Going Beyond Demographics: The Advantages of Behavioral Segmentation in Customer Discovery

Using Behavioral Segmentation Based on the Solutions Users Use to Accomplish Their Intended Outcome to Understand their challenges and pain points with regard to the Solutions they Use currently and also with regard to other options available to them currently for a customer discovery of a new product idea

When developing a new product, it’s essential to understand your customers’ needs and pain points. This is where customer discovery comes in. Customer discovery is the process of talking to potential customers to learn about their challenges, pain points, and what they need from a product. By understanding your customers’ needs, you can create a product that solves their problems and meets their needs.

Traditionally, businesses have relied on demographic and psychographic segmentation to understand their customers. Demographic segmentation divides customers based on characteristics such as age, gender, income, education, and occupation. Psychographic segmentation, on the other hand, divides customers based on their attitudes, values, interests, and personality traits.

While demographic and psychographic segmentation can be helpful in understanding your customers, they have limitations. These segmentation methods assume that people with similar demographics or psychographics have similar needs and challenges. However, this is not always the case, especially when it comes to developing a new product.

Behavioral segmentation is an alternative approach that is gaining popularity in customer discovery. Behavioral segmentation divides customers based on the actions they take and the solutions they use to accomplish their intended outcome. This approach is particularly useful when developing a new product because it focuses on customers’ actual behavior and the solutions they currently use to accomplish their intended outcome.

Using behavioral segmentation based on the solutions users use to accomplish their intended outcome, you can identify four segments of potential customers: users using direct competing products, users using indirect competing products, users using substitute competing products, and users who do not use any of the existing solutions to accomplish their intended outcome.

Users using direct competing products are those who use a product that directly competes with the product you are developing. For example, if you are developing a ride-sharing app, users who currently use Uber or Lyft would fall into this segment.

Users using indirect competing products are those who use a product that indirectly competes with the product you are developing. For example, if you are developing a meal delivery service, users who currently use a grocery delivery service may fall into this segment.

Users using substitute competing products are those who use a product that solves the same problem but in a different way. For example, if you are developing a home security system, users who currently use a guard dog for security may fall into this segment.

Users who do not use any of the existing solutions to accomplish their intended outcome are those who do not currently use any solution to solve the problem you are addressing. For example, if you are developing a mindfulness app, users who do not currently practice mindfulness may fall into this segment.

By understanding these four segments, you can gain insights into your potential customers’ behavior and the solutions they currently use to accomplish their intended outcome. This information can help you identify your target market and develop a product that meets their needs.

Using behavioral segmentation also allows you to understand your potential customers’ pain points and challenges with the solutions they currently use. By conducting customer discovery interviews with each segment, you can gain insights into the strengths and weaknesses of existing solutions and the opportunities for improvement. This can help you create a product that addresses the pain points and challenges of each segment.

Another benefit of using behavioral segmentation in customer discovery is that it allows you to identify potential customers who are not currently using any solution to accomplish their intended outcome. These customers may be an untapped market, and understanding their needs and challenges can help you develop a product that meets their needs and solves their problems.

Are you tired of relying solely on demographic data to understand your target customers? It’s time to take your segmentation game to the next level with behavioral segmentation. By downloading our free ebook “Discovering Your Target Customer: A Behavioral Segmentation Playbook,” you can unlock the key to understanding your customers’ behavior and motivations. Say goodbye to one-dimensional demographics and hello to a deeper understanding of your customers’ needs and desires.