Discuss demographic segmentation in marketing.

Grouping or dividing consumers on the basis of one or more demographic factors e.g. age, sex, race, income, occupation, socioeconomic status, religion, family size, family life cycle, education, generation, social class and nationality. The demographic segmentation is often used in market segmentation for the reason that the variables are easy to identify and measure. Furthermore the demographic variables are associated with sale of many products and services and finally they provide a description of the target customers so media buyers and others can target a desired target market.

Each of the variable are useful knowledge when segmenting markets and some of the above mentioned variables will be elaborated in the following
Age and life-cycle segmentation
The consumer’s needs and wants change with age. Therefore some companies use age and life-cycle segmentation, where age and the life-cycle determine the marketing approach. Using telephones (landline and mobile) as an example the marketers must take into consideration that although some 70-years-old use a landline telephone, e.g. due to the lack of technological knowledge, others may only use a mobile telephone. Thus, marketers using the age and life-cycle segmentation must be careful to guard against stereotypes.

Furthermore the age and life-cycle segmentation are associated with behavioural characteristics and buying patterns. An example of this is single people who have a tendency of purchasing new fashionable items due to the fact that they have no other economic obligations. This is opposed to married people, who have a large economic obligation and thereby they prioritize their economy different
Gender segmentation
Gender segmentation is used to differentiate the needs and wants between men and women due to the fact that men and women have different attitudes toward a product. The gender segmentation has long been applied in connection with clothing, hairstyling, cosmetics and magazines. Furthermore it must be taken into consideration that metro sexuality has become a common gender-factor and thus the marketers must not only define a product as being masculine or feminine .

Income segmentation
Income segmentation divides the market into different income groups. It is used in automobiles, clothing, cosmetics, financial services and travel. Many companies within the mentioned categories seek to target the high-income customers. Others seek to target the customers with a lower income in order to gain consumer loyalty and lessen the competitive pressures. However, companies must consider the fact that the income does not always predict the most suitable customers for a given product due to the fact that some customers may have other preferences and prioritize their money different

Generation segmentation
Each generation is influenced by the times in which they grow up i.e. the music, the movies, politics and other significant events characteristic of that period. Marketers therefore market to a generation by using icons and images that is relatable according to the generation.

Social Class segmentation
Social class segmentation divides the customers according to their preferences in cars, clothing, home furnishings, leisure activities, reading habits and retailers. However, although the tastes of social classes changes, many companies design products for specific social classes

---

Lellah answered the question on November 5, 2021 at 07:37