of procedures must be followed, including compensation payments for staff reductions;
“limited period of use”, with the conclusion of a contract for a period of one to several years; such a system is traditional for the field of science and higher education, but in recent years it has spread very widely, as it provides the employer with greater freedom of action; at the same time, the considerations in favor of long-term ones, set out in the previous paragraph, are ignored and not even very perceived in accordance with the established and very typical belief that “we don’t have irreplaceable people”
“temporary use” - temporary workers, part-time workers, pensioners (contracts with them can be renewed annually), seasonal workers
“one-time services” related to the conclusion of paid services, etc.

The classification by type of demand correlates with the classification considered:

Labor force of constant demand is attracted often, without much hesitation and with minimal search efforts (junior service personnel, workers of mass professions);
pre-selection workforce, carried out through questionnaires, testing, interviews. Competitive selection, assessment and comparison between candidates, but in terms of professional suitability (highly qualified workers, senior managers, consultants, scientists);
labor force of special demand - people who have specific knowledge and skills, experience, to attract which employers are willing to spend extra effort and money: experienced real estate specialists, experienced accountants, auditors, leading designers, technologists, personal security guards;
passive demand labor force - categories of workers about whom the employer is not always informed or aware, but usually does not think about hiring them: advertising and advertising specialists, safety engineers, public relations managers.

Target market segmentation

Target segment- This is a homogeneous group of consumers in the company's target market with similar needs and purchasing habits in relation to the company's product.

Identifying target markets is one of the key tasks of marketing. Aggregated (mass), differentiated and concentrated (focused) approaches are possible. In the last two cases, the procedure of market segmentation, selection of target segments and positioning is carried out. The target market allows the marketing efforts of the enterprise to be targeted.

Marketing efforts using the “watering can” principle are addressed to the entire market in order to attract the attention of potential consumers to the company’s products. Marketing efforts based on the “funnel” principle allow you to concentrate all attention on the target market segment, achieving the maximum effect on sales, market share and consumer attitudes towards the company’s products. Aggregate marketing is used when a company can ignore differences in segments and appeal to the entire market at once. It focuses on the common needs of all consumers and tries to maximize sales of consumer goods.

In this case, the company develops marketing strategies and tactics that are attractive to the largest possible number of consumers. Marketing costs are relatively small. There is no need to conduct in-depth market research. As a rule, mass distribution, mass advertising, etc. are used.

Differentiated marketing does not focus on the entire market, but on several segments with different requirements. The main marketing efforts are focused on product differentiation, price, distribution, incentives, etc. With this approach, when the variety of products, methods of selling them, etc. increases, the enterprise penetrates deeper into the needs of various consumer groups, better satisfies them, and seeks to strengthen its position in the market. At the same time, marketing costs increase, which is associated with the development of an assortment, conducting marketing research, variety of advertising, complication of the sales process, etc.

Concentrated marketing adapts as much as possible to the requirements of individual specific target consumer groups. This approach is especially attractive for further market penetration in order to attract new consumers when the main segments are saturated, a competitive situation has developed, and further market capture is limited.

The company better understands the characteristics and requirements of the selected target market segment and enjoys great popularity in it. The enterprise’s task is not so much to maximize product sales, but to achieve stability, sufficient market share, consumer commitment, etc.

Segmentation reveals the potential capabilities of a company in the market. The company then selects the most attractive segment or segments that should serve as the target of the marketing strategy to achieve the desired results.

Market Coverage Options

A firm can use one of three strategies to reach a market: undifferentiated marketing, differentiated marketing, and concentrated marketing. The arrows in the figure mean that the company has developed a marketing mix - a marketing mix aimed at a specific segment or market as a whole. The marketing mix was developed based on research into the entire market or a specific segment.

Purpose of market segmentation

Main goal of segmentation- ensure targeting of the product being developed, produced and sold. Through it, the basic principle of marketing is implemented - consumer orientation.

Market segmentation makes it possible to increase the efficiency of means and methods of advertising, price regulation, and the forms and methods of sale used. Its meaning lies in the fact that the enterprise does not scatter, but concentrates its efforts on the “direction of the main blow” (the most promising segment for it).

Thus, market segmentation is, on the one hand, a method for finding parts of the market and identifying objects (primarily consumers) to which the marketing activities of an enterprise are directed. On the other hand, it is a management approach to the enterprise’s decision-making process in the market, the basis for choosing the right combination of elements of marketing complexes.

