Market Segmentation: Normative Model Versus Business Reality: An Exploratory Study of Apparel Retailing in Belgium
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1996
Keywords
Belgium, Business policy, Clothing industry, Market segmentation
Abstract
States that market segmentation is one of the most important concepts in marketing, though little has been published about its application in business practice. Explores the application of segmentation in Belgian apparel retailing. Compares the views and practices emerging from in‐depth interviews with 22 retail practitioners and six industry experts and contrasts them with the normative segmentation model. Concludes that the retail mix evolves through a cyclical process rather than a linear sequence, and that the segmentation model is more a normative than a descriptive model of retailer behaviour. The data suggest that a simple sequence fails to capture the ongoing iterative process by which retailers adjust their market offerings. Finds that the target market emerges from this process of interaction with the marketplace. Marketing academicians are encouraged to root their work in business practice.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1108/03090569610121665
Citation / Publisher Attribution
European Journal of Marketing, v. 30, issue 6, p. 36-51
Scholar Commons Citation
Danneels, Erwin, "Market Segmentation: Normative Model Versus Business Reality: An Exploratory Study of Apparel Retailing in Belgium" (1996). School of Marketing and Innovation Faculty Publications. 15.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/mai_facpub/15
Was this content written or created while at USF?
No
