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THE IMPACT OF STANDARDIZATION OF VARIABLES ON THE OUTCOMES OF SERVICE MARKET SEGMENTATION
Abstract
In the today's highly competitive market environment, enterprises are searching for new ways of serving markets and creating a differentiated customer value. An important role in these change processes is played by the process of market segmentation according to the customers' requirements and shopping behaviour. Properly performed market segmentation then contributes to increased profitability of the company and of the entire value network. The methods used in segmentation are based on combinations of various segmentation criteria, which can be identified through an analysis of the customers' behaviour and the customers' requirement preferences. The most widely used methods of market segmentation include the cluster analysis. Her application within market segmentation is accompanied by two strategic decisions as follows: what criteria to use for input into the cluster analysis and how many clusters to discover. The decision on the used criteria is then connected with the question of the need to standardize variables, where literature takes different stands on this topic. Therefore, the paper specifies and discusses, using a particular example of segmentation, the problems relating to the use of attitude scales, including the method of standardization proposed by us. It shows and discusses the outcomes of the performed segmentation of the customers of chosen unbranded garages. The segmentation was performed from the point of view of perception of the importance of the chosen types of offered services when deciding about a repeated use of the garage services. It is based on the outcomes of primary quantitative research performed using the method of personal questioning involving 386 clients of the garages.
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