What is segmentation. Market segmentation. Principles of segmentation in the consumer goods market

One product cannot be liked by absolutely all people - this is an axiom. Children do not need decorative cosmetics, women, as a rule, are indifferent to spinning rods, and men do not understand the types of heels in shoes. But even within these large groups, there are smaller ones whose needs can vary greatly. That is why there is such a thing as a market segment. What does it mean? And what are the main ones?

Market segments

Essential goods, luxury items, more expensive or cheaper counterparts - almost every market has it all. Certain groups of the population always find something suitable for themselves. But how does it happen? The thing is that manufacturers, with the help of marketers, conditionally divide the entire mass of consumers and products into different groups. The criteria can be very different: income, age, place of residence, marital status, interests and hobbies, etc. for buyers, as well as a huge number of parameters when it comes to goods.

The needs of people belonging to certain segments will be different. It is unlikely that residents of the northern latitudes will need a car with air conditioning only, but the citizens of the UAE do not need heated seats in the configuration. As a rule, a market segment is a group of people with similar indicators according to some selected criterion. But why do you need to know? Of course, to identify and satisfy their needs, while getting the maximum income. That is why it is traditionally customary to talk about division in the context of commodity industries. But, of course, it is worth saying a few words about other sectors of the economy, for example, segments of the financial market arouse curiosity. But more on that later.

real market

The easiest way to consider segmentation is on the example of the simplest and most familiar sphere of buying and selling goods and services. Here it allows not only to find out the composition of participants from the side of buyers, but also to evaluate future competitors. Finding out what products are on the market and what consumer qualities they have, including price category, type of packaging, packaging, etc., helps in finding your own niche. Of course, both one criterion and their whole complex can be applied. This allows you to see the main sectors and their relationship. As a rule, it is impossible to capture the whole picture with a glance, but focusing only on large and medium-sized players, whose market segment share is more or less significant, gives a very real picture.

Why is segmentation necessary?

The division of consumers into groups is necessary for a more efficient functioning of the market, to meet consumer demand. In addition, the allocation of target segments allows the company to reduce production costs in the long term. In the process of studying the most suitable strategy, market participants go through 3 main stages. However, sometimes the manufacturer acts on the basis of a single principle all the time:

Mass marketing. Here, as a rule, the manufacturer focuses on the general features and needs of its customers. Standardization of goods and the lack of the ability to adjust to a specific client allows you to reduce costs and keep prices at an acceptable level.
Product-differentiated marketing. Here it is already possible to manage the characteristics of the proposed product so that it attracts different categories of consumers. This provides a low level of risk and a fairly high level of sales.
Target marketing. Focusing on one or a few segments can turn out to be extremely profitable or completely unsuccessful. At the same time, the consumer expects that the product will fully meet his needs, which imposes a certain risk on the manufacturer.

Each of these approaches has its advantages and disadvantages, but the third one seems to be the most effective at the moment, although the most costly in terms of human and financial resources. However, the individual approach pays off - the variety of choices allows consumers to purchase products that are suitable for them.

A correctly defined target market segment is half the success of a marketing campaign, so you should be very careful about its choice or entrust this process to professionals. After all, the process may require a large-scale survey, research of opinions, etc., especially when it comes to innovative products or services. But more on that later. In essence, the segmentation process is the structuring of the market in order to prioritize capturing one or another suitable audience and in order to find a possible niche. How does it happen?

Stages

The selection and analysis of market segments is a complex process that requires a systematic approach. That is why it is usually divided into several stages:

Identification of the needs and requirements of customers for the proposed product. Wishes and criticism are systematized and analyzed.
Identification of similarities and differences of consumers in order to develop a marketing plan.
Compilation of profiles of groups of buyers. Separating them into a separate market segment. Choice of target groups. Characteristics of the market segment.
Determination of the most profitable way of working in terms of customer orientation, distribution channels, etc.
Creation of a business plan.

It doesn't sound like it's all that complicated, but in fact, the wrong decision for a small company can lead to bankruptcy, so it's worth taking the analysis process seriously.

Segmentation criteria

The principles of market division can be completely different depending on the industry. These can be quantitative or qualitative parameters, as well as very special factors.