Marketing practice shows that market segmentation:

* allows you to satisfy the needs of customers for a variety of goods to the maximum extent;
* ensures rationalization and optimization of enterprise costs for the development, production and sale of goods;
* helps to develop an effective marketing strategy based on analysis and understanding of the behavior of potential buyers;
* contributes to the establishment of realistic and achievable goals for the company; goal necessity market segmentation
* makes it possible to improve the level of decisions made, providing them with justification by information about the behavior of buyers in the market at the present time and forecasts of their behavior in the future;
* ensures increased competitiveness of both the product and the company;
* allows you to evade or reduce the degree of competition by moving to an untapped market segment;
* involves linking the company’s scientific and technical policy with the needs of clearly identified specific consumers.

Market segmentation is undoubtedly one of the most important marketing tools. Success in competition depends on how correctly it is carried out. However, segmentation is not a purely mechanical process. To be effective, it must first be carried out on certain grounds.

Market Segmentation Strategies

There are three types of strategies:

1) undifferentiated;
2) differentiated;
3) concentrated.

An undifferentiated marketing strategy is a firm's strategy that focuses on the common interests and preferences of customers, rather than on differences in needs and attitudes. The goal is to develop products and marketing programs that can satisfy the maximum possible number of customers. In other words, the company's goal is achieved by finding a compromise line. The company adheres to standardization and mass production of goods. This strategy is significantly economical. However, it is not recommended for use by enterprises in the same industry, since fierce competition may arise in large segments.

A differentiated marketing strategy is a company's strategy that simultaneously targets several market segments with the development of separate offers. This strategy more fully reflects the market situation, and, therefore, provides large sales volumes and a low level of risk. On the other hand, large investments, production and management costs are required, therefore the differentiated marketing strategy is feasible mainly for large companies.

A concentrated marketing strategy is a strategy for concentrating a firm's efforts on one or more profitable market segments. It is especially attractive in cases where the enterprise’s resources are quite limited. This strategy is preferable for small and medium-sized companies. It consists in offering one or more products to the market, which are accompanied by targeted marketing programs. At the same time, it is necessary to pay great attention to the reputation of your company, the prestige of your product, carry out constant analysis of selected segments, monitor the dynamics of market share, and also take measures to prevent the emergence of new competitors.

The main arguments in favor of market segmentation are:

1) the ability to provide a better understanding of not only the needs and requirements of customers, but also knowledge of your potential or actual consumer “in person” (personal characteristics, motives for behavior in the market, etc.); result - the product better meets market requirements;
2) the possibility of better understanding the nature of competition;
3) the emergence of the possibility of concentrating limited resources and organizational capabilities in more profitable areas of their use;
4) studying the most promising buyers;
5) the ability to take into account the characteristics of various market segments.

Principles of market segmentation

There is no single method of market segmentation. The marketer needs to try segmentation options based on different variables, one or more at a time, in an attempt to find the most useful approach.

The most commonly used principles are:

1) segmentation on a geographical basis;
2) segmentation based on demographic principles;
3) segmentation based on psychographic principles;
4) segmentation based on behavioral principles.

1. Segmentation by geography

Geographic segmentation involves dividing the market into different geographical units: states, states, regions, counties, cities, communities.

A firm may decide to act:

1) in one or more geographical areas;
2) in all areas, but taking into account differences in needs and preferences determined by geography.

Some firms further break down large cities into smaller geographic areas.

2. Segmentation based on demographics

Demographic segmentation involves dividing the market into groups based on demographic variables such as gender, age, family size, stage of the family life cycle, income level, occupation, education, religious belief, race and nationality. Demographic variables are the most popular factors that serve as the basis for different consumer groups. Demographic characteristics are easier to measure than most other types of variables.

How exactly certain demographic variables are used to segment markets.

A) Age and stages of the family life cycle. The needs and capabilities of buyers change with age. Even a 6-month-old child already differs in his consumption potential, and yet the variables of age and stage of the family life cycle may be unreliable.
b) Gender. Segmentation based on gender has long been applied to clothing, hair care products, cosmetics and magazines.
c) Income level. Another ancient technique of dividing the market in relation to such goods and services as cars, boats, clothing, cosmetics and travel.
d) Segmentation according to several demographic parameters. Most firms segment the market based on a combination of 2 or more demographic variables (for example, a boarding house takes care of blind people, takes care of maintaining their psychological state, provides vocational training).

3. Segmentation based on psychographic principles

In psychographic segmentation, buyers are divided into groups based on social class, lifestyle, or personality characteristics:

A) Social class. Affiliation affects a person’s preferences regarding cars, clothing, household supplies, and leisure activities.
b) Lifestyle. Lifestyle influences people's interest in certain products. Retailers of branded and generic goods are increasingly segmenting markets along lifestyle lines. And if the company does not announce to representatives what lifestyle the product is intended for.
c) Personality type. Personality variables are also used by sellers as a basis for market segmentation. Manufacturers give their products personal characteristics that match the personal characters of consumers.

