Food- and situation-specific lifestyle segmentation of kitchen appliance market

Abstract

Purpose – The primary purpose of this research is to draw out in-depth lifestyle characteristics which can be used in new product development and marketing. To achieve this goal, this research aims to explore US female household consumers ' lifestyle structures regarding food-related AIO and identify the values that discriminate best among different consumer segments. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 518 US female consumers aged between 20 and 65 participated based on multi-stage stratified random selection of age. The cluster analysis was performed to identify meaningful segments. Findings – Six segments of Wellbeing-oriented, Social- and dining-oriented, Family-oriented, Innovation- and action-oriented, Price-conscious, and Convenience-oriented were found. These segments show differences in motivation for buying kitchen appliances, evaluation of quality aspect of foods, consumption situations, and in socio-demographic characteristics. Research limitations/implications – These results identify that a product-specific lifestyle helps one to understand the market better than product function even in a technology-oriented industry. Consumer electronics companies should concentrate on their potential target market and understand their specific needs. Originality/value – The study found that refined and modified AIO-based research is effective in terms of consumer lifestyle analysis. In addition, employing the combination of multivariate analytical techniques made it possible to attain the major objectives of the study