Technographic segmentation for
marketing management
Marketing management is the organizational discipline which focuses on the practical application of marketing orientation, techniques and methods inside enterprises and organizations and on the management of a firm's marketing resources and ac ...
is a
market research
Market research is an organized effort to gather information about target markets and customers: know about them, starting with who they are. It is an important component of business strategy and a major factor in maintaining competitiveness. Ma ...
analysis tool used to identify and profile the characteristics and behaviors of consumers through the process of
market segmentation
In marketing, market segmentation is the process of dividing a broad consumer or business market, normally consisting of existing and potential customers, into sub-groups of consumers (known as ''segments'') based on some type of shared charact ...
. Traditionally market researchers focused on various
demographic
Demography () is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings.
Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as ed ...
,
psychographic
Psychographics is a qualitative methodology used to describe traits of humans on psychological attributes. Psychographics have been applied to the study of personality, values, opinions, attitudes, interests, and lifestyles. Two approaches to ...
, and
lifestyle
Lifestyle often refers to:
* Lifestyle (sociology), the way a person lives
* ''Otium'', ancient Roman concept of a lifestyle
* Style of life (german: Lebensstil, link=no), dealing with the dynamics of personality
Lifestyle may also refer to:
Bu ...
schemes to categorize and describe homogeneous clusters of consumers that comprise possible
target markets
A target market, also known as serviceable obtainable market (SOM), is a group of customers within a business's serviceable available market at which a business aims its marketing efforts and resources. A target market is a subset of the total ma ...
.
With the advent of
personal computers
A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...
and
home video
Home video is prerecorded media sold or rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD, Blu-ray and streaming me ...
in the late 1980s and the explosion in
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, p ...
use,
personal digital assistants
A personal digital assistant (PDA), also known as a handheld PC, is a variety mobile device which functions as a personal information manager. PDAs have been mostly displaced by the widespread adoption of highly capable smartphones, in pa ...
,
BlackBerries
The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus ''Rubus'' in the family (biology), family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus ''Rubus'', and hybrids between the subgenera ''Rubus'' and ''Idaeobatus' ...
,
video games
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedbac ...
,
cell phones
A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whi ...
, etc. in the 1990s, information and communication technologies have emerged as a central focus and defining force in a wide range of occupations and lifestyles. Accordingly, market researchers realized the need for a segmentation scheme based on the role that technology plays in consumers' lives.
Development
Technographic segmentation was developed to measure and categorize consumers based on their ownership, use patterns, and attitudes toward information, communication and entertainment technologies.
The concept and technique was first introduced in 1985 by Dr. Edward Forrest in a study of
VCR users. It was elaborated upon in the article "Segmenting VCR Owners" published in the ''Journal of Advertising Research''. The article suggested that the profiling of technology consumers "should be based on an amalgam of variables which might best be referred to as 'technographic'... which focuses on the motivations, usage patterns, attitudes about technology... as well as measures of a person's fundamental values and lifestyle perspective."
The concept has been adopted by Forrester Research, Inc. as a research service for information-technology and marketing professionals, business strategists, and technology industry executives.
Technographics has two categories, Social Technographics and Mobile Technographics. Technographic
data can be mined from technical support forums, company social media postings, press releases, government/public websites, and even online job postings.
See also
References
External links
Benefits of Technographic Data
Market research
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