Segmentation of markets in strategic B2B marketing

Abstract

Importance: а volatile external environment calls for flexible and adaptive marketing strategies and a strong focus on key B2B customer segments. An efficient segmentation process helps companies gain a competitive edge and identify new promising business opportunities. Purpose: the development of a conceptual framework for B2B market segmentation, embedded into the company’s strategic management system. Research design: аn analysis of relevant sources has established the absence of a comprehensive approach to B2B market segmentation in both Russian and international bibliography. The hypothesis concerning the potential interest of industrial enterprises in having a ready-made solution for systematizing the market segmentation process has been empirically confirmed through surveys and expert communications with industry specialists. The rationale for systematizing established segmentation methods to develop a conceptual framework for structuring the B2B segmentation process has been substantiated. Results: the author proposes to view segmentation as a continuous, cyclical process comprising five stages. A sequence for these stages has been developed and substantively detailed. A general approach to formulating a set of segmentation criteria has been devised, with options provided for their integrated application in solving practical strategic marketing tasks. The findings from empirical observations were incorporated to achieve the research objective.