Методы маркетинговых исследований

Методологически, все маркетинговые исследования используют 4 дизайна, а именно:

a) качественное маркетинговое исследование – обычно используется для познающих целей – маленькое количество респондентов – не может быть обобщено на все население – статистическая значимость и доверительный уровень не может быть вычислен – примерами являются групповые обсуждения, глубинные интервью и проективные техники.

b) количественное маркетинговое исследование – обычно используется для получения заключений – проверяет конкретные гипотезы – использует технику случайной выборки для того, чтобы сделать выводы обо всем населении – затрагивает большое количество респондентов – примерами являются опрос и анкетирование

c) наблюдательные техники – исследователь наблюдает социальные явления в естественных условиях – наблюдение может быть перекрестным (все наблюдения делаются в одно время) или последовательным (наблюдения происходят в несколько временных периодов) – примерами являются анализ по использованию продукта и

d) экспериментальные или опытные техники – исследователь создает почти искусственное окружение пытаясь контролировать ложные факторы, которые управляют по крайней мере одной переменной – примерами являются лаборатории покупок и пробный маркетинг.

Исследователи часто используют более одного дизайна. Они могут начать со вторичного исследования, чтобы получить исходную информацию, после чего провести групповые обсуждения (дизайн качественного маркетингового исследования) чтобы исследовать проблему. В заключение, они могут провести полный общенациональный опрос (дизайн количественного маркетингового исследования), чтобы разработать конкретные рекомендации для клиента.

 

 

Market Segmentation

         

 

Lead-in.

How would you explain the words “segment” and “segmentation”? What do you think they mean in economy and marketing in particular? Suggest your own definitions.

 

Key Vocabulary

1) market segmentation

2) to fit

2) homogenous

3) a market niche

4) feasible

5) to divide the overall market into segments

6) to match smth to the needs of smth

7) to implement a strategy

8) to fall into distinct clusters

9) to yield

10) a trait

11) a benefit

12) a pitfall

13) an approach

 

Consult a dictionary and write out the transcription and Russian equivalents of these words. Then practice reading them.

Reading

Read the following text, find the answers to the questions given in Lead-in and compare them with your suggestions.

Market Segmentation

Market segmentation is the science of dividing an overall market into key customer subsets, or segments, whose members share similar characteristics and needs. Because it involves significant market research, market segmentation can be costly. But it is especially important for those businesses, which lack the resources to target large aggregate markets or to maintain a wide range of differentiated products for varied markets. Market segmentation allows a business to develop a product and a marketing mix that fit a relatively homogenous part of the total market. By focusing its resources on a specific customer base in this way, a business may be able to carve out a market niche that it can serve better than its competitors.

Market segmentation uses the strategies that range from mass marketing – in which a single product is offered to all customers in a market – to one-to-one marketing – in which a different product is specifically designed for each individual customer in a market. Most businesses realize that since no two people are exactly alike, it is unlikely that they will be able to please all customers in a market with a single product. They also realize that it is rarely feasible to create a distinct product for every customer. Instead, most businesses attempt to improve their odds of attracting a significant base of customers by dividing the overall market into segments, then trying to match their product and marketing mix more closely to the needs of one or more segments. A number of customer characteristics, known as segmentation bases, can be used to define market segments. Some commonly used bases include age, gender, income, geographical area, and buying behavior.

 

Segmentation bases

In order to successfully implement a market segmentation strategy, a business must employ market research techniques to find patterns of similarity among customer preferences in a market. Ideally, customer preferences will fall into distinct clusters based upon identifiable characteristics of the population.

To be pursued by a marketer, according to Alexander Hiam and Charles D. Schewe in “ The Portable MBA in Marketing”, the customer segments should be:

1) identifiable and measurable;

2) large enough to be profitable;

3) reached effectively (for example, its members must tend to view the same television programs, read the same publications, or shop in the same places);

4) responsive to marketing; 

5) stable and not expected to change quickly.

A company might elect to serve a single market segment or attempt to meet the needs of several segments.

Determining how to segment a market is one of the most important questions a marketer must face. Creative and effective market segmentation can lead to the development of popular new products, but unsuccessful segmentation can cost a great deal of money and still not yield the desired results. There are three main types of segmentation bases for businesses to consider – descriptive bases, behavioral bases, and benefit bases – each of which breaks down into numerous potential customer traits.

Descriptive bases for market segmentation include a variety of factors that describe the demographic and geographic situation of the customers in a market. They are the most commonly used segmentation bases because they are easy to measure, and because they often serve as strong indicators of consumer needs and preferences. Some of the demographic variables that are used as descriptive bases in market segmentation might include age, gender, religion, income, and family size, while some of the geographic variables might include region of the country, climate, and population of the surrounding area.

Behavioral bases for market segmentation are generally more difficult to measure than descriptive ones, but they are often considered to be more powerful determinants of consumer purchases. They include those underlying factors that help motivate consumers to make certain buying decisions, such as personality, lifestyle, and social class. Behavioral bases also include

factors that are directly related to consumer purchases of certain goods, such as their degree of

brand loyalty, the rate at which they use the product and need to replace it, and their readiness to buy at a particular time.

Businesses that segment a market based on benefits hope to identify the primary benefit that consumers seek in buying a certain product, then supply a product that provides that benefit. This segmentation approach is based upon the idea that market segments exist primarily because consumers seek different benefits from products, rather than because of various other differences between consumers. One potential pitfall to this approach is that consumers do not always know or cannot always identify a single benefit that influences them to make a purchase decision.

Many marketers use a combination of bases that seem most appropriate when segmenting a market. Using a single variable is undoubtedly easier, but it often turns out to be less precise.

С omprehension Check