E-commerce™

Out of the 11 topics i chose number 9. The question would be What are demographics? Why is it important in determining market segmentation in the US?

Demographics or demographic data refers to selected population characteristics as used in government, marketing or opinion research, or the demographic profiles used in such research. (Note the distinction from the term “demography”, see below.) Commonly-used demographics include race, age, income, disabilities, mobility (in terms of travel time to work or number of vehicles available), educational attainment, home ownership, employment status, and even location. Distributions of values within a demographic variable, and across households, are both of interest, as well as trends over time. Demographics are frequently used in economic and marketing research.

Market segmentation and the identification of target markets, however, are an important element of each marketing strategy.It is possible to satisfy a variety of customer needs with a limited product range by using different forms, bundles, incentives and promotional activities. The computer manufacturer Dell, for instance, does not organize its website by product groups (desktops, notebooks, servers, printers etc), but by customer groups (privates, small businesses, large businesses, public/state organizations). They offer the same products to all customer groups. Nevertheless, they suggest product bundles and supporting services that are individually tailored for the needs of each particular group. As an example, Dell offers to take on all IT-administration for companies. This service provides a huge potential for savings for corporate customers. However, it would be absolutely useless for private customers. Thus, segment-specific product bundles increase chances for cross selling