A. Getting a complete picture of customer behavior includes:
·Understanding your current customers
·Analyzing competitors’ customers (why they are buying competitors’
products; gives ideas for stimulating brand switching)
·Analyzing former customers (helps you understand weaknesses in your
product or service)
·Analyzing customers who have never purchased the product (helps you
understand the market potential and how to expand the market)
B. Segmentation variables are descriptors that describe customers in terms of their
inherent characteristics. Three major categories of descriptors include:
·Geographic (geographic differences)
·Demographic (age, income, education, occupation, race differences)
·Cohort analysis: An analysis that develops age-related profiles of
each generation to segment the market
·Figure 4.1 (Page 95) Generational Cohorts. Outlines the six
common generational cohorts:
·GI Generation
·Silent Generation
·Baby Boomers
·Generation X
·Generation Y
·Millennials
·Psychographic (psychological differences in terms of lifestyles,
personalities, social class).
·VALS™ system segments include:
·Innovators
·Thinkers
·Experiencers
·Achievers
·Believers
·Strivers
·Makers
·Survivors
·Figure 4.2 (Page 97) Sample VALS™ Questions. Outlines
sample questions used in determining VALS™ groups.
Table 4.1 (Page 91) Consumer Market Segmentation Variables. Illustrates some
of the common segmentation variables
Table 4.2 Page 92) Consumer Market Segmentation Variables. Illustrates kinds of
behavioral variables that can be use to form segments
Table 4.3 (Page 92) Consumption index: Dental Accessories and Table 4.4 (Page
93) Product Preferences by Stage in Family Life Cycle. These tables are examples
of how the descriptor and behavioral variables can be linked.