Nevertheless, there are separate general segmentation criteria, and they can be used in a variety of combinations:

Geographic. The location of consumers is taken into account.
Demographic. Age, gender, belonging to a certain generation, level of income and spending are considered.
Behavioral. We study the frequency of purchases, ranking by the importance of consumer qualities of a product, attitudes towards brands, driving forces that encourage purchases, etc.
Psychological. It's about tastes, preferences, interests.
consumption style. Identification of patterns, willingness to buy related and complementary products.

But how is this implemented in practice? What are the service market segments or how to choose a suitable niche for an innovative product? All this is worth talking about in more detail.

Consumer classification

Any market segment is not numbers on paper, in real life it's just people shopping. Therefore, in order to understand how to sell them your product, you need to know how they behave and why. The traditional classification distinguishes five types:

individual, that is, loners who make purchases exclusively for personal use;
households, in this case, the wishes and tastes of several people are already taken into account, the volume of consumption is higher;
intermediaries, that is, entrepreneurs who buy goods for the purpose of subsequent resale;
suppliers, company representatives;
civil servants and officials.

It also makes sense to list consumer groups according to the model of their reaction to a new product on the market, it makes it very clear how different each segment of the market for goods or services is:

innovators tend to be among the first to try a new product;
adherents popularize the product;
progressives provide mass distribution;
skeptics are connected at the stage of market saturation;
conservatives show demand only when the product goes into the category of "traditional".

Perhaps the point here is natural curiosity and the desire to try new things, although sometimes certain consumers find themselves in one of the groups quite unexpectedly. It is always worth assessing the realities very soberly. So, for example, some segments of the Russian market are not yet completely formed, while others are in their infancy, of course, when analyzing the business environment, you need to take such things into account.

Choice

There are no single principles that allow you to accurately answer the question of which market segment to choose - you have to act by trial and error, changing variable values and collecting information about the effectiveness of promoting goods and services. At the same time, various market factors come into play that affect demand: competitor strategies, conjuncture, the degree of market and product homogeneity, company resources, and product life cycle stages. So it is most reasonable to monitor the reaction of consumers to certain changes and vary the promotion methodology. For all this, such powerful marketing tools as factorial, joint, cluster types of analyzes are used.

Multiple segmentation

If the size and financial situation of the company allows, it is possible to implement a special method of work. It lies in the fact that the company chooses the main market segments for itself, diversifying its activities, and thereby maximizes turnover. There is a certain risk of not being able to cope with the requests of counterparties from different industries, while the loss of one or two directions will not be critical. As a rule, only large companies can afford such a style of work, since each segment of the enterprise market requires special attention, which, given the overall scale, is quite expensive in terms of financial and labor resources.

Product positioning

The choice of target market segments and the promotion of goods involves not only careful study and segmentation, but also the creation of a certain image for the good or service offered to customers. Positioning is a subtle tool that needs to be used quite carefully, because if you do not take into account the needs of the target audience, you can only push it away. Ways to promote your product can be different: you can rely on excellent performance or environmental friendliness, you can characterize what is offered as an elite and exclusive item that is accessible to a few, or vice versa - create an aura of democracy and friendliness towards the buyer around the brand - in a word, there are methods and directions a bunch of.

Labor market

In addition to factors common to all areas, there are also special ones. For example, a distinction is made between primary and secondary market segments. These are two separate parts, characterized in completely different ways.

Thus, the primary market covers relatively higher-paid and stable-demand professions. At the same time, the secondary part is characterized by high staff turnover, less prestige, precarious employment and low qualifications of participants.

Analysis of segments of the labor market is the lot of recruiting companies and organizations that are just starting to work and are going to recruit staff. The assessment will allow you to calculate the most attractive conditions for job seekers and generally understand what helps people to choose a particular company in their job search.

Services sector

If the product is something tangible, then the next market offers something that is quite difficult to evaluate in terms of quality. Of course, we are talking about various services: medical, educational, consulting, etc. At the same time, it is divided into two large and very different parts according to the principles of work. The first is the so-called B2B, which covers the market segments of services provided to companies. The second one works directly with end users. If you do not focus on the intangibility of goods, this market does not have fundamental differences from the commodity market.

Financial market

The money and banking sectors are the most sought-after service industries, so it's no wonder they are so well developed. The following segments of the financial market are distinguished: credit, currency, insurance, investment. Sometimes the securities sector is also distinguished separately. Many companies do not limit their work to one segment, while others, on the contrary, prefer to focus on a particular area. In general, now there is rather a consolidation of companies and diversification of their activities within the industry.

