Consumer segmentation, market research tools, staff engagement, and product line planning
Download your PDF copy of our presentation on consumer segmentation and market research tools, “Outside-In Planning: Tools and Techniques for Strategic Product Line Planning” presentation made by Concurrent Strategies in January. This information was shared at both the Outdoor Industries Association (OIA) Outdoor University, #ORWM15, and SnowSports Industries America (SIA), #SIA15, in January, 2015.
In addition to the core concepts, these slides also include early 2015 market intelligence gems reaped from key presenters during the seminars at both the #ORWM15 and #SIA15 retail markets.
Items of interest from #ORWM15
Are you segmenting your consumers?
OIA’s new Consumer Vue provides seven distinct segments of outdoor consumers. From their website: “Consumer Vue is an interactive tool developed to translate the segmentation findings for our members, and help them utilize the research and data to guide product development and assortment strategy, marketing, sales, customer service, and go-to-market plans. How to best implement the findings will vary from company to company.”
Are you still using the Good/Better/Best strategy for product positioning?
Matt Powell, Vice President for Sports Industry Analysis at NPD, challenged participants to question the traditional Good/Better/Best approach and presented his research observations that the new norm may be migrating from three-tiered positioning to two-tiered: Good Enough/Exceptional. For a quick gut check, put yourself in the mindset of the consumer and reflect on your own product purchasing behavior.
Items of interest from #SIA15 seminars
Are you measuring your ambassador athletes’ active fan engagement?
Empowering athletes to drive change with brand recognition is a traditional marketing strategy. See how the new analytics-based firm Hookit is capturing social media analytics to value your ambassadors’ fan reach.
What will a two-year three-phase study on downhill consumers teach us?
The preliminary findings from phase I of SIA’s Downhill Consumer Intelligence Project (DCIP) include:
- The USA snow sports market peaked at 13 million estimated participants in 2003.
- Currently, with just under 11 million participants, the USA market has remained relatively stable since 1998.
- Participants are young, between 57–76 percent of all participants are in Gen Y and Gen Z.
- Most participants are not core users, they participate casually 1–2 times per year.
- More participants are exploring the alternative terrains of both resort accessed and non-resort accessed backcountry, golf courses, terrain parks, and other urban areas.
- Freeski and snowboard sports garner more ethnic diversity than alpine or cross country sports.
SIA Director of Research Kelly Davis said “The purpose of DCIP is to get an accurate, in-depth understanding of our current and former customers, as well as the best prospects for future customers and what would attract them.”
From the SIA website:
“Phase 2 and Phase 3 will involve researching consumer types, on-hill interviews, and developing a strategic downhill participation plan to explore and promote what draws a person into an active snow sport lifestyle… Watch for updates on the discovery phase of DCIP in the SIA newsletter and by following #SIAdata and #DCIP on SIA’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.”