(1) Geographical location. It can be subdivided according to administrative divisions. For example, in China, it can be divided into Northeast China, North China, Northwest China, Southwest China, East China and South China. It can also be subdivided according to geographical regions, such as provinces, autonomous regions, cities and counties, or inland, coastal and urban and rural areas. In different regions, the needs of consumers are obviously very different.
(2) the size of the town. It can be divided into big cities, medium-sized cities, small cities and small towns. Consumers in cities and towns of different sizes have very different consumption structures.
(3) topography and climate. According to the topography, it can be divided into plains, hills, mountains and desert areas. ; According to the climate, it can be divided into tropical zone, subtropical zone, temperate zone and frigid zone. Consumer goods such as heatstroke prevention and cooling, keeping out the cold and keeping warm can be divided according to different climatic zones. For example, in northern China, the winter climate is cold and dry, and humidifiers have a good market; But in Jiangnan, because of the high air humidity, there is basically no need for a humidifier.
2. Demographic segmentation According to demographic factors, the market is divided into different groups according to variables such as age, gender, occupation, income, family population, family life cycle, nationality, religion and nationality. Demographic variables are easier to measure and have a wider scope of application than other variables, so demographic variables have always been an important basis for subdividing the consumer market.
(1) age. Consumers of different ages often have great differences in demand for consumer goods because of their different physiology, personality, hobbies and economic conditions. Therefore, the market can be divided into many distinctive consumer groups according to age, such as children's market, youth market, middle-aged market, elderly market and so on. Enterprises engaged in the production and operation of clothing, food, health products, medicines, fitness equipment, books and periodicals often use age variables to segment the market.
(2) gender. According to gender, the market can be divided into male market and female market. Many commodities have obvious gender characteristics in use. For example, men's and women's clothes, men's and women's watches. There are also great differences between men and women in buying behavior and buying motivation. For example, women are the main buyers of clothing, cosmetics, labor-saving household appliances, small packaged food and other markets, while men are the main buyers of cigarettes, drinks, sporting goods and other markets. Many industries, such as beauty salons, cosmetics, jewelry, clothing and so on. The market has long been divided by gender.
(3) income. The change of income will directly affect consumers' demand desire and expenditure pattern. According to the average income level, consumers can be divided into five groups: high income, second high income, middle income, second low income and low income. High-income consumers buy more expensive products than low-income consumers, such as pianos, cars, air conditioners, luxury furniture, jewelry and so on. High-income consumers generally like to shop in big department stores or brand stores, while low-income consumers usually shop in shops and storage supermarkets near their homes. Therefore, automobile, tourism, real estate and other industries generally segment the market according to income variables.
(4) nationality. Most countries in the world have many ethnic groups. China is a big multi-ethnic family, and there are 55 ethnic minorities besides the Han nationality. These ethnic groups all have their own traditional customs and lifestyles, thus showing different commodity needs. For example, the ethnic groups in northwest China drink a lot of tea, while the Hui people don't eat pork. Only by further subdividing the market according to the nationality variable can we meet the different needs of people of all ethnic groups and further expand the product market of enterprises.
(5) occupation. Consumers in different occupations have great differences in their consumption needs because of their different knowledge levels, working conditions and lifestyles. For example, teachers pay more attention to the needs of books, newspapers and periodicals, and literary and art workers pay more attention to the needs of beauty and clothing.
(6) Education status. Consumers with different education levels will have different hobbies, lifestyles, cultural literacy and values, which will affect their purchase types, behaviors and habits.
(7) family size. According to this, it can be divided into single family (1 person), single-parent family (2 persons), small family (2-3 persons) and large family (4-6 persons or more). With different family population, there will be demand differences in residential area, furniture, household appliances and even the packaging size of daily consumer goods.
3. Psychological subdivision According to psychological factors, consumers are divided into different groups according to variables such as lifestyle, personality, purchase motivation and attitude.
(1) lifestyle. More and more enterprises, such as clothing, cosmetics, furniture, entertainment and other industries, attach importance to market segmentation according to people's lifestyle. Lifestyle is a specific habit and mode of people's work, consumption and entertainment. Different lifestyles will produce different demand preferences, such as "tradition", "trendy", "frugality" and "luxury". This subdivision method can show the differences of psychological needs of different groups for the same commodity. For example, some American clothing companies divide women into three types: simple women, fashionable women and masculine women, and design different styles, colors and materials for them.
(2) personality. There is a great relationship between consumers' personality and their love for products. Personality can be described by extroversion and introversion, optimism and pessimism, self-confidence, obedience, conservatism, haste, enthusiasm and age. Extroverted and impulsive consumers tend to express themselves, so they like to buy products that can express their personality; Introverted consumers like popularization and often buy relatively simple products; Creative and adventurous consumers are particularly interested in novel and exciting goods.
(3) Purchasing motivation, that is, subdividing according to the interests pursued by consumers. Consumers' interests in the products they buy mainly include seeking truth, sincerity, novelty, beauty, fame and security. , which can be used as a variable for subdivision. For example, some people buy clothes to keep warm, some people pursue beauty, and some people show their economic strength. Therefore, enterprises can segment the market according to interest variables and determine the target market.
