There is no single method of market segmentation. The marketer needs to experiment with segmentation options based on different variables, one or more at a time, in an attempt to find the most useful approach to considering the structure of the market. For such a situation, there is an excellent statistical method to study the influence of factors on the result. This is a factor analysis. Using this analysis, you can easily analyze the influence of a particular factor on the final result. Choose exactly those factors that carry the maximum significance in influencing the final result.

Geographic, demographic, psychographic and behavioral are the main metrics used by marketers.

• a) Geographic segmentation involves breaking down the market into different geographical units: states, states, regions, counties, cities, communities. The firm may decide to operate: in one or several regions, or in all areas, but taking into account the needs and characteristics determined by geography.
• b) Segmentation based on demographics is to break down the market into groups based on demographic variables such as gender, age, family size, family life stage, income level, occupation, education, religious beliefs, race and nationality. Demographic variables are the most popular factors that serve as the basis for distinguishing consumer groups. One of the reasons for this situation is that needs and preferences, as well as the intensity of consumption of a product, are often more closely related to demographic characteristics. As well as demographic characteristics are the easiest to measure and study. Even in cases where the market is not described in terms of demographics (say, based on personality types), it is still necessary to make a connection with demographic parameters.
• in) With psychographic segmentation buyers are divided into groups on the basis of belonging to social class, lifestyle or personality characteristics. Members of the same demographic can have vastly different psychographic profiles.

public class. Belonging to one of the social classes strongly affects a person's preferences for cars, clothes, household supplies, leisure activities, his reading habits, choice of retail stores. outlets and so on. Many firms design their products and or services for members of a particular social class, including features and characteristics that appeal to them.

Lifestyle. In the same chapter, we already noted that lifestyle influences people's interest in certain goods. Brand and generic sellers are increasingly segmenting markets based on consumer lifestyle. For example, a denim manufacturer wanted to design jeans for one of a particular group of men, such as "active earners," self-indulgent pleasure seekers, "traditional" homebodies, restless laborers, "business leaders," or successful "traditionalists." For each of these groups, jeans of a special cut will be needed, according to different price, offered with the help of different advertising texts, through different commercial enterprises, etc. And if the company does not announce the lifestyle representatives of the product, its jeans may not cause much interest in any group of men.

Personality type. Personality variables are also used by salespeople as a basis for market segmentation. Manufacturers give their products personal characteristics corresponding to the personal characteristics of consumers. In the late 1950s, Ford and Chevrolet cars were advertised as vehicles for different personality types. Ford buyers were generally considered to be "independent, impulsive, courageous, sensitive to change and self-confident, while Chevrolet owners were conservative, economical, prestige-conscious, less masculine and avoiding extremes." Researcher Franklin Evans decided to test the validity of the views by subjecting the owners of Fords and Chevrolets to the usual personality test, which measured the needs of these individuals in the pursuit of success, influence, change, their aggressiveness, etc. Not considering marginal superiority on the basis of achieving influence, the scores of Ford owners differed little from those of Chevrolet owners. Evans came to the conclusion that the convergence of evaluative results makes it almost impossible to separate the audience into personality types. Differences in personality types are sometimes still found in a number of later studies. Ralph Westfold found evidence for differences in the personality types of convertible and hardtop car owners. According to him, the former seem to be more active, impulsive and sociable people.

d) When segmenting on a behavioral basis buyers are divided into groups depending on their knowledge, attitudes, the nature of the use of the product and the reaction to this product. Many marketers consider behavioral variables to be the most appropriate basis for shaping market segments.

Reasons for making a purchase. Buyers can be distinguished among themselves on the basis of the idea, the purchase or the use of the product. For example, Orange juice most often drink for the first breakfast. The manufacturer may try to advertise it as a drink suitable for both lunch and dinner. The confectionery company Curtis Candy has introduced the custom of "fun treats" on All Saints' Day, when sweets are prepared in every family as a gift to little tomboys who knock on the door.

