We work to buy things, be it food, clothes, a pretty dress, or a studio apartment in New York. Every purchase made by an individual can be attributed to several key factors that cement the purchase. Behavioral and psychographic segmentation essentially taps into studying the customer’s behavior and activities that ultimately lead to a purchase.
Behavioral vs Psychographic Segmentation
The main difference between behavioral and psychographic segmentation is that behavioral segmentation studies the activities of a customer. On the other hand, psychographic segmentation focuses on individual behavior and characteristics. These segmentations observe the customer’s day-to-day life, needs and desires, personality traits, tastes and preferences, and purchase patterns.
Behavioral segmentation refers to the marketing study conducted by observing the activities of a customer and conducting an analysis based on the data gathered. Customers are segregated according to these results to facilitate a better marketing process. Their behavior patterns during interactions are scrutinized along with several other contributing patterns.
As the name suggests, customer psychographic segmentation refers to the aspects of the individual personality traits, or in this case, a potential customer. This marketing concept divides customers based on their traits, attitudes, values, beliefs, tastes, and preferences. This is widely used for target marketing as customers in a particular segment share certain similarities.
Comparison Table Between Behavioral and Psychographic Segmentation
| Parameters of Comparison | Behavioral Segmentation | Psychographic Segmentation |
| Definition | Depending on the patterns of behavior, customers are segregated. | Depending on the psychological traits, customers are segregated. |
| Variables | Purchasing and spending habits, brand loyalty, other interactions with the brand. | Life goals, values, attitude, hobbies, priorities, etc. |
| Focus | Focuses on the interactions of the customer and the engagement displayed towards the products and their brands. | Focuses on the interests and personalities of the individual customers. |
| Relation | Does not take psychographics into account. | Takes behavior into consideration. |
| Aim | This segmentation helps in creating a perception in the customer’s mind. | The aim is to help innovate the product and its position. |
What is Behavioral Segmentation?
True to its name, behavioral segmentation is the marketing concept that follows the consumer’s interaction and engagement with products and brands. This is a popular process that the manufacturers make use of in lieu of consumer products to achieve their goals and objectives better.
Observing the behavioral pattern of the individuals helps the manufacturer or producer to factor in the activities that the customer partakes in and the wishes and expectations he holds towards his product.
Rather than individual behavior, this segmentation pays more attention to their activities and interactions that can be defined in quantifiable terms. Their engagement towards the product and its brand is taken note of.
Customer interactions with the product, such as their browsing, spending, purchasing habits, and brand loyalty, are considered while grouping them into segments.
This behavioral segmentation process is faster and easier when you consider the e-commerce sector. The number of people viewing the product, their purchase details, and their frequency can easily be obtained.
Feedback and suggestion forms provided also help group the customers. Behavioral segmentation plays a major role in helping design the customer’s perception, improves personalization, and helps in the forecast. The act as a means of understanding the customer.
What is Psychographic Segmentation?
This segmentation deals with the personality traits of the individual customer. This includes their values, ethics, attitudes, beliefs, interests, and lifestyle.
The market is identified and divided based on these defining characteristics. This is a popular marketing technique that enables the growth of business enterprises by facilitating a better marketing technique.
This is because psychographic segmentation helps the manufacturers and producers better understand the needs and expectations of the customers and facilitate the same.
The segmentation helps narrow down the target audience and fetches accurate results, helping navigate through the right channel and message to the consumer. The key aspects needed to win over the customers in a segment are singled out and focused upon.
The marketers are provided with the interests of the customers. If the products are created and services curated in accordance with their needs and desires, the product or service is guaranteed to have a higher success rate.
Psychographic segmentation refers to the division of the market based on consumers’ personality traits, attitudes, lifestyle, values, and interests. The right pinpointing of the psychographic segmentation helps the marketers develop and market their final products concerning customers’ precise needs and expectations.
Procuring the right advertising method would lead to improved results. Psychographic segmentation is used to break down the market and the customers’ interests. It also helps design the product and the product position accordingly.
Main Differences Between Behavioral and Psychographic Segmentation
- Behavioral segmentation is measured using the customer’s behavior, action, and activities. Psychographic segmentation is dependent upon psychological traits.
- The elements that determine the behavioral segmentation include customer habits with respect to loyalty, purchase, and amount spent. Psychographic elements include the attitude, lifestyle, desires, goals, etc.
- Behavioral segmentation is the process that follows the customer and their engagement towards the products they use, while psychographic segmentation focuses on defining characteristics and traits of the customer.
- The study on behavioral segmentation is undertaken to design the customer’s thoughts and ideas of a particular product. In contrast, psychographic segmentation is used to design the product and determine its position.
- While behavioral segmentation does not include psychographic factors, psychographic segmentation does include customer behavior.
Conclusion
The aim of the million enterprises involved in providing goods and services is to sell them. But with a million different choices presented to a customer, the degree of competition is exponentially huge.
Therefore, marketers employ several techniques and undertake research to present their products in a favorable light and understand the wants and needs of their customers.
Behavioral and psychographic segmentation helps marketers, producers, and manufacturers understand and serve their customers.
Despite the different elements used in determining the target audience and product design, the base objective is to satisfy the customer and increase sales, ultimately leading to profits.
References
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042816310631
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00913367.1984.10672886