4. Behavioral segmentation

When segmenting based on behavioral characteristics, buyers are divided into groups depending on knowledge, attitudes, nature of use of the product and reaction to this product:

A) Reasons for making a purchase. Buyers can be differentiated based on whether they have an idea, make a purchase, or use a product. Occasion-based segmentation can help firms increase product usage.
b) Benefits sought. One effective form of segmentation is to classify buyers based on the benefits they seek in a product.

Benefit-based segmentation requires identifying the core benefits that people expect from a particular product class, the types of consumers seeking each of those core benefits, and the core brands that share some degree of those benefits. There are 4 segments by variety: economy, medicinal effect, cosmetic effect, taste. The audience of each segment had demographic, behavioral and psychographic characteristics unique to it.
c) User status. Many markets can be divided into segments of non-users, former users, potential users, first-time users and regular users.
Large companies seeking to gain a large market share are especially interested in attracting potential users, while smaller companies are trying to gain regular users for their brand.
d) Intensity of consumption. Markets can also be divided into groups of weak and active consumers of the product. Heavy users often make up a small portion of the market, but they account for a large percentage of total product consumption.
Be able to: active consumers of goods, general demographic and psychographic characteristics, as well as general adherence to advertising media.
Public marketing organizations often face the dilemma of the active consumer in their work.
e) Degree of commitment. Market segmentation can be carried out according to the degree of consumer commitment to the product.
1) Unconditional adherents. These are consumers who buy the same brand of product all the time.
2) Tolerant adherents. These are consumers who are committed to 2-3 brands
3) Fickle followers. These are consumers who transfer soybean preferences from one product brand to another.
4) Wanderers. These are consumers who are not loyal to any branded product. Scheme of purchasing behavior. Suggests that we are dealing with a non-commitment consumer who either buys any brand currently available or wants to buy something different from the existing range.
Any market consists of different numerical combinations of buyers of these four types. Brand loyalty market. This is a market in which a larger percentage of buyers demonstrate unconditional loyalty to one of the brands available in it.

E) The degree of buyer readiness to perceive the product.
At any given point in time, people are in varying degrees of readiness to purchase a product. Some of them are not aware of the product at all, others are aware, others are informed about it, and others are interested; the fifth ones want it, the sixth ones intend to buy it.
g) Attitude to the product. The market audience may be enthusiastic, positive, indifferent, negative or hostile towards the product. The more clearly relationships can be identified with demographic variables, the more effective an organization can be in reaching its best prospects.

Basic principles for segmenting industrial markets

The customer is a segmented market variable.

A) Large customers. Each is serviced by a separate division headed by a national manager who manages the sales tokens.
b) Customers served through dealers.

Smaller customers are served by the company's sales staff directly in sales areas, working in close contact with dealers - holders of privileges to trade goods.

Concept of market segmentation

The basis of the planning system in market conditions is sales forecasting. Therefore, an important task for the company’s management is to determine the sales volume in accordance with demand, and only on the basis of an assessment of the sales market can one begin to plan the production and financial activities of the company.

Market assessment- a set of activities aimed at researching the trade and marketing activities of an enterprise and studying all the factors influencing the production process and promotion of goods from manufacturer to consumer. The market, as a rule, is formed by groups of consumers with completely different needs and desires. Every company realizes that its products cannot appeal to all customers. Therefore, with the help of marketing, a sales market segment is determined based on information about potential consumers, regions in which there is demand, prices that buyers are willing to pay for goods, distribution channels, and competition.

Market segmentation- the main method of marketing, with the help of which the company divides it, taking into account the results of the analysis according to certain characteristics, into certain consumer segments. It is carried out for the subsequent identification of target segments that require a different approach in the strategy for developing new types of products, organizing promotion and distribution.

Market segmentation strategy allows the company, taking into account its strengths and weaknesses when choosing marketing methods, to choose those that will ensure the concentration of resources in those areas of activity where the company has maximum advantages. The size of an enterprise's share in a particular market is the most important factor in its commercial success. An increase in market share is accompanied by an increase in the company's profit share (an increase in market share by 10% ensures an increase in profit margin by an average of 5%).

There are two traditional approaches to developing a segmentation strategy:

Start with a study of the current status of traditional types of products, identifying actual and potential consumers and the differences in their attitudes towards new types of goods;
start by developing an idea of ​​what variables characterize a particular consumer segment.

A segment is defined as a group of people who have the same need for these products and are characterized by approximately the same gender, age, level of wealth and other biosocial characteristics.

Market segment- this is a part of it, formed according to the criteria of consumer preference, or a set of consumers who react equally to the same set of marketing incentives.

Market segmentation- the division of consumers into groups based on differences in needs, characteristics or behavior that may require specific products or marketing mixes to serve them.