Wanted benefits. One powerful form of segmentation is to classify customers based on the benefits they seek from a product.

Benefit-based segmentation requires identifying the core benefits that people expect from a particular class of products, the types of consumers seeking each of those core benefits, and the major brands that share some of those benefits.

Status user. Many markets can be segmented into non-users, former users, potential users, new users, and regular users. Large firms seeking to gain a large market share are especially interested in attracting potential users, while smaller companies seek to win regular users for their brand. Potential users and regular users require different marketing approaches.

Intensity consumption. Markets can also be divided into groups of weak, moderate and active consumers of the goods. Active users often make up a small part of the market, but they account for a large percentage of the total consumption of a product. Naturally, the manufacturer would rather attract one active consumer for his brand than several weak ones.

Degree of commitment. Market segmentation can also be carried out according to the degree of consumer commitment to the product. Consumers may be loyal to brands, stores, and other stand-alone entities. Let's just focus on brand loyalty. Imagine five branded products: A, B, C, D and E. According to the degree of commitment to them, buyers can be divided into four groups:

Unconditional adherents. These are consumers who buy goods of the same brand over and over. Thus, the pattern of buying behavior type A, A, A, A, A, A represents a consumer with an undivided commitment to brand A.

Tolerant adherents. These are consumers who are committed to two or three brands. A, A, B, B, A, B buying behavior pattern represents a consumer with shared loyalty between branded products A and B.

Fickle followers. These are consumers who transfer their preferences with one brand to another. The A, A, A, B, B, B pattern of buying behavior suggests that the consumer has shifted his preference from brand A to brand B.

"Wanderers". These are consumers who do not show commitment to any of the branded products. The A, C, E, B, D, B pattern of buying behavior suggests that we have a non-committal consumer who either buys any brand available in this moment or wants to purchase something different from the existing range. Any market consists of different numerical combinations of buyers of these four types.

A brand loyalty market is a market where a large percentage of buyers demonstrate an unreserved commitment to one of the brands it contains. In this sense, toothpaste and beer markets can be called rather high brand loyalty markets. It will be very difficult for firms trading in the brand loyalty market to increase their share in it, and for firms seeking to enter it, it will be very difficult to do so. A firm can learn a lot from analyzing the distribution of commitments in its market. She should definitely study the characteristics of unconditional adherents of her own branded product.

The degree of willingness of the buyer to perceive the product. At any given time, people are in varying degrees of readiness to make a purchase. Some of them are generally aware of the product, others are aware, others are informed about it, and others are interested in it. the fifth - want it; the sixth - intend to buy it. The numerical ratio of consumers of different groups to a large extent affects the nature of the developed marketing program.

attitude towards the product. The market audience can be enthusiastic, positive, indifferent, negative or hostile to the product. The more clearly relationships can be identified with demographic variables, the more effective an organization can be in reaching the most promising potential customers.

Segmentation is an important means of increasing profitability... Segment strategy is a "sniper" shooting at the market. J. F. Engel, American marketing scholar. It is quite understandable and natural desire of each manufacturer to create and sell products that can satisfy maximum number consumers. But in real life, this is hardly possible, since consumers have different attitudes towards the same product, use it differently, and, most importantly, purchase it for different reasons.

Therefore, it seems appropriate to divide the market into separate segments in accordance with the motivation of consumers and their specific characteristics. The process of market segmentation is the breakdown of buyers or a market into groups of people with similar needs for a particular product or service, sufficient resources, and willingness and ability to buy.

Segmentation gives the company the opportunity, instead of a ruinous struggle with competitors, to serve this or that segment of the market more efficiently.

