The Segment Niching Tool

Abstract

Strategy Question: Now that my market is sized and segmented, how do I better understand segment niches?

Summary: The Segment Niching Tool gets to the next important level of detail in the understanding of an organization’s environment. We use the Market Segmentation Tool output as a starting point. Here we further carve out key niches for further understanding related to product or service offerings. We add a scale to the segment columns of the Segment Niching Tool, and break the column further into sections whose size represents the percent of that niche to the segment. Like the segmentation tool above, understanding niches within the segments provides important information within the competitive environment. Here is where people can get mired down in infinite ways to niche a segment. We introduce our approach, based on numerous scars of wisdom, of niching based on only two questions: (1) “Why they buy?” — the main reason the product or service is purchased, and (2) “How they buy?” — the main way the product or service is purchased.

Citation

Fairbanks, S. and Buchko, A. (2018), "The Segment Niching Tool", Performance-Based Strategy, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 49-59. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78743-795-120181006