Innovation

There are also very special situations. Innovative solutions launched on the market is a separate topic that requires much more detailed consideration. First, the absence of competitors gives special conditions. Secondly, the marketing strategy must be built very wisely so that buyers do not treat the product with caution.

New market segments are always a difficult and unpredictable road. History knows examples when even the most successful companies put frankly unsuccessful products on sale. However, any consumer can say that almost any manufacturer of equipment has real legendary products in its arsenal, otherwise there is simply no chance to succeed. Perhaps, as in the case if the choice of target market segments is incorrectly made.

Market segmentation is the process of dividing the market (consumers) into groups according to certain characteristics. The main purpose of this action is to study the reaction of a particular group to a particular product, as well as the choice of the target (main) occupies a dominant position in any marketing research of the company.

What is market segmentation for?

Any company works for its customers. Naturally, they all differ in one way or another from each other. Market segmentation is the process of highlighting certain parameters that distinguish one group from another. One buyer from another can be distinguished by his place of residence, habits, religious views and even attitude to life. Taking into account all these differences, the company can produce different products for each segment. Each group is naturally different from each other. One of the differences is their number. Many firms focus their attention only on the largest group. While there are quite a few companies that focus on one bottleneck allows them to avoid a lot of competition and have loyal customers. Segmentation provides an opportunity to study your customers better, as well as identify which groups do not use the services of a particular company. Thus, market segmentation is in the activity of any company. This phenomenon is based on certain principles.

Principles of market segmentation

Segments can differ according to several criteria:

Geographically. Consumers can be divided into urban and rural populations, as well as by place of residence - by regions, cities and even countries.
On a demographic basis. The most common is the division of potential customers by age, income level and marital status. Among the additional: religion and
On a psychographic basis. The division of consumers is carried out on the basis of the characteristics of a particular person. There are various methods for determining the psychographic type of a person, according to which the market is segmented. Example: a person can be attributed to one of two groups - to psychocentrics or allocentrics.

Among other signs, consumers can be distinguished by their attitude to products, by consumption style and by personal characteristics.

How to select segments

The choice of a particular product can be influenced not only by one age of consumers, but also, for example, by income level or geographical location. Therefore, the more criteria will be allocated when studying consumers, the more clearly the whole situation on the market will be visible. At the same time, a large number of signs significantly complicates the situation. Simply put, the more segments, the fewer consumers in each group. How many segments to allocate and by what parameters depends on the individual characteristics of the enterprise.

Thus, market segmentation is a process that must follow a certain pattern, depending on the goals of the enterprise.

Hello! In this article, we will talk about such an important stage of working with the market as segmentation.

Today you will learn:

What is market segmentation?
What are the principles and criteria for segmentation;
What methods can be used for market segmentation.

The concept of "Market segmentation"

Modern business is impossible without, and marketing is impossible without segmentation. It is impossible to satisfy the entire market with one product.
Consumers differ from each other in demographic characteristics, social status, purchasing power, behavioral factors and, as a result, needs. This forces entrepreneurs to divide markets into segments.

Segment - a group isolated from the entire set of consumers (market), whose individuals have common characteristics and react in the same way to various elements of the marketing mix.

Market segmentation - the process of separating consumer segments in the market.

Let's highlight the main goals of market segmentation:

More accurate definition and better satisfaction of the needs of the target audience;
Increasing the competitiveness of the organization;
Cost minimization by focusing efforts on the target segment.

Market segmentation criteria

The main criteria for the market segmentation process include:

Sufficient volume of allocated segments. It must provide profitability;
The segment must be quantifiable;
Consumers within a segment must be similar in several ways and different from consumers in other segments;
The selected target segment must be available to the company (sales and promotion channels);
The need to assess the level in the segment;
Full satisfaction of needs

According to these features, it is necessary to evaluate the segments identified on the market in order to select the target segments for the enterprise.

Stages of market segmentation

There are three main stages of market segmentation. Let's consider each of them.

Segmentation. This stage involves a general analysis of the market and the allocation of individual groups that differ from each other in some way. Segmentation can be represented as three consecutive steps:

Choice of criteria and segmentation factors. Segmentation factors depend on the product, company, industry and market in which the enterprise operates;
Search for segments and market niches. At this stage, there is a selection of segments in the market;
Description of segments and market niches. This stage is characterized by a primary analysis of the selected segments.