Currently, there is no single method of market segmentation. Therefore, firms and their marketing services must consider and test segmentation options based on various parameters or principles. These include the main geographic, demographic, psychographic and behavioral principles most commonly used in the segmentation of consumer demand markets.

geographical principle. It involves the breakdown of the market into different geographical units: states, regions, regions, towns, districts. Usually, any company starts its business by choosing a geographic location. It must decide where to act - in one or more areas of the city, throughout the city, in one or more regions, nationally or internationally. In this case, the company must clearly understand the climate in the selected areas, population density, preferences inherent in urban and rural populations.

demographic principle. This principle consists in breaking down the market into groups according to such parameters as gender, age, family size, stage of the family life cycle, income level, occupation, education, religious beliefs, nationality. Such parameters are most often used in segmentation, because they are associated with the needs and preferences of consumers, and in addition, they are the most easily measurable compared to other parameters.

Here are some examples of using demographic parameters for market segmentation. The age and stage of the life cycle of the family play a big role in segmenting the market for consumer goods for children, especially toys. This principle of segmentation allows, based on the knowledge of the age of the child, to choose the most suitable toy.

Knowledge of the stages of the family life cycle allows firms to rationally form product marketing structures (for example, various sizes packaging of foodstuffs), most fully satisfy the needs of the categories of families corresponding in their composition.

Gender segmentation is widely used by firms producing textiles, clothing, footwear, Jewelry, cosmetics, furniture, household appliances and some attributes that emphasize the business style and characteristic features of men and women in the course of their professional activities.

One of the most important segmentation parameters is the level of income, according to which consumers are divided into groups with low, medium and high incomes. Each of these groups is characterized by certain levels of consumption of food products, household appliances, vehicles, forms of recreation, etc.

Example. According to the indicators of the level of consumption of goods and services in Russia at the end of the 20th century. the entire population of the country can be represented

in the form of four social strata: the poor, the low-income, the wealthy and the rich. The division was carried out according to the principle of the number of subsistence minimum sets purchased for the average per capita income. The living wage set includes a list of necessary food products and seven types of services ( public utilities, transport, etc.).

Thus, in 1999, the poor (54% of the total population of the country) could purchase less than one set of the subsistence minimum with their income; low-income (26.6%) - 2 - 2.5 sets; average (14.4%) - 3 - 5 sets, and secured (4.3%) - 6 - 7 sets of the subsistence minimum. The gap in the incomes of the richest and the poorest reaches 40 times, which most significantly affects the socio-economic and political situation in the country. Knowledge of these indicators and the nature of their changes should be taken into account when developing marketing activities, manufacturing enterprises and commercial firms.

psychographic principle. Segmentations of buyers are divided into groups according to the signs of belonging to the social class, lifestyle, personality characteristics. This is because members of the same demographic group may exhibit very different psychographic characteristics. Thus, belonging to one or another social class strongly affects a person's preferences in relation to various goods, services, choice of outlets, etc. Therefore, many firms plan their activities, producing goods and services based on members of a particular social class.

Most firms segment their markets by combining multiple demographics, such as gender, age, and income. A way of life is the established forms of a person's being in the world, which are expressed in his activities, interests and beliefs. This concept is very important when choosing the parameters of market segmentation.

Even the belonging of people to the same social class or type of professional activity does not allow us to fully imagine them as individuals. And only a way of life gives an exhaustive portrait of a person in his actions and relationship with the environment.

And it is no coincidence that when developing a marketing strategy for a product, specialists seek to reveal the relationship between conventional and branded goods and the lifestyle of potential consumers. For example, this is how jeans manufacturers operate for specific groups of men who lead an active lifestyle, or, conversely, homebodies. For each of the groups they create jeans of a special cut, at a different price and advertise through different advertising media, etc.

Personality type is a set of distinctive psychological characteristics of a person, providing relative stability and constancy of his responses to the environment. Usually, the personality type is described on the basis of the traits inherent in the individual, such as self-confidence, independence, sociability, ambition, aggressiveness, alertness, etc.

Knowing the type of personality allows you to analyze consumer behavior and establish a certain relationship between the type of personality and attitude to a particular product. This is crucial when the market is saturated with products and the manufacturer is forced to adapt to the lifestyle and personality characteristics of its buyer.