4. Behavior segmentation according to behavioral factors is to segment the market according to the time, quantity, frequency and brand loyalty of consumers buying or using a certain commodity.
(1) purchase time. The consumption of many products is time-sensitive. Fireworks and firecrackers are mainly consumed during the Spring Festival, moon cakes are mainly consumed before the Mid-Autumn Festival, and tourist attractions are the most prosperous in the tourist season. Therefore, enterprises can segment the market according to the needs of consumers and the time when they buy or use products. For example, airlines and travelers advertise during the winter and summer vacations and implement preferential fares to attract teachers and students to travel by air. Merchants advertise air conditioners in hot summer to effectively increase sales; On weekends, the turnover of shops increases a lot, while during New Year's Day and Spring Festival, the sales are even greater. Therefore, enterprises can subdivide according to the purchase time, increase the promotion at an appropriate time, and adopt preferential prices to promote the sales of products.
(2) Purchase quantity. According to this, it can be divided into a large number of users, medium users and a small number of users. Many users are not necessarily many, but they consume a lot. Many enterprises can achieve success by taking this as their goal and doing the opposite. For example, a large number of users of stationery are intellectuals and students, and a large number of users of cosmetics are young women.
(3) purchase frequency. According to this, it can be divided into regular purchases, general purchases and infrequent purchases (potential buyers). For example, primary school students often buy pencils, senior students buy them through normal channels, and workers and farmers don't often buy them.
(4) Buying habits (brand loyalty). Accordingly, consumers can be divided into firm brand loyalists, multi-brand loyalists, transfer loyalists and non-brand loyalists. For example, some consumers are loyal to certain products, such as Kodak film, Haier electric appliances and Zhonghua toothpaste. Some consumers are loyal to certain services, such as China Eastern Airlines, a hotel or restaurant, or an institution or a cause, and so on. Therefore, enterprises must identify their loyal customers and their characteristics, in order to better meet their needs, and give some form of reward or encouragement to loyal customers when necessary, such as giving certain discounts.
(II) Segmentation criteria of the means of production market Many of the above segmentation criteria of the consumer goods market are applicable to the segmentation of the means of production market, such as geographical environment, climatic conditions, transportation, pursuit of interests, use of strings, brand loyalty, etc. However, because the market of means of production has its own characteristics, enterprises should also adopt other standards and variables for subdivision. The most commonly used variables are: end-user demand, user scale, user geographical location and so on.
1. Segmentation of products according to users' needs is a common standard for market segmentation of means of production. Different users have different needs for the same product. For example, transistor factories can divide the market into military market, industrial market and commercial market according to different users of transistors, and the military market pays special attention to product quality; Industrial users demand high-quality products and services; The commercial market is mainly used for resale. In addition to ensuring quality, it also requires reasonable price and timely delivery: the safety requirements of aircraft manufacturers for tires are much higher than those of ordinary automobile manufacturers: both are steel, some are used for producing machines, some are used for shipbuilding, and some are used for construction. Therefore, enterprises should provide different products according to the needs of different users and design different marketing mix strategies to meet the different requirements of users.
2. It is also an important standard to subdivide the user operation scale according to the user operation scale. The business scale of users determines their purchasing power. According to the scale of user operation, it can be divided into large users, medium users and small users. Although the number of large users is small, the production scale and purchase volume are large, and quality and delivery time are emphasized. The number of small customers is large, scattered widely, the purchase quantity is limited, and credit conditions are emphasized. In many cases, the transaction volume with a big customer is equivalent to the sum of the transaction volume with many small customers. Losing a big customer will often have serious consequences for the enterprise. Therefore, enterprises should establish the corresponding contact mechanism and determine the appropriate reception system according to the business scale of users.
3. According to the geographical location of users, most countries or regions are influenced by natural resources, climatic conditions, historical traditions and other factors to a certain extent, forming a number of industrial zones, such as silk industrial zones in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, coal industrial zones with Shanxi as the center, and processing industrial zones in the southeast coast. This determines that the means of production market is often more geographically concentrated than the consumer goods market, so geographical location has become an important criterion for subdividing the means of production market. Enterprises subdivide the market according to the geographical location of users, and choose the area where customers are concentrated as the target, which is conducive to saving the time for salesmen to travel between different customers, reasonably planning transportation routes, saving transportation and auxiliary expenses, making full use of sales force and reducing sales costs.
Above, the specific subdivision standards and variables are introduced from two aspects: consumer goods market and means of production market. In order to effectively segment the market, there are several issues to be noted:
First, dynamic. Subdivision criteria and variables are not fixed, such as income level, city size, traffic conditions, age and so on. Will change with the passage of time. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a dynamic concept and adjust it in time.
Second, applicability. There are many factors in market segmentation, and the actual situation of each enterprise is different. Different enterprises adopt different segmentation variables and standards in market segmentation. Which variable to choose depends on the specific situation, and it is forbidden to copy it mechanically or blindly. For example, toothpaste can be subdivided according to the purchase motivation, and what market segment is clothing suitable for?
Third, combination. Pay attention to the comprehensive application of subdivision variables. In actual marketing activities, the ideal target market is determined by using the layered or staggered combination of the above factors. For example, if cosmetics operators identify urban young women aged 65,438+08-45 as the target market, they use four variables: age, geographical area, gender and income (professional women).