Target segment selection. At this stage, it is necessary to conduct a complete analysis of the selected segments according to the principles of segmentation. As a result, we should get the target segments. The second stage is represented by the following steps:

Segment evaluation according to the principles of segmentation;
Setting goals for selected segments. Targets include desired market share, sales volume, product offering, pricing, communications messages, and distribution channels.

Positioning of goods on selected segments includes the following steps:

Identification of the key needs of each segment;
Choosing a product positioning strategy for a specific segment;
Drawing up a marketing plan for each segment with a detailed study of each element of the marketing mix (product, price, distribution, promotion).

Let's take a closer look at the product positioning process.

Positioning must be based on one of the following criteria:

The degree of rationality of the purchase by the consumer;
Competitive advantages of the product, which constitute value for the target consumer;
Benefits of your product (economy of use, service availability, and so on);
Degree of product specificity;
Product innovation;

Based on these criteria, you can choose one of the following product positioning strategies:

Positioning for a specific audience (young mothers, motorcyclists, cyclists);
Positioning on the functional features of the product ("Imunele" protects the immune system);
Positioning at a distance from competitors ("Cirque du Soleil");
Positioning on a famous person. This may be the owner of the company (Steve Jobs) or the person of advertising campaigns, an official representative;
Positioning on a separate component of the product (professional camera in a smartphone from Apple);
Positioning on the innovativeness of the product (you offered a completely new product or it was the first on the market);
Positioning on a special service process (Restaurant "In the dark").

Principles of market segmentation

When considering the principles of market segmentation, it is advisable to separate the market for consumer and industrial goods, since the principles for segmenting each of them differ.

Principles of segmentation in the consumer goods market

Let's present the data in the form of a table.

Principle	Description
Territorial	Division of consumers on a territorial basis: country, region, city, district, street
Demographic	Segmentation by gender, gender, marital status, nationality, education, and so on
Socio-economic	Segmentation by income level, social status, position, level of education, and so on
Behavioral	The behavioral criterion divides the market into groups of consumers with different purchasing motives, lifestyles, and interests.

It is most effective to segment according to several principles, for example, geographical and behavioral.

Principles of segmentation in the B2B market

The industrial market has its own characteristics when segmenting. The industrial goods market is represented by a limited number of large consumers, which changes a lot in the process of its segmentation.

Principle		Description
Territorial	Regional location of the company	Territorial location involves dividing the market into territorial units: state, region, city, district
	Climatic conditions of the consumer company	For many product categories, this is a very important segmentation criterion. If you sold the device to a region with an average temperature of -30, and it is designed to work in temperate latitudes, then you will incur a loss and accept consumer dissatisfaction
	Economic indicators of the development of the region of the consumer company	This criterion reflects the prospect of cooperation. You cannot offer premium products to poor regions
Consumer market type	Manufacturing commercial market	Uses your product in their production
	Market of commercial organizations	Resells your product unchanged
	State Market	State procurements
	institutional market	Procurement of public institutions: universities, schools, hospitals
	international market	Purchases of foreign countries, export
Industry affiliation of the consumer		For example, oil industry, manufacturing, woodworking industry
Economic state of the industry		This criterion reflects the prospect of cooperation
Economic criteria of the consumer	Purchaser Size	Giant enterprises (corporations), large enterprises, medium-sized enterprises, small consumers
Economic criteria of the consumer	Purchase volume	Can be large, medium and small
Purchasing process	Decision group size	These criteria relate to a specific buyer and refer to the criteria for micro-segmentation of the industrial goods market.
	Composition of the decision making group
	Procurement process steps
	Criteria by which the buyer makes a purchase decision

Market segmentation methods

There are four main methods of market segmentation. Let's consider each of them.

Grouping method . This is the most common of the market segmentation methods. It involves a simple division of the market into groups of consumers that differ in some way. For example, in the dark chocolate market, the following groups can be distinguished: men, women and children.

Division of the market by benefits involves highlighting the benefits that the product carries and identifying consumer groups in the market for whom these benefits will be of the greatest value. For example, the benefits of dark chocolate are usefulness, the absence of severe harm to the figure. Thus, we single out a segment that monitors their health and the health of loved ones, people.

Methodology of functional maps when each benefit of a product is allocated to a specific group of consumers. For example, chocolate - sweet - is beneficial for children, does not harm the figure - for women, nutritious - for men.