In market segmentation, companies subdivide large, heterogeneous markets into smaller segments that can be effectively targeted with products and services based on specific consumer preferences. Because each buyer's needs are specific, each buyer can potentially be considered a separate market. Therefore, the seller should ideally develop a separate offer for each. However, more often than not, firms offering consumer goods prefer to mass produce one product for all customers - mass marketing. Compared to mass marketing, segmented marketing provides consumers with additional benefits.

The firm seeks to target specific market segments by tailoring its market offerings to meet the needs of consumers in one or more market segments. By targeting its products, distribution channels, and consumer programs toward those customers it can best serve, a company will be more effective in the marketplace.

Typically market segments- These are large groups of consumers that can be easily identified in a specific market. Marketing at the market niche level focuses on subgroups that exist within those segments. Niche- this is a narrowly defined group of consumers obtained as a result of dividing a segment into sub-segments or identifying groups of consumers with pronounced characteristics. The assumption is that a niche firm has deeply studied its customers and can satisfy their needs so effectively that they are willing to pay higher prices for the company's products and services. Occupying a niche means that small firms can withstand competition by focusing limited resources on serving narrow market niches that are not of interest to competitors.

An in-depth study of the market presupposes the need to consider it as a differentiated structure depending on consumer groups and consumer properties of the product, which broadly defines the concept of market segmentation.

Market segmentation is, on the one hand, a method for finding parts of the market and determining the objects to which the marketing activities of enterprises are directed. On the other hand, it is a management approach to the enterprise’s decision-making process in the market, the basis for choosing the right combination of marketing elements. Segmentation is carried out with the aim of maximizing consumer satisfaction in various products, as well as rationalizing the manufacturer’s costs for developing a production program, releasing and selling goods. Market segmentation can allow a company to maximize unit profits rather than total revenues by targeting a specific segment.

Market segmentation and positioning

Practical positioning - establishing how these products differ from similar products of competitors. The difference is determined using a “map” of the competitive position in the coordinates of attributes that are significant for the consumer.

Typically, product positioning is done using maps divided into 4 quadrants (Fig.). The sales value of each product can be expressed by the area of ​​the corresponding circle.

A typical example of product positioning taking into account consumer clusters

Positioning- this is a set of measures thanks to which in the minds of target consumers this product takes its own place in relation to other similar products.

The position of a product on the market consists of three components:

The first is the choice of positioning attribute, i.e. some usefulness of the product for the client, which can become an emotional reason for his purchase from this company;
- secondly, positioning is carried out for the selected target segment, since for different audiences the most attractive positioning attributes will be different;
- thirdly, positioning must take into account the position of competitors who offer products for the same target segment.

The basic principles of positioning can be formulated as follows:

Be consistent in using the chosen position, sticking to the direction once chosen, and do not change the position for a long time. In this case, clients will know and appreciate the company. The components of a position may change from time to time, but not the position itself; otherwise the company will disorient clients;
- Every day people perceive a huge amount of information - written and oral. With such an influx of information, it is very important that the company’s position is presented to clients in an accessible and simple manner, but at the same time expressive and original. If the company's position is simple and expressive, this will help to concentrate on the advantages of the enterprise;
- all components of the business, including decisions about the range of goods and services offered, about customer service personnel, about advertising methods, and distribution methods, must consistently express the chosen position.

The positioning attribute is the key advantage of a product that allows the consumer to satisfy his needs in the best possible way, distinguishes this product from competitors' products and is a source of motivation for his purchases.

From the buyer's point of view, the characteristics of the product do not yet constitute the benefit received from purchasing the product. To convince the buyer that purchasing this particular product will be useful, you need to show that only a product with such characteristics can satisfy one or another of his needs. You can select a key advantage for positioning a company based on a multi-attribute product model. The key advantage that persuades customers to purchase must be plausible and provided by objectively existing characteristics of the product.

Selecting an attribute for positioning begins with identifying the nature and potential of the segments and benefits. Consumers will unite into groups (clusters) based on the benefits they expect to receive from using a product or service (figure).

Considering positioning based on quality creates high expectations for the use of the product. Consumers develop expectations based on past experiences, the price they paid, and other factors. In this case, need satisfaction depends on the difference between the service that consumers expect to receive from the product and the service that they actually received. A product is assessed as very good if it exceeds such expectations. The difficulty is that every positive experience creates an expectation of even better quality in the future. Consequently, the ability to pleasantly surprise and satisfy the consumer decreases as such expectations are created, and the chances of unpleasantly surprising and disappointing the consumer increase.

Market segmentation process

To plan and implement market segmentation, you must first define the objectives of the segmentation analysis.

