Understanding International Market Segmentation

MARKET SEGMENTATION

What is Market Segmentation? THE PROCESS OF BREAKING OF BUYERS INTO GROUPS THAT ARE DIFFERENT FROM EACH OTHER BUT INTERNALLY SIMILAR APPLICABLE ANY MARKETING SITUATION: BUSINESS TO BUSINESS, BUSINESS TO CONSUMER, NOT-FOR-PROFIT, POLITICS

Segmenting International Market INTERNATIONAL MARKET SEGMENTATION REFERS TO THE PROCESS OF DIVIDING ITS TOTAL INTERNATIONAL MARKET INTO ONE OR MORE PARTS (SEGMENTS OR SUB-MARKETS) EACH OF WHICH TENDS TO BE HOMOGENEOUS IN ALL SIGNIFICANT ASPECTS. IN OTHER WORDS, INTERNATIONAL MARKET SEGMENTATION IS THE PROCESS OF IDENTIFYING GROUPS OR SET OF POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS AT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL WHO EXHIBIT SIMILAR BUYING BEHAVIOUR. THROUGH INTERNATIONAL MARKET SEGMENTATION, SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES AMONG POTENTIAL BUYERS IN FOREIGN MARKETS CAN BE IDENTIFIED AND GROUPED.

Selection of International Market M A R K E T S E L E C T I O N P L A Y S A C R U C I A L R O L E A T T H E I N T E R N A T I O N A L L E V E L . M A R K E T S E L E C T I O N I S B A S E D O N A T H O R O U G H E V A L U A T I O N O F T H E D I F F E R E N T M A R K E T S W I T H R E F E R E N C E T O C E R T A I N W E L L - D E F I N E D C R I T E R I A , G I V E N T H E C O M P A N Y R E S O U R C E S A N D O B J E C T I V E S . T H E F O L L O W I N G A R E T H E S T E P S I N V O L V E D I N T H E M A R K E T S E L E C T I O N P R O C E S S : ( A ) I N T E R N A T I O N A L M A R K E T I N G O B J E C T I V E S : T H E F I R S T S T E P I N M A R K E T S E L E C T I O N P R O C E S S I S T O D E T E R M I N E O R A S C E R T A I N T H E E X P O R T M A R K E T I N G O B J E C T I V E S O F T H E O R G A N I Z A T I O N . T H E M A R K E T S E L E C T E D T O S E R V E A P A R T I C U L A R I N T E R N A T I O N A L M A R K E T I N G O B J E C T I V E N E E D N O T N E C E S S A R I L Y B E T H E B E S T S U I T E D T O A C H I E V E S O M E O T H E R I N T E R N A T I O N A L M A R K E T I N G O B J E C T I V E . ( B ) P A R A M E T E R S F O R S E L E C T I O N : F O R P R O P E R E V A L U A T I O N A N D S E L E C T I O N O F T H E M A R K E T S , I T I S E S S E N T I A L T O C L E A R L Y L A Y D O W N T H E P A R A M E T E R S A N D C R I T E R I A F O R E V A L U A T I O N . T H E D I F F E R E N T P A R A M E T E R S F O R T H E S E L E C T I O N O F A M A R K E T A R E F I R M ' S R E S O U R C E S , I N T E R N A T I O N A L E N V I R O N M E N T , M A R K E T S I T U A T I O N , N A T U R E O F C O M P E T I T I O N , G O V E R N M E N T P O L I C Y , E T C . ( C ) P R E L I M I N A R Y S C R E E N I N G : T H E O B J E C T I V E O F T H E P R E L I M I N A R Y S C R E E N I N G I S T O E L I M I N A T E T H E M A R K E T S W H I C H A R E N O T P O T E N T I A L . T H E P A R A M E T E R S U S E D F O R T H E P R E L I M I N A R Y S C R E E N I N G M A Y V A R Y F R O M P R O D U C T T O P R O D U C T . H O W E V E R , P A R A M E T E R S L I K E T H E S I Z E O F P O P U L A T I O N , P E R C A P I T A I N C O M E , S T R U C T U R E O F T H E E C O N O M Y , I N F R A S T R U C T U R A L F A C T O R S A N D P O L I T I C A L C O N D I T I O N S A R E C O M M O N L Y U S E D .

Selection of International Market ( D ) S H O R T L I S T I N G O F M A R K E T S : P R E L I M I N A R Y S C R E E N I N G E N A B L E S T O E L I M I N A T E M A R K E T S W H I C H O B V I O U S L Y D O N O T M E E T C O N S I D E R A T I O N A T T H E V E R Y O U T S E T . T H E R E W O U L D B E A L A R G E N U M B E R O F M A R K E T S L E F T E V E N A F T E R T H E P R E L I M I N A R Y S C R E E N I N G . T H E Y A R E F U R T H E R S C R E E N E D W I T H T H E H E L P O F M O R E I N F O R M A T I O N T H A N W A S U S E D A T T H E P R E L I M I N A R Y S C R E E N I N G S T A G E ( E ) E V A L U A T I O N A N D S E L E C T I O N : T H E S H O R T L I S T E D M A R K E T S A R E F U R T H E R E V A L U A T E D W I T H R E F E R E N C E T O T H E C O S T - B E N E F I T A N A L Y S I S A N D F E A S I B I L I T Y S T U D Y . T H E Y A R E T H E N , R A N K E D O N T H E B A S I S O F T H E I R O V E R A L L A T T R A C T I V E N E S S . O F T H E M A R K E T S , T H E B E S T O N E I S C H O S E N F O R T H E L A U N C H I N G O F P R O D U C T C O N S I D E R I N G T H E C O M P A N Y S R E S O U R C E S A N D E X T E R N A L E N V I R O N M E N T ( F ) T E S T M A R K E T I N G : I N I T I A L L Y , T H E M A R K E T I S T E S T E D O N A S M A L L E R S C A L E B Y L A U N C H I N G T H E P R O D U C T I N A P A R T O F T H E M A R K E T S T H I S P R O V I D E S A F E E D B A C K T O T H E P R O D U C E R A B O U T T H E M A R K E T . A T T H E S A M E T I M E , I T H E L P S T H E P R O D U C E R I N A S S E S S I N G O V E R A L L R E S P O N S E O F T H E C O N S U M E R S F R O M A S P E C I F I C M A R K E T , A F T E R T E S T E D S U C C E S S , T H E P R O D U C T I O N C A N B E U N D E R T A K E N O N A M A S S S C A L E . ( G ) C O M M E R C I A L P R O D U C T I O N : O N C E T H E P R O D U C T I S T E S T E D " I N T H E S E L E C T E D M A R K E T , T H E C O M P A N Y G O E S A H E A D W I T H M A S S P R O D U C T I O N . M I N O R M O D I F I C A T I O N S , I F A N Y , A R E I N T R O D U C E D I N T H E P R O D U C T M I X D U R I N G T H I S S T A G E

Alternative Market Entry Strategies ACCORDINGLY, THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT MARKET ENTRY STRATEGIES THAT COMPANIES CAN USE TO ENTER A NEW MARKET. SOME OF THESE MARKET ENTRY STRATEGIES INCLUDE EXPORTING LICENSING FRANCHISING PARTNERING JOINT VENTURES TURNKEY PROJECTS GREENFIELD INVESTMENTS