For example, the Volkswagen company divides motorists into two categories: "good citizens", focusing on economy, safety and ecology, and "capricious citizens", focusing on speed, maneuverability and sportiness. In the late 1950s Ford and Chevrolet cars were advertised as cars for different personality types, it was believed that Ford buyers were independent, impulsive, courageous, self-confident, sensitive to change, and Chevrolet buyers were conservative people, economical, caring about prestige, cautious, seeking to avoid extremes.

True, subsequent studies have shown that this approach to segmentation does not always give a positive result. Rather, in favor of segmenting the market by type of personality, one can argue that buyers of convertibles and hardtops can be segmented. Using segmentation by personality types, you can divide consumers into introverts and extroverts. Introvert consumers are more conservative in their shopping behavior than extrovert consumers. They are difficult to persuade, have a negative attitude towards intense personal selling and advertising. Extroverts are more easily swayed into buying through intense marketing and advertising techniques.

behavioral principle. Many experts believe that the use of behavioral parameters is the most appropriate basis for the formation of market segments. These parameters include the reason for the purchase, the benefits sought, the status of the user, the intensity of consumption, the degree of commitment and readiness for the perception of the product and the attitude towards the product.

The reason to buy can help firms better understand the extent to which a product or service is being used. So, the reason for purchasing air tickets can be a business trip, a vacation trip, special circumstances. Therefore, an airline may specialize in serving people using any of these occasions.

One of the pretty effective methods segmentation - the benefits that buyers are looking for in a product. There is a fairly large group of products in which buyers find various benefits for themselves. These include watches, hygiene products, household appliances, etc. For example, an American researcher R. Haley, studying the toothpaste market, identified four segments according to the types of benefits: savings, therapeutic effect, cosmetic effect and taste.

In terms of user status, many markets can be broken down into the following segments:

• users who do not use the product;
• former users;
• potential users;
• novice users;
• regular users.

As a rule, large firms aimed at conquering big share market, are interested in attracting potential users to their products, and small firms seek to attract regular users to their brand. At the same time, different marketing approaches should be used for each of the segments.

Consumers of products themselves can be divided according to the degree of intensity of their consumption into weak, moderate and active. This segmentation principle is useful for consumers of various beverages, beauty products, a number of consumer goods, televisions, medical devices, etc. Active consumers usually make up a small market share, but provide the largest percentage of total consumed products.

They also share demographic and psychographic characteristics and the degree of commitment to the media. The degree of consumer loyalty to the product is another criterion for segmentation. Consumers may be loyal to brands, points of sale, seasonal sales, and so on. They can be divided into four groups: unconditional adherents, tolerant adherents, fickle adherents and indifferent adherents.

Conversational adherents always buy the same brand. These may be consumers of clothes of a certain household, lovers of certain types of soft and alcoholic drinks and tobacco products, fans of sports clubs, etc.

Tolerant adherents may prefer more than one, noise or more brands of any product, i.e. they do not have serious prejudices against various brands, just as there is no great commitment to them.

Fickle adherents change their preferences over time and move from consuming one branded product to another. This can be caused by changes in both tastes and financial situation.

Indifferent adherents, in principle, show no commitment to any of the branded products. They tend to purchase whatever brand is currently available.

It is very important for firms to analyze the degree of loyalty in their markets and to study the characteristics of both branded adherents and those who refuse them. This allows firms to more effectively build their marketing strategy. At the same time, it should be remembered that the concept of “brand loyalty” is not always understood unambiguously, and conclusions based on segmentation on this basis should be treated with caution.

The degree of readiness of the buyer to perceive the product is an important factor that requires special research. In total mass potential buyers it is possible to identify both completely ignorant, and well-informed and even sufficiently informed people. Naturally, one cannot expect interest and even more desire to purchase goods from the ignorant. Therefore, firms in developing their marketing strategies should pay special attention to methods of spreading greater awareness of the goods they produce.