At the same time, “control questions” are formed that make it possible to identify the target settings of the market analysis:

1. What are the market segments to which the company’s products can be targeted.
2. What is the difference between “new” segments and traditional buyers?
3. What is the capacity of potential target markets for the products?
4. What is the potential profitability of serving these markets?
5. How are these segments defined (names, size, key socio-economic variables) characterizing their condition.
6. What are the specific features of individual segments?
7. What is the geography of potential consumers?
8. How much money should be allocated to develop various markets now and in the future?
9. What market segments are competitors competing for?
10. What unique niche (competitive advantage) can the enterprise take advantage of?
11. What previous market segmentation research can be used?
12. How useful are previously developed market segmentation strategies?
13. Who are the main consumers of your products and services?
14. What technical characteristics and features of the product attract consumers?
15. What are the alternative strategic and tactical decisions in the field of marketing organization?
16. Do your products and services meet the needs of the market segment, do the products need modification?
17. How can you further stimulate demand in your target market?
18. What is the sensitivity of the main market segments to changes?
19. What is the role of distribution channels for this market?
20. How should we record and monitor consumer behavior to determine the effectiveness of a marketing strategy?

Not every market can be segmented.

There are four key factors to consider that determine the effectiveness of subsequent market segmentation:

Possibility of comparative assessment of the market relative to other markets, measurability and identification of the market.
The identified promising market must be large enough to distinguish at least two types of consumer behavior. The selected segments must be sufficiently capacious so that the program for developing targeted marketing designed for these segments takes on real meaning.
The existence of sales promotion tools suitable for influencing potentially existing market segments.
Consumer responsiveness to external influences. Will prospects respond to your marketing initiatives?

Preliminary market research should confirm that there are real needs of this group of customers for specific goods produced by the enterprise.

Market segments should be formed in accordance with the following criteria:

1. Homogeneity of consumers assigned to each segment. Consumers entering the segment must meet a reference set of characteristics. Given the similarity in the socio-economic characteristics of customers, similarities in their purchasing behavior can be predicted.
2. Consistent differences between segments. Segments must be significantly different from each other and have their own unique motivations for purchasing a product, the identification and accounting of which should be the goal of a marketing specialist.
3. Sufficiently large segment sizes. Extreme fragmentation of markets (having too many mini markets) is expensive and can lead to an ineffective marketing strategy.
4. Completeness of information about each identified segment. The data collected during segmentation analysis should be of practical interest to the manufacturer and easily converted into an effective marketing strategy.
5. Segmentation can be carried out on the basis of “physical” (i.e. geographical, demographic, socio-economic characteristics) or behavioral characteristics.

The main directions for using market segments to develop a marketing strategy are as follows:

Selection and assessment of the market for the enterprise's products. A segment is measured by such criteria as size (quantitative components of its consumers), growth dynamics, consumer spending per thousand people, degree of saturation with a given product, level of competition, level of offer of product modifications, etc. Each of these indicators will help highlight the most promising segment.
Assessing the level of competition. Special research is undertaken to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the company's competitors in each segment.
Development of new products. Comparison of available resources with the needs of the market segment (in dynamics) will help to identify reserves of demand and determine directions for the development of new types of products.
Determination of consumer preference.

The better the market segmentation, the more accurately market research and advertising programs can be focused and avoid wasting time and money on those segments that do not have sufficient potential for a given product.

When forming a product range, it should be taken into account that an alternative to market segmentation is differentiation of manufactured products.

The effectiveness of segmentation is especially high under the following conditions:

Large market sizes
low sensitivity of consumers to differences in products,
reaching the saturation stage in the life cycle of a manufactured product,
a large number of competitors.

If market segmentation provides starting points for creating a product, then product positioning includes a whole range of marketing elements (product, pricing, service and advertising policies), through which it is necessary to convince consumers that, unlike other products, your product is created for them. This set of marketing elements represents the concept of marketing mix.

Types of market segmentation

Market segmentation requires a detailed study of the consumer's requirements for the product, as well as knowledge of the characteristics of the purchasing motivations of the consumers themselves.

Segmentation is divided into the following types depending on its nature and the type of consumer of the product (service).

1. Depending on the nature of segmentation:

1) macro-segmentation - dividing markets by region, country, and their degree;
2) micro-segmentation - the formation of consumer groups of one country (region) according to more detailed characteristics (criteria);
3) segmentation in depth - the segmentation process begins with a wide group of consumers, and then it is gradually deepened (narrowed) depending on the classification of end consumers of any group of goods (services); for example, cars, cars, luxury cars;
4) segmentation in breadth - the segmentation process begins with a narrow group of consumers and gradually expands depending on the scope and use of the product (service); for example, skates for professional athletes, skates for amateurs, skates for youth;
5) preliminary segmentation – study of the maximum possible market segments;
6) final segmentation – the final stage of market research; here the most optimal market segments for the company are determined, in which it will further develop its market strategy.