Multidimensional market segmentation. In this case, the market is divided at once according to several segmentation criteria.

Example of consumer market segmentation

Situation: we are making figured natural soap with peach flavor at home (Moscow, Tverskoy district). The scale of production is small, so we will work in the consumer market.

In this example, we will use a multidimensional market segmentation model. Let's carry out segmentation on three grounds - socio-economic, demographic and behavioral.

As a territorial segment, immediately single out the Central Autonomous Okrug of Moscow, since we are not able to deliver soap to other territorial units.

Demographic principle (gender)	behavioral factor	Socio-economic principle (income level as the most important factor)
	As a gift	High earnings

	As a gift
	As a gift	Average earnings

	As a gift
	As a gift	Low earnings

	As a gift

Thus, we got 9 consumer segments. To select the target segment, we provide data about our product. Peach-scented soap, average production of 50 pieces per month, variable costs per unit of goods 80 rubles, fixed costs 200 rubles per month. The shape and color of the soap is chosen by the client. No delivery, pickup only.

The segment of wealthy men and women is inaccessible to us because of our distribution system. The distribution system does not allow us to fully offer the product for personal use, since in this case, the consumer purchases no more than three units of the product and it is beneficial for him to purchase all personal care products in one place.

Thus, the most acceptable segments for us will be men and women with average and low earnings who want to buy soap as a gift.

As a product offer, we can create gift baskets with soap in various shapes and colors and differentiate them by price.

Market segmentation (SR) is the division of the target audience (TA) into groups. Each of the groups includes consumers with the same characteristics and needs. This is essential when developing a marketing strategy. Allows you to see the needs of all consumer groups and satisfy them.

What does market segmentation mean?

The company in the production and sale of products can focus both on all segments and on individual groups of consumers. Segmentation allows an organization to determine its place in the market. Its main goal is to increase sales of products, targeting various consumers in the development of goods.

Segmentation is divided into two stages:

macro segmentation. At this stage, the market in which the product will be sold is determined.
Microsegmentation. Within a certain market segments of consumers are determined. That is, a search for small market segments is carried out to form an effective marketing strategy.

Working with small groups of consumers allows you to find more subtle marketing tools.

Market Segmentation Goals

Market segmentation is a tool that should not be ignored. Its efficiency is very high. Consider the goals of market segmentation:

Product development based on the needs of the target audience.
Satisfying the needs of the consumer.
Formation of competitive advantages.
Orientation of the marketing strategy to the actual consumer.
Formation of scientific and technical base on the basis of existing requests.
Transition to a narrow segment with low competition.
Orientation to the consumer.

Market segmentation is a tool that is suitable for both small and large companies.

Stages of segmentation

Segmentation accuracy is critical. This affects the effectiveness of the marketing strategy. If consumer groups are not defined correctly, it will be impossible to find an adequate method to increase sales. Consider the stages of market segmentation:

Research of the company's market resources.
Formation of segmentation criteria.
Segmentation.
Market research.
Formation of a strategy for the company's behavior in market conditions.
Selection of specific market segments.
Product positioning.
Formation of a marketing strategy.
Organization of the company's work in a new segment.

At the stage of preliminary segmentation, the maximum number of suitable market segments is studied. At the stage of final segmentation, a limited number of segments are explored in which it is planned to continue work.

Selecting a specific segment

As a rule, the company specializes in 1-2 segments. More segments are not recommended. This will reduce the targeting of sales. Once a segment is selected, there are 5 possible actions:

Focus on one segment.
Work on satisfaction of one need, characteristic for all groups of consumers.
Work on meeting all needs within the same group.
Concentration on several segments.
Meeting the needs of the entire market.

ATTENTION! The most effective marketing method is to focus on one group.

Market Segmentation Criteria

Segmentation criteria are indicators that allow you to determine the reasonableness of choosing a particular group. They can help inform your marketing strategy. Consider the main criteria, as well as their characteristics:

Consumer feedback differentiation. Representatives of each group should respond to the proposed product in a similar way.
Adequacy. The volume of products that can be sold within a given time period is determined. At the same time, such indicators as the number of consumers and the area of the selected segment are taken into account.
Availability. Resources are determined to expand the area of product sales.
measurability. Availability of resources to research segment size.
materiality. Each group is analyzed to see if it can be considered as a segment.
Compatibility. The degree of compatibility of the segment with the market captured by competitors is checked.
Profitability. The profitability of working with the selected group is determined.
Competition. The level of competition is analyzed.