The attitude towards the product on the part of potential consumers can be enthusiastic, positive, indifferent, negative and even hostile. The ability to identify segments with one or another attitude to the company's product allows you to more rationally build your marketing strategy. So, if a market segment is identified with a negative or hostility to the product, then you should not spend your efforts and time on this segment; it is better to focus your efforts on a segment with an indifferent attitude to the product.

5.1. Segmentation principles

One of the most important issues of brand effectiveness is the correct definition of the market segment in which it is more profitable to position it. Market segmentation is the division of the market into clear groups of indicators, each of which may require separate products and (or) marketing mixes.

Segmentation is necessary, as different groups of potential consumers have different tastes and preferences, which are important to consider when creating and promoting a brand.

To work in different market segments, you may need different sales channels, as well as establish suitable prices and choose brand positioning methods. Therefore, a breakdown of the market into some groups, homogeneous in some way, is necessary.

Market segmentation in an organization is usually handled by the marketing department. In order to segment, the marketing department determines the market in which the brand is most successfully positioned, namely: the customer needs to be satisfied and the corresponding consumer groups. It is possible to single out the interesting attitude of consumers of the market under consideration to the brand based on such factors as:

1) previous experience in promoting the product in question or a similar product on the market;

2) personal experience of employees of the marketing service;

3) experience of competitors.

So, based on these factors, we can distinguish different market segments. At the same time, the criteria for distinguishing segments can be very different, for example, income, age, gender, or geographical position consumers. It is better to segment by several parameters at once, then the efficiency and accuracy of segmentation increase. For example, the needs and desires of consumers may depend simultaneously on income levels, as well as on age and marital status. In fact, the requirements of all consumers are individual, so each can represent a separate market segment. However, it is more expedient to single out large groups of buyers that differ from each other in the main requirements for goods and in their marketing responses.

Carrying out market segmentation, one should distinguish between such basic concepts as the principles and criteria for segmentation. The segmentation principle is a set of indicators by which the sample is divided into separate classes. As a rule, the principle of market segmentation is a complex concept and may include a large number of indicators. The segmentation criterion is an indicator that divides the market in relation to the marketing mix or its elements, i.e., this is a narrower concept.

There are the following basic principles of segmentation:

1) geographical principle(the division can be by regions, size, climatic characteristics or population density);

2) psychographic principle(level of social class, lifestyle, personality type);

3) behavioral principle(intensity of consumption, degree of commitment, reason for making a purchase, benefits and status of the user, attitude towards the product);

4) demographic principle(age, gender, marital status, income level, occupation, education, nationality, etc.).

When segmenting by geographic principle, it is customary to divide the market into different geographical units, for example, states, regions, states, etc. At the same time, an organization can position its brand both in one and in several geographical areas. Moreover, given the differences in needs for different regions and make appropriate changes to the characteristics of the proposed brand, the company will be able to work in all segments.

However, demographic segmentation is more popular, since, on the one hand, it is easier to single out demographic indicators, and on the other hand, they have a decisive influence on the formation of consumer requirements. For example, in the clothing and cosmetics market, the most important segmentation criterion is gender.

This segmentation principle is also echoed by psychographic segmentation. It is important to consider here that consumers from the same demographic group may have different psychographic characteristics.

Separately, it should be noted segmentation according to the behavioral principle. With this segmentation, consumers are divided into groups depending on their nature, knowledge and reaction to the proposed product. Most economists believe that this is the principle of segmentation that should be taken into account when researching the market, and it is best to group consumers based on the reasons for making a purchase or the benefits sought. Segmentation based on the difference in reasons for making a purchase helps to identify the degree of use of the proposed brand. In addition, it is good to break down the market according to consumption intensity into active, moderate and weak consumers. These groups of people tend to have similar demographic and psychographic characteristics.

In the brand loyalty market, i.e. the market where the majority of buyers show their preference for brands of any one brand, it is recommended to segment by product loyalty. It is difficult for companies operating in such markets to increase their share, and it is almost impossible for other firms to bring their goods to the market.