2. Depending on the type of consumers:

1) the process of segmenting consumers of consumer goods (services);
2) segmentation of consumers of goods for industrial and technical purposes;
3) segmentation of consumers of two types of goods.

However, in practice, each type of market segmentation is not used separately. As a rule, market marketers use a combination of these types when analyzing.

Real estate market segmentation

Specific segments of the real estate market are characterized by the type of property use, location, income potential, typical tenant characteristics, investment motivation and other characteristics recognized in the real estate exchange process. In turn, real estate markets are influenced by a variety of social, economic, governmental and environmental factors.

Analyzing market trends and price dynamics requires market segmentation.

Main segments of the real estate market:

Depending on the object (market of land plots, buildings and structures);
depending on the purpose and use of the property (office building market, residential real estate market, warehouse real estate market, multifunctional real estate market);
depending on the ability to generate income (income and non-income real estate market);
depending on the type of transactions (rental market and sales market);
primary and secondary market.

The real estate market has a complex structure. You need to target different market segments:

By property type(residential, office, industrial, warehouse, multifunctional real estate), all types of which have a common feature - according to their functional purpose, they are intended to conduct a specific business. Examples of such properties are hotels, restaurants, bars, sports complexes, dance halls, etc. The value of this type of property can be assessed in terms of its commercial potential.
By different regions(for example, regions with persistently high employment, regions with newly emerged high employment, regions with cyclical employment, regions with traditionally low employment, and regions with newly emerging low employment).
By instruments in real estate (the market for pre-emptive rights, the market for mixed debt obligations, the market for mortgages, equity, etc.).

The structuring of the real estate market, its classification according to certain criteria is determined by the goals of the analysis, depending on which the priorities and significance attached to one or another parameter under consideration change. For example, it is advisable for potential investors to classify the real estate market depending on the investment instruments used.

The appraiser, in addition to the above market structure, needs to classify real estate according to the degree of readiness:

Finished objects;
objects requiring reconstruction or major repairs;
unfinished objects.

The real estate market is divided into segments based on the purpose of the property and its attractiveness to various market participants. The segments, in turn, are divided into submarkets according to the preferences of buyers and sellers, which are influenced by social, economic, governmental and environmental factors. The study of real estate market segments is carried out according to parameters such as location, competition, as well as supply and demand, which relate to the general conditions of the real estate market.

The division of the real estate market into separate segments is carried out in accordance with the prevailing needs of market participants, investment motivation, location, period of actual operation of the object, physical characteristics, design, and real estate zoning features.

The principles of object classification, which form the basis for the segmentation of real estate markets, are subordinated to the specific objectives of the valuation procedure and require comprehensive consideration of the characteristics of the property being valued.

Depending on the purpose (direction of use) of the property, the market can be divided into five segments:

1. Residential real estate (apartment, single-family houses, apartments and rooms).
2. Commercial real estate (office, retail, industrial, retail, warehouse buildings, hotels, restaurants).
3. Industrial real estate (industrial enterprises, research institute buildings).
4. Undeveloped land plots for various purposes (urban lands, agricultural and hunting lands, nature reserves, mineral development zones).
5. Special purpose real estate (objects that have restrictions on their use due to the specific design characteristics, for example churches, airports, prisons, etc.).

Depending on the condition of the land, the real estate market can be divided into:

1. Developed land plots.
2. Undeveloped land plots suitable for subsequent development.
3. Undeveloped land plots not suitable for subsequent development.

Depending on the nature of the utility of real estate (its ability to generate income), they are divided into:

1. Profitable real estate.
2. Conditionally profitable real estate.
3. Non-income real estate.

Depending on the degree of representation of objects:

1. Unique objects.
2. Rare objects.
3. Widespread objects.

Depending on the economic activity of the regions:

1. Active real estate markets.
2. Passive real estate markets. Depending on the degree of readiness:
1. Undeveloped land plots.
2. Ready-made objects.
3. Unfinished construction projects.
4. Facilities in need of reconstruction.

Each of the listed real estate markets, in turn, can be divided into specialized submarkets. Submarkets are segmented in accordance with consumer preferences in relation to the price of real estate, complexity of management, amount of income, degree of wear and tear, environment, narrower specialization, etc. Thus, the agricultural real estate market can be divided into markets for pastures, livestock farms, forest lands, arable land, gardens and pastures for cattle.

The process of identifying a specific entity within a larger market is called segmentation. The process of market segmentation usually consists of separating the property being valued into a separate subclass in accordance with the identified characteristics of the property being valued.

