Sensory Segmentation:

Abstract

International product development has often been characterized by the creation of products designed for individual countries. Often this country to country strategy generates a host of products that are difficult to manage. This paper presents an alternative apprroach and case history. The approach, known as Sensory Segmentation, divides consumers by the patterns of sensory characteristics they like most. Sensory segments transcend the conventional demographic breaks (e.g., country to country). Rather, they provide the marketer with a limited number of groups of consumers which can be satisfied with a minimal number of products. By developing products for the fewer sensory segments rather than for the many countries, the marketer can minimize the number of products to be created and managed.