This activity is important because any business that offers multiple product lines to multiple market segments is faced with the task of making the product/market decisions and prioritizing those decisions. Products and market segments that are growing quickly and are very profitable should get more attention and resources than a product and market segment that does not show as much potential. Once a marketing manager creates a market-product grid, they must select which segments to target. To do this, the marketing manager should use several criteria in assessing the different segments. Those criteria include: market size, expected growth, competitive position, cost of reaching the segment, and the compatibility with the organization's objectives and resources.
The goal of this exercise is to demonstrate your understanding of the market-product development process by analyzing a gift shop's markets and products.
Read the case below and then answer the questions that follow as you consider its markets and product offerings.
A small local gift shop recently marked its 25th anniversary of being in business. Over that time, the owners have continually changed the products sold in its store to reflect changes in the market. From the early days of selling small gift-type items such as figurines and collectibles, the store now offers a more eclectic mix of merchandise that includes Vera Bradley purses and inexpensive jewelry, as well as items that could be classified as "gift-type" products and merchandise that is best described as "collectibles."
However, the demographics of the store's market, as well as the needs of that market, seem to be changing. There has been an influx of younger customers (20s and 30s) into the area, which has brought the average age of the area down by 9.8 years. This rapidly growing segment doesn't seem interested in buying the same collectibles that their parents bought. Many older residents (60s and 70s) have been leaving the area for retirement. The older customers are still buying the collectibles, but are also buying gifts for children and grandchildren for holidays and special occasions. Indeed, while sales of merchandise aimed at the younger customers have grown 30 percent, sales to the older crowd have been flat. And the younger group has now passed the older segment in terms of the size of the population. While there are other stores in the area selling similar merchandise, this gift shop has managed to get an exclusive on the Vera Bradley line, which has been popular with the younger customers. The owners of the gift shop are considering which market segment should be the focus of their attention and limited resources. This is an especially critical decision because of the limited space in the store and the need to add fixtures for carrying some of the collectible items that are coming on the market.
Based on the limited information in the case, which market segment is larger?
a) the over-80 segment
b) all segments are the same size
c) the 60s and 70s segment
d) the 20s and 30s segment