The submarket is divided into smaller segments as a result of different preferences of buyers and sellers regarding size, design, price range, location, etc.

Real estate appraisers study the geographical, demographic, socio-economic, psychological and industrial characteristics of the real estate market in the context of the general economic and regional situation.

Segmentation of the tourism market

This is the division of the market into parts (segments), which are characterized by common consumer requirements. Any of these segments can be chosen as the target market. Segmentation of the tourism market can provide answers to questions about the behavior, interests, beliefs, perceptions, values ​​and needs of representatives of each segment.

The most common is the geographical criterion. Segments based on this criterion are tourists traveling long distances to relax at a resort; regional visitors (tourists who live within the region where a given tour center is located and can arrive there within four hours) and tourists who are local residents. Proximity of a destination is an important factor: generally, the closer a destination is to its target market, the greater the likelihood of attracting large numbers of visitors. To develop a tour center, tour organizations usually send advertising messages to residents of large settlements located nearby.

Self-absorbed pleasure seeker;
- active and purposeful personality;
-representative of business circles;
- “blue collar”;
-traditional homebody.

Business personality. Has more free time at his disposal to buy a second home and an expensive vacation, in contrast to an active, purposeful person. But she prefers to move short distances and is less mobile, since she has a permanent place of residence and an established family. Reader of business magazines, newspapers, viewer of brief news reports, special television programs about travel and nature.

"Blue Collar" Live in small towns or on the outskirts of large cities and have strong beliefs about social values ​​(a sense of patriotism, morality and the need for hard work). An excellent vacation is considered to be a vacation with the family in tents. They love hunting and fishing. Of all television sports programs, football is preferred.

Carrying out segmentation, tourism enterprises identify groups of clients united by certain characteristics. Each market segment must have a specific tourism offer. This approach allows not only to satisfy existing demand, but also to adjust it.

International market segmentation

As the global economy increases, the possibilities for creating demand for universal goods increase, which entails the need for segmentation at the international and even global level. Its purpose is to identify groups of buyers in different countries and/or regions with the same expectations and requirements for products, despite cultural and national differences. These segments, even if small in each country, can generally represent very attractive opportunities for an international firm.

Identification of supranational segments.

International market segmentation can be defined as the process of identifying specific segments of potential consumers as a group of countries or groups of individual buyers with homogeneous attributes who are likely to exhibit similar purchasing behavior.

There are three different approaches to international segmentation:

1. identification of clusters of countries with demand for similar goods;
2. identification of segments present in all or many countries;
3. reaching different segments in different countries with the same product (Takeuchi and Porter, 1987, pp. 138-140).

Segment the international market by group of countries.

The first, simplest option for international segmentation is to address a group of countries that are economically and culturally homogeneous. Many products do not require significant modifications for each country and are quite compatible with the expectations of buyers from countries with similar climatic, linguistic, infrastructural, commercial and information conditions.

This is, for example, the situation in the Scandinavian countries or German-speaking countries of Europe, in some Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, in North America and in the countries of Southeast Asia. Naturally, some adaptation remains necessary to accommodate cultural differences.

This approach, however, has three significant limitations:

(a) it is based on country characteristics rather than buyer-specific variables;
(b), it assumes high homogeneity within the selected countries, which is rarely the case;
(c) it neglects the possibility of homogeneous consumer segments extending beyond the selected countries.

As regionalism develops in Europe, this segmentation option becomes less and less satisfactory. Indeed, with the disappearance of European borders, an increasing number of firms are redefining their geographic market, moving away from countries and emphasizing natural areas of commercial interest.

Sell ​​to supranational, or universal, segments.

The findings of the study should be summarized in a client position report. This report also contains processed statistics about the groups existing in the market. Conventional market research techniques regarding segmentation can be used to attack the consumer market. This would include both demographic and psychographic variables. As a first step, the bank could stratify its accounts using customer demographics and bank data such as rates on transactions to determine whether those accounts are profitable. Generally, high deposit rates and low transaction rates accounts are very profitable, as are heavily leveraged accounts. Non-profitable accounts include accounts with high transaction rates.

The segmentation of competing banks and other financial and credit institutions should be based on the following information:

Financial position;
size of the statutory and ;
location of main offices or branches;
range of services;
quality of services;
market segments served;
market share in each segment;
use of the latest achievements of banking technology;
image;
level of automation;
credit standards;
personnel qualifications;
cost of services;
advertising effectiveness;
efficiency of sales of banking services;
market advantages/disadvantages;
efficiency of market segmentation;
names and biographical information of directors and management personnel;
strengths when acting in the market (dominates or has something unique); innovation (in services, delivery, incentives, marketing);
incentive efforts; alliances in a new market;
main accounts.

