I'm a big fan of IKEA, among the most successful retailers in the world. Every time I'm in one of their stores, I see something worth thinking about.
Check out these signs. They were evident in several of their room arrangements.
This is the kind of description that might be created by a marketing department but never seen by a customer. It's a description of a market segment that evokes needs, behaviors and activities. And the furniture matches.
What's interesting about this is putting the segment information on display. Really, very few organizations do this. They may have offerings that are designed for a certain segment, but they don't make it explicit.
One exception is Umpqua bank, which doesn't exactly describe their segments, but gives you a clue in their product descriptions.
Descriptions like these are often used in innovation work to describe the target customer that you are seeking ideas for. Why hide it once you have it?
As additional benefit here, the description helps someone affirm that "yes, this is the kind of furniture someone like you should have." It helps the customer put themselves in the picture. And this is a good thing.
Susan's tips:
[1] Create evocative descriptions of your market segments
[2] Use the descriptions to help staff stay in tune with the customer
[3] Use the descriptions to help customers find their best fit among your product/service offerings.
Resources:
Susan's Slideshare presentation about segmentation
Umpqua Bank building integrated customer experience as a lifestyle brand. Customer Crossroads, September 2006.
I just liked this display. No big insight.
