Although demographic segmentation is a common and effective way to gather data about your customers, motivation-based segmentation can offer a much deeper understanding of their needs and desires. Here’s how you can utilize it easily.
Despite the perception that motivation-based segmentation can be daunting and expensive, there are simple and economical ways of using it to gain more profound insights into your customers and add more detail to your demographic data.
Making use of ready-made datasets
Our Informed Consumer study tells you what kinds of consumers Finns are, and the study can also be extended to Sweden or other markets. On its own, however, the study isn’t enough to tell you how your own customers behave, or how they fit into the profiles identified in the Informed Consumer research. Are your customers homebodies who love the safe and the familiar, or are they adventurers always looking for new sources of inspiration? And what does this mean for customer-centric business development?
The easiest way to gain insight into your customers’ motivations and needs is to combine your existing, demographic-based customer register with insights from the Informed Consumer study. This can be done with the help of our Informed Consumer segmentation key. We will conduct a survey of your customer base and identify:
- who your current customers are and what motivates them, and
- how to design your product and your communications to better cater to them.
Armed with this knowledge, you’ll be better able to anticipate and meet your customers’ needs. You might even unlock some unexplored avenues for growth you wouldn’t have considered based on pure demographic data.
Success story: connecting drivers with their dream cars
People who drive and own cars are a diverse consumer group. For some, a car is a beloved part of their identity and lifestyle whereas for others it’s simply a means of getting from A to B. In recent years, the factors influencing the buying process have expanded thanks to new technologies and the widespread availability of electric vehicles, for example.
Demographic and socioeconomic variables or purchasing history aren’t enough to paint a useful picture of how different types of car owners behave and what influences their decision-making. Age and educational background, for example, aren’t enough to anticipate whether a potential buyer is excited about the upcoming purchase or racked with climate guilt and dreading the hefty price tag.
We helped a car dealership chain meet these changing needs by designing a better customer experience through motivation-based segmentation. The key segments we identified come with their unique values, challenges and opportunities, which can be used to support sales and marketing efforts. Because they understand what motivates these groups, it’s possible for the car dealership to set themselves apart from competitors by demonstrating their commitment to respond to their customers’ genuine needs.