You can select all or several criteria for analysis.

Signs of market segmentation

There are the following signs of segmentation:

Geographical. The market is divided geographically. That is, the company chooses in which geographical area the products will be sold. This takes into account the climate of this area, population density, characteristics of consumers. For example, it does not make sense to count on a large demand if warm jackets are sold in areas with a very warm climate.
Demographic. Representatives of the target audience are divided into groups according to the following criteria: gender, age, marital status, income level, education, and so on.
psychographic. The group is classified on the basis of the following features: lifestyle, status, personality traits. Segmentation based on personality types is possible. For example, consumers are divided into introverts and extroverts. Depending on the type of personality, the optimal way of influencing the consumer is selected.
Consumer motives. At this stage, consumer preferences are determined, prioritization when making a purchase. It is desirable to define the value system of the target audience.
Behavioral. The actual behavior of the buyer is analyzed. For example, the volumes of purchases that are made by the consumer are determined. Loyalty scores are calculated.

The listed features make it possible to divide the existing target audience into groups.

Development strategies taking into account market segmentation

Based on market segmentation, a further development strategy is determined. You can choose one of the following strategies:

Unified. In this case, segmentation practically does not play a role. The advertising strategy will be homogeneous. When developing and implementing a product, they are guided by the most common features of the consumer. This strategy is relevant for those cases where the product does not have distinctive features.
Differentiated. A specific product is selected for each group of consumers. The distinctive features of this method are a higher probability of making a purchase, a higher cost of goods.
concentrated. Several groups of consumers are selected, and all the efforts of the company are concentrated on them. The differences of this strategy are: the increased potential of the market, the prestige of products, the provision of increased profitability of production. The strategy is suitable for highly specialized industries.
Atomization. CA is divided into the smallest units. The division limit is an individual consumer. This strategy makes sense when selling expensive products.

The choice of strategy depends on the characteristics of the company and the product itself.

Market Segmentation Example

The company is engaged in the production of protein shakes. Segmentation is carried out in order to increase sales. The research method determines the groups that purchase products. This:

Women who want to lose weight
Women trying to gain muscle mass.
professional bodybuilders.

The company is quite small, and therefore it is subject to competition. To reduce competition, a decision is made to select one group. In this case, this group will be professional bodybuilders. The choice is due to the fact that this group needs high-quality sports nutrition, but few manufacturers are focused specifically on professional athletes. Products are tailored to the needs of a particular group.

The concept of market segmentation

Selection of 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 the help of one product or service. Everyone has their own desires, interests, expectations from the product. Therefore, companies need to take into account the differences in the requirements and expectations of consumers when developing a marketing strategy and marketing mix. This can be done by dividing the market into specific groups, each of which includes consumers with common characteristics and similar needs for certain goods and services. The identification of 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 the company find its place in the market.

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

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

Market segmentation is one of the functions in the system of marketing activities and is associated with the implementation of work on the classification of buyers or consumers of goods that are on the market or displayed on it. The main goal of segmentation- "revive" by focusing on the consumer designed, manufactured and sold the flow of goods (services) in a specific market segment.

The splitting of the underlying market is done in two steps, which correspond to two levels of market splitting.

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

In the second step, called micro-segmentation, within each previously identified market, customer segments are identified (i.e., the selection of small areas of the underlying market to apply the company's marketing efforts to).

The segmentation process consists of the following steps:

Analysis of the market and marketing opportunities of the company

Study of segmentation criteria

Market segmentation

Market environment analysis and target market selection

Choosing and planning a strategy for the company's behavior in the market

Assessment of attractiveness and selection of target market segments

Positioning of goods on the market

Marketing mix planning

Marketing mix development

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

Segmentation goals:

The best satisfaction of the needs and requirements of people, fitting the goods at the request of the buyer

Strengthening competitive advantages

Ensuring the rationalization of costs for the production and sale of products

Orientation of all marketing work to a specific consumer

Linking the science and technology firm to customer needs

Avoiding competition by moving into an undeveloped segment.

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

Final segmentation- the final stage of market analysis, the conduct 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 on them that meet consumer demand and the capabilities of the company.

Depending on the type of consumer of goods or services, segmentation of consumers of consumer goods and consumers of goods for industrial purposes is distinguished.

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

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