Consumer segmentation research that shows which shoppers to win first.

Consumer segmentation research divides the buyers in a category into distinct groups based on why they buy, then sizes and values each group. As a form of consumer research, the work centers on behavioral and psychographic segmentation, what shoppers do and what they need, rather than demographics alone. Brand and category teams use the segments to decide which shoppers to win first. Nextyn builds the segments from shopper surveys and in-depth interviews, and has run retail and CPG research in 85+ countries.

A Nextyn consumer segmentation study delivers three outputs: a segment map with size and value, the needs, missions and occasions behind each segment, and a priority ranking with range and message calls. Each output comes from primary research with the category's own shoppers, not from demographics alone:

• Segment map: every segment sized by shoppers and valued by spend
• Needs, missions and occasions: why each segment buys, in its own words
• Priority ranking: which segments to win first, with the range, pack and message each one needs

Nextyn interviews the shoppers who buy the category, from loyal and lapsed buyers to shoppers of rival brands, using four tools: shopper surveys, in-depth interviews and focus groups, exit interviews and retail and category expert interviews. Each study matches the sample to the category, channels and markets in scope:

• Shopper surveys large enough to size and value each segment
• In-depth interviews and focus groups that explain each segment's needs
• Exit interviews and shopper intercepts that catch missions at the shelf
• Retail and category expert interviews that test segments against what sells

Nextyn runs consumer segmentation research in the United States and Canada, among other markets, and the retail and CPG practice has researched shoppers in 85+ countries and 50+ languages. Markets are agreed at scoping, and the same segmentation can run across several countries so segments compare like for like. Recent Nextyn examples include segment-specific propositions for an instant-noodle launch in the United States and a 20-market study of household-care shopper needs.

Nextyn recommends commissioning consumer segmentation research before a brand repositioning, a range review, a new product launch or a media plan that targets specific shoppers. At those points the segments still shape where range, pack, price and media spend go, instead of explaining afterwards who the plan missed. Nextyn sends a research plan within 48 hours of the brief, so scoping does not hold up the planning calendar.

A Nextyn consumer segmentation project runs in four steps, from brief to read-out, and nothing is commissioned until the client approves the plan. The client sees the sample, method and price before any fieldwork, and reads every interview with the Nextyn team at the end.

1. Submit the brief: the category, the markets and the decisions the segments must inform.
2. Receive a plan within 48 hours: who Nextyn will interview, how, and what the work costs.
3. Approve the plan: fieldwork starts only after sign-off.
4. Review the read-out: every interview read together, showing where shopper groups agree, where they conflict and what is still open.

Nextyn sends a consumer segmentation research plan within 48 hours of receiving the brief, stating who will be interviewed, how, and what the work costs. The plan sets the fieldwork length for the category, markets and sample size in scope, so a one-country segmentation and a multi-market study each get their own timeline. Nothing is commissioned until the client approves the plan.

Demographic segmentation groups shoppers by age, income and location, while Nextyn's consumer segmentation research groups them by why they buy, from new surveys and interviews. Demographics describe who a shopper is, and needs-based segments explain what that shopper will buy and why.