Segmentation is used in market research to divide a target group into smaller, relevant target groups that are subsequently approached with products or services specifically tailored to this target group.
Since the last decades of the last century, more and more use has been made of psychographic segmentation, that is, segmentation based on the needs, motivations and underlying psychology of consumers. The forerunner in this was the legendary IMADI by J. Paul Heylen in Belgium in the 1980s.
However, there is an essential difference between segmentation based on socio-demographic segmentation and psychographic segmentation. For example, the socio-demo segmentation is unambiguous: people are either in one category or in the other category. Determining the absolute size of such segments is simple: just count. This is not the case with psychographic segmentation. Depending on the moment, the situation, or the social environment, consumers may be more inclined towards one or the other segment. After all, consumers are not always coherent in their attitudes and behavior. Therefore, psychographic segments must be interpreted much more as underlying motivational tendencies and not translated into absolute sizes.
We find the classic example in the media: one can easily be an “value added” seeker in the early evening and read or watch a political interview, but prefer a gossip magazine during lunch. An absolute classification that indicates whether someone is either “value added” seeker or “superficial relaxation seeker” then becomes irrelevant. What is relevant is the insight that there is an underlying need for “added value” and how, in which context and by whom that need is then met.
Insights Wizards has access to numerous experienced and knowledgeable insights managers who can temporarily assist companies to perform relevant segmentation analyzes or to re-analyze and re-interpret existing segmentations.
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