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Customer Segmentation in a Changing Business Environment
Within a modern competitive business environment, it appears essential to position the companys product so as to attract as many customers as possible. For this purpose, market analysts investigate the existing arena trying to define specific target groups at which the product should be aimed. One of the specific areas to explore is the sphere of unique national services, a bright example of which can be found in Irish pubs as an outstanding cultural phenomenon. The present paper aims to develop an Irish pub customer typology basing on the cultural backgrounds of this type of establishment.
Traditional Irish pubs, unlike most catering institutions, are defined by a peculiar intimate atmosphere which can be explained by its primary aim: to serve as a meeting place for all the remote out-settlers and providing them with an adequate socializing environment. In an Irish pub, one would meet friends and talk over the local news; that presupposes more than just drinking, so Guinness is simply oiling for a smooth conversation. The specific target of the pubs defines the characteristics of their customers and reflects their interests and expectations.
The most typical customer at an Irish pub would thus be the Jolly Countryman. He is a constant client who comes to spend a couple of hours in the noisy and easy-going company of his fellows picking all the local events to pieces and collecting fresh gossip to ponder over during the coming week. Beer-drinking is not the primary aim for that one, his orders are simple and unpretentious (though a real local will not forgive a less than perfect pint), much more important is the hearty welcome and a nice chat with the barman. As a reward, he would remain faithful to the same bar for years on end, securing a steady income for the bar owner.
The mystery of Ireland attracts multiple tourists, and in the first place, the place of their pilgrimage is the Irish pub. Thereby the Timid Novice customer type appears. When entering the bar, he is easily embarrassed by a multitude of faces turned to him, questioning his identity. At first, he seems lost and confused, and even forgets his initial craving for a bottle of Bud and orders a pint of Guinness, the only notion that remains in his perplexed mind. However, while waiting for the order he easily relaxes under a barrage of barmans questions about all the aspects of the newcomers life. Thus a feeling of trust and intimacy mantles around the newbie and he leaves the bar and a generous tip on the counter, flattered by that seemingly fast initiation into the local culture.
As Irish pubs are becoming more and more widespread around the world, it is becoming a matter of prestige to tell ones friends of a visit there. So, emerges the Snobbish Gourmet type of customer who demands the highest standards of service, considering both the drink and the entertainment. Live trad music is a must, as well as the nostalgic air of the fairytale Ireland . However, care should be taken with such clients, as they come not for the warmth of friendly fraternity, but for the sake of adding one more detail to their glamorous image. The barmans reward is directly proportional to the steadiness of the foam in the beer glass.
As it appears from the aforesaid, Irish pub customers are in a way similar to those of Viennese coffee shops. The Timid Novice is as shy as the Hesitant customer and the Jolly Countryman shares his happiness with the rest of the world as is done by the Garrulous Gourmet. The Snobbish Gourmet type is partially similar to the Gentleman customer in his high standards and exactingness; however, the Gentleman prefers not to attract public attention while the Snobbish Gourmet craves for general admiration of his successful image. The other difference which applies to the customer typologies discussed is that the Hesitant customer is quite impossible to please due to his inability to relax. while the Timid Novice still cherishes a dream to be accepted in the local pub community and grabs at every little chance of opening up to the beer-drinking fellows.
Customer typologies can be endless, as social development leads to alterations in the empirical data. Nevertheless, attempts have been made to create guidelines and steps according to which it could be possible to classify customers and build a pattern of consumer groups. For instance, Baker (1996) has developed a model that claims consumer behavior to be a series of applications for certain variables like selective perception, precipitating circumstances, enabling conditions, information search, expected performance factors, anticipated cost-benefit, and behavioral response. According to those values, customers build their behavior, and the other way round, their behavior can be assessed based on their interpretation of a certain variable. Depending on which variable is chosen as a starting point, different models of customer behavior reflecting customer priorities can be traced.
In order to efficiently run a business, segmenting customers is of vital importance, as is constantly updating the empirical information due to variability of the environment. To that end, Bakers (1996) composite formulaic model appears one of the relevant and reasonable ones.
References
Baker, MJ 1996, Marketing: an introductory text, Macmillan, London
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