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This unit teaches students how to analyze the customers of a business, including defining target markets, differentiating between primary and secondary research, and understanding market segmentation by demographics, psychographics, geographics, and buying characteristics.
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EntrepreneurshipUnit 2.1 Analyzing a business’s customers
Students will analyze their market’s customers. • Students will be able to: • Define target market • Define market segmentation by demographics, psychographics, geographics, and buying characteristics • Distinguish the difference between primary and secondary research • Describe a focus group • Identify the steps of market research
Why Market Analysis? • Market analysispresents research findings about target markets. • Market analysisincludes a target market profile that explains the traits of the company’s potential customers. • Market analysisprovides potential investors with a realistic forecast of the growth potential for the market in which your company will operate.
What is a Target Market? • A target market is a particular group of customers of interest to an entrepreneur. • Understanding the characteristics of the desired market segment allows a company to tailor its marketing effort to reach and appeal to the market segment.
What is Market Segmentation? • Market segmentation is the process of grouping a market into smaller subgroups defined by specific characteristics. • Market segments are subgroups of buyers with similar characteristics.
What are the four types of market segmentation? • Geographics • Demographics • Psychographics • Buying Characteristics
4 Types of Market Segmentation • Geographics – the study of the market based on where customers live by region, state, city, and/or area. • Demographics – the personal characteristics of a population: age, gender, family size, income, occupation, family life cycle, education, religion, race, nationality, or social class.
4 Types of Market Segmentation(cont’d.) • Psychographics – the study of consumers based on social and psychological characteristics: personality, values, opinions, beliefs, motivations, attitudes, and lifestyle elements, including activities and interests; • Buying characteristics – knowledge of and personal experiences with the actual goods or services.
Guidelines to Segmentthe Target Market: • The target market should be measurable. How many potential buyers are in the market? • The segment should be large enough to be profitable—to recover costs and make a profit. • The segment should be reachable. Product information and product availability must be considered. • The target segment should be responsive; i.e., that people are interested in the product.
Market Segment Profile (Example) • Situation: Clothing boutique specializes in trendy fashions for teenagers. Located in a fast-growing metropolitan area with several high schools and a college. • Profile: Girls 13-18 years old; reside within city, nearby suburbs, or rural areas; part-time annual income of $1500; rarely buy expensive items; aware of current trends and attitude toward where to buy influenced by peers.
3 Types of Market Research • 1. Exploratory Research is used when you know little about a subject. Check with industry & government publications. You can organize a focus group of people whose opinions are studied to determine the opinions that can be expected from a larger population.
3 Types of Market Research (cont’d.) • 2. Descriptive Research Develop a customer profile. Learn the age, gender, occupation, income, and buying habits of potential customers. Such information can be collected through questionnaires, interviews, or observation.
3 Types of Market Research(cont’d.) • 3. Historical Researchinvolves studying the past. Trade associations and trade publications are two sources of useful historical data. Historical research might be useful to learn why a type of business has been successful or unsuccessful.
What is Primary Data? • Research collected for the first time and relates directly to the collector’s study. • How do I collect primary data? • Observation • Interviews – in person, by phone, through mail • Surveys • Observe buyers at competitor’s site • Focus groups
What is Secondary Data? • Information collected by someone else for their own purposes. • Where do I find Secondary Data? • Internet • Government and community organizations • Website of the U.S. Census Bureau • Chamber of Commerce • Trade associations • Trade publications • Commercial research agencies
Five Steps of Market Research • Step 1: Identify your Information Needs. • What data needs to be collected? • What methods of analysis will be used? • How will the data be used? Example: Before opening a hobby store, you need to know who your first customers will be and what they want? Also, you must gather information about the competition.
Five Steps of Market Research (cont’d.) • Step 2: Obtain Secondary Resources. Information that has been collected by someone else is called secondary data. • What are the demographics of the customer? • What are the psychographics of the customer? • How large is the market? • Is the market growing? • Is the market affected by geography? • How can you reach your market? • How do your competitors reach the market? • What market strategies have been successful with these customers?
Five Steps of Market Research (Cont’d.) • Step 3: Collect Primary Data 1. What are the demographics of your customer? 2. Would potential customers purchase your product or service? Why or why not? • How much would customers purchase? • When would customers purchase? • Who would customers like to find the product or service? • What do customers like about your competitors’ products and services?
Five Steps of Market Research(cont’d.) • Step Four: Organize the Data Categorize data based on the research question it answers. Working on each question, note how many of your sources supported a particular conclusion and how many did not. This data can help you refine your market analysis.
How may Data be Represented? • Bar graphs • Pie charts • Line graphs
Five Steps of Market Research (cont’d.) • Step Five: Analyze the Data. Now that your information has been organized, ask yourself these questions: • Is there a market for the product or service? • How big is the market? • Will the industry support such a business? • What do substitute products/service reveal about demand for the product/service? • What do customers, end users, and intermediaries predict the demand will be?
Let’s Review • Define target market • Define market segmentation by demographics, psychographics, geographics, and buying characteristics • Distinguish the difference between primary and secondary research • Describe a focus group • Identify the steps of market research
Sources • Allen, Kathleen R., & Meyer, Earl (2006). Entrepreneurship and small business management. New York: Glencoe. • Green, Cynthia L. Entrepreneurship: ideas in action. Boston: Thompson/ South-Western. Created by: JJ Abernathy Snow Canyon High School 2006