By conducting a commitment analysis, a company can learn a lot useful information. It is important to study the characteristics of the unconditional adherents of the brand and its tolerant adherents (this will help to identify the main competitors). The diehards are a group of consumers who always buy only the brand in question. They will be the basis of the target market of this company. Tolerant adherents usually include consumers who often buy a given brand, but sometimes prefer competitors' products.

It is also important to consider consumers who prefer competitors' products in order to identify gaps in marketing company, and studying a group of people who have no addictions can help a company find a way to attract them to a group of adherents to its brand.

Of great importance are such segmentation parameters as the degree of readiness of the buyer for the perception of the brand and the attitude towards the brand. The degree of readiness of the buyer to perceive the brand shows how consumers are aware of the main properties of the brand and its existence as such. The attitude towards the proposed brand can be both positive and negative or indifferent, so it should be highlighted in different groups consumers with different opinions and work in each segment according to a separate scheme.

After identifying the main market segments, their degree of attractiveness should be assessed. For this, the following factors are considered:

1) the total volume of selected segments;

2) sales growth rates per year;

3) profitability;

4) rigidity of competition;

5) necessary technological requirements;

6) the degree of influence of inflation;

7) the level of environmental impact;

8) social and political aspects.

In addition, market segments can be evaluated not only in terms of their attractiveness, but also in terms of the strengths of the business that the organization should have in this segment.

Then the selection of target market segments is carried out, i.e. the selection of one or more suitable segments for positioning your brand on them. As a rule, those market segments are selected that have a more favorable ratio of capacity and cost of sales.

After analyzing the attractiveness of the segments and selecting the target segments, an appropriate market coverage strategy should be determined. There are the following main strategies:

1) differentiated marketing- the most expensive option. It implies the performance of the company with its brand in several market segments at once, subject to the development of separate offers for each of them;

2) concentrated marketing- a cheaper option. The strategy is to focus on a large share of one or more sub-markets, instead of focusing on a small share of a large market. This strategy is best suited for companies with limited resources;

3) undifferentiated marketing- most economical option. Such a strategy involves addressing the entire market at once with one offer, without focusing on any individual segments. To do this, the marketing program is designed to attract maximum amount consumers. Basically, mass marketing techniques are used here: mass production, mass distribution and mass advertising of one specific brand. It is this strategy that is often considered the most profitable in branding. When choosing a market coverage strategy, it is better to rely on the following parameters:

1) company resources;

2) the degree of homogeneity of the market;

3) the stage of the life cycle of the product in question;

4) marketing strategies of competitors.

The considered approach to market segmentation is most often used at present by most firms. However, there is another new approach to segmentation, which is based on the use of statistical methods. Such segmentation uses data from quantitative marketing research conducted on a representative sample of potential consumers. Some experts believe that this method of segmenting the market gives the most objective results.

So, market segmentation using statistical methods is carried out as follows.

First, the main (underlying) market is determined, in the same way as when segmenting traditional way. Then a questionnaire is developed, consisting of five basic sections. The first section, socio-demographic, should include a description of the respondent. The other four sections are the marketing mix, namely, the consideration of the so-called 4Ps (product, place, price, promotion), which includes product, promotion, place, price.

Further, a quantitative marketing research is carried out directly on a random sample representative of the selected main market. The answers to the questions are carefully analyzed, and the integral coefficients are calculated, with the help of which the marketing mix is ​​described on an interval scale.

Then a cluster analysis is carried out in the space of derived coefficients. Clusters identified in this way are taken as necessary segments, since in the end they consist of groups of consumers who have a similar reaction to the marketing mix. In conclusion, it is customary to describe the demographic parameters of the clusters under consideration. To do this, their potentials, capacity and availability are determined, and then, based on the data obtained, target segments are selected.

