Assignment:
Marketing - Consumer Buying Behavior
Market Segmentation & Consumer Research
Topic---Sephora
Paper examines research on marketing segmentation and consumer behavior. Consumers are segmented into four categories including:
1) geographic,
2) demographic,
3) behavioral/benefits sought and
4) psychographics...Important FYI - demographic factors often tend to be top of mind predictors or explanations of shopping patterns - but, please do not stop your research there...you must also analyze the other three categories in order to determine the complete "picture" or "story" of your ideal target consumer. This paper CHALLENGES you to examine current research on market segmentation and consumer behavior and also encourages you to use shopping data from secondary sources such as the MRI Reporter Database, Claritas/Segment Explorer, Hoovers, VALS, etc.
Your paper should begin with a title page that includes the title of your paper. The content portion of the paper should be 3 to 4 pages maximum and should include four headings that are bolded and underlined: Introduction with a clear/action-oriented thesis statement;
Research Findings; Conclusion/Recommendation and Works Cited. Use page numbers as well. You need to choose a specific demographic to analyze first...Examples:
1) You could analyze the differences of how a car company, (like Buick) segments and targets 30-something Millennials
2) You could do a similar analysis of how Mercedes Benz segments and targets Baby Boomers between the ages of 55 and 65
3) Analyze how "Brides/Grooms To Be" are segmented/targeted before and after the wedding by companies such as "Macy's and TheKnot.com";
4) Analyze how pregnant mothers are targeted/segmented before, during and after childbirth by companies such as BabiesRUs, Amazon and BabyCenter
5) You can even choose something controversial if you're so inclined i.e. how poor communities are targeted/segmented by fast-food chains; or how children are targeted/segmented by toy companies, cereal brands, soda brands, etc.
To learn about recent research on market segmentation and consumer behavior, particularly the demographics of age, gender or race/ethnicity, access the Business Source Premier database available through the Temple University library website and locate at least one relevant academic article published since 2005 and at least three legitimate industry/trade sources, published within the last three years, from the internet, Paley library, print media, etc., Make sure these sources are legitimate, accurate and current. FYI, Wikipedia, US Weekly, and the National Enquirer are not legitimate sources. Relevant examples of academic journals include Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Behavior, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Journal of Consumer Affairs, and Young Consumers. Examples of legitimate industry/trade sources include Advertising Age, Forbes.com, NYTimes.com, WHYY radio, The New Yorker, etc.