Through data collection, a dossier is compiled for each competitor. It summarizes the entire study and gives an idea of ​​its strengths and weaknesses. Competition is too serious to be taken lightly.

Tourism market segmentation

There is a significant saturation of enterprises in the Russian tourism services market, and competition between them is intensifying. Most enterprises have limited financial, labor and other resources and therefore cannot disperse their efforts to meet the needs of all customers. To organize effective and profitable activities, tourism enterprises use market segmentation.

Market segmentation is the division of the market into parts (segments), which are characterized by common consumer requirements. Any of these segments can be chosen as the target market. Segmentation of the tourism market can provide answers to questions about the behavior, interests, beliefs, perceptions, values ​​and needs of representatives of each segment.

The method of tourist market segmentation proposed by V. Saprunova most fully meets the objectives of tourism activities. This method is based on the components of supply and demand for a tourism product. Demand segmentation is proposed to be carried out according to geographical, social and psychological criteria.

The most common is the geographical criterion. Segments based on this criterion are tourists traveling long distances to relax at a resort; regional visitors (tourists who live within the region where a given tour center is located and can arrive there within four hours) and tourists who are local residents. Proximity of a destination is an important factor: generally, the closer a destination is to its target market, the greater the likelihood of attracting large numbers of visitors. To develop a tour center, tour organizations usually send advertising messages to residents of large settlements located nearby.

Social criteria are the age, gender, profession of the tourist - the head of the family, the size of the locality where tourists permanently reside, the number of family members accompanying the tourist, type of family, nationality, religious beliefs, family income as a whole and for one of its members, the presence or lack of personal vehicles in the family. Women's, professional, specialized tourism (for bank employees, agricultural workers, various industries), as well as youth tourism and “junior” tourism are becoming increasingly important.

In psychological-behavioral (psychological) segmentation, consumers are divided into groups based on lifestyle characteristics and goals regarding their free time, personality characteristics and behavioral characteristics, as well as stereotypes regarding the consumption of tourism products. These criteria of tourist behavior include the motive of the trip, the psychological portrait of the tourist, seasonality, organization and form of the trip, means of transport used, accommodation facilities, duration of the trip, distance to the destination, as well as sources of financing the trip, consultants and intermediaries in making the decision to make a tour trip.

Many segments of the tourism market are divided into smaller sub-segments. For example, in recreational tourism - this is vacation tourism and tourism for the purpose of treatment. It is often difficult to draw a clear line between individual segments based on motivation: business tourism can be combined with educational tourism, sports tourism with recreational tourism.

For example, segmentation of the tourism market by lifestyle criteria allows us to identify the following consumer groups:

Self-absorbed pleasure seeker;
- active and purposeful personality;
- representative of business circles;
- “blue collar”;
- a traditional homebody.

Self-absorbed pleasure seeker. A young man working in a monotonous, uninteresting job seeks satisfaction from real and imagined outdoor activities. He likes to go fishing and hunting, play sports, and is passionate about expensive sports cars. He has a decent income, but all purchasing decisions are made spontaneously. Does not plan life for the long term. Regular viewer of sports, adventure and other similar television programs.

Active and purposeful personality. Uses all his abilities and energy for career advancement, shows great interest in his work. A liberal with modern views on many aspects of life, self-confident. Is in constant search of new sensations and active activities (for example, skiing, sailing, traveling abroad). Reads magazines in order to constantly be aware of all events and the latest trends in modern culture. Watches sports television programs, entertainment shows and news reports.

Business personality. Has more free funds at his disposal to buy a second home and expensive vacations, in contrast to an active, purposeful person. But she prefers to move short distances and is less mobile, since she has a permanent place of residence and an established family. Reader of business magazines, newspapers, viewer of news briefs, special television programs about travel and nature

. "Blue Collars". Live in small towns or on the outskirts of large cities and have strong beliefs about social values ​​(a sense of patriotism, morality and the need for hard work). An excellent vacation is considered to be a vacation with the family in tents. They love hunting and fishing. Of all television sports programs, football is preferred.

Traditional homebody. His main problem is his inability to keep up with the rapidly changing world. A follower of old traditions, he expects the same from other people. Tries to get the most out of every ruble he spends. Avoids anything that involves risk and will never make purchases on credit. Viewer of television comedies. His main source of information about the latest events in the world is news broadcasts on television.

The listed segments provide a superficial description of consumers. When dividing the tourism market according to general characteristics, the segments obtained according to the lifestyle criterion represent groups of consumers with completely different needs and values. Each segment represents a main market for which a special tour product is developed. Sociodemographic data reveals the physical and financial capabilities and limitations of each segment. Lifestyle descriptions provide insight into the needs and demands of each segment. Each segment's media usage data shows the media through which an advertising campaign can be launched to reach that segment.

Back | |