The considered statistical method of market segmentation has several main advantages compared to the traditional approach, namely:

1) the results of market segmentation practically do not depend on the assumptions put forward by the researchers;

2) in the work on segmentation, the entire volume of primary information obtained as a result of quantitative research, therefore, it is possible to verify strategic hypotheses, while traditional segmentation is based on tactical ones;

3) reliable primary data on the market help to segment qualitatively and accurately, since in this case all the information about the segments that is necessary for strategic planning. However, the statistical approach to market segmentation has its drawbacks:

1) when using this approach, it is difficult to correctly identify the identified segment. Also, sometimes segments cannot be described in terms of demographics;

2) the use of a statistical approach to market segmentation requires significant costs, so this approach is best used within fairly large business projects.

Now let's consider in which cases it is better to apply the traditional, and in which - the statistical approach to market segmentation.

In practice, of course, the traditional approach has more supporters, since it is much cheaper than the alternative one, although when using it, it is often difficult to immediately assess the quality of the segmentation performed. The correctness and accuracy of the work done can only be determined by the results of sales, although it is difficult to understand what exactly the level of sales is based on: correct segmentation or not. Additional marketing research will be needed.

The statistical approach does not consider the principles of segmentation as such, it is based on the simultaneous use of segmentation criteria and the main marketing criteria. In principle, this is quite difficult, although with little experience, cluster analysis can be quickly carried out on a computer, and "manually" only calculate integral variables for clustering.

Let us briefly consider the method of constructing integral coefficients for clustering.

Of course, in a simpler version, it would be good to have only one indicator that determines the respondent's attitude to the so-called 4Rs. But most experts believe that it is more appropriate to use four indicators belonging to the interval scale, each of which corresponds to one of the elements of the marketing mix and divides the entire sample in relation to this component. In this case, we will get some grouping in four-dimensional space. Then you can control the size and concentration of groups in each of the four dimensions and at the same time evaluate the response of respondents to all elements of the marketing mix.

It is important to note that when using a statistical approach in segmentation, there is a possibility that the subjective opinion of the researcher will influence the result. After all, here the data about the respondent is obtained through the usual questionnaire, using simple questions, so the survey results often do not show the degree of influence of each of them on the respondent's perception of the brand in question in the complex. The questions required to determine this degree of influence will give rise to the following questions about the influence of the previous questions, and then the researcher will have to determine the indicators necessary for summing up in the final integral indicator. Nevertheless, such subjectivism gives a much more objective result than the subjectivism that manifests itself when choosing the principle of segmentation in the traditional approach.

When applying the statistical approach, the integral variable is calculated as follows:

1) first find out the list of indicators, which will make up each integral variable in the future;

2) then all variables are reduced to a quasi-interval scale of one direction. Thus, it turns out that all indicators have numerical values ​​that determine the peculiar distances between the values. The larger such a numerical value, the greater the positive contribution this indicator makes to the value of the integral variable;

4) at the last stage, the degree of influence of each indicator on the value of the integral variable, i.e. its weight, is determined, and then all the indicators are summarized. This sum will be an integral variable.

Instead, one can conclude factor analysis. This will help reduce the dimension of the feature space. With this approach, the weight of participation of each indicator in the factors is selected automatically. However, the main difficulty lies in the fact that there are often more than one factor, and in this case it becomes difficult to understand how the segment reacts to each component of the marketing mix.

The accuracy of the resulting integral variable can be checked. To do this, you can either study the linear distribution and histograms (large clumps at the edges will show an incorrect calculation), or study the joint distributions of the integral variable and demographic indicators (there is an obvious relationship for them).

In addition, at all stages of calculations, it is important to determine and take into account confidence intervals. Since when calculating the integral variable, all conclusions become mostly probabilistic, in order to make the right marketing decisions, one should take into account the calculation error.

So, the two considered approaches to market segmentation are quite different from each other, however, in any case, the effectiveness of segmentation depends on the extent to which the resulting segments are measurable, accessible, solid, and suitable for targeted actions.