The basic idea behind the concept of market fragmentation is that every market reflects different buyer needs and wants, is composed of different segments and responds differently to marketing. These multiple sections, that are characteristics of every market, point towards the fragmentation of the market. OpenSignal acknowledged that https://www.topforexnews.org/ while this made it problematic to develop apps, the wide variety of models allows Android to enter more markets. Market fragmentation, as it relates to market research, is important because it happens in every industry, both domestically and globally, and can determine brand positioning, marketing strategy, and product development.
Market fragmentation is the concept that all markets are diverse and over time break into distinct groups of customers (i.e., fragments)—especially as markets grow. For example, when an entirely new product is created, until consumers can spend enough time with it, it solves the needs of most early adopters. As more customers adopt the product, however, the need for more unique product features, benefits, and other aspects arise. It’s all about turning the challenges posed by a fragmented market into opportunities by creating targeted groups within your audience.
What is a Fragmented Market?
Just like globalization fuels diversity among people and within communities, it in turn does the same for the products and services being demanded. New submarkets are created and new businesses are launched to cater to them – often leveraging globalized supply chains to make it all happen. Other examples of a fragmented market include clothing retailers, businesses selling furniture, agriculture, plant nurseries and landscaping, book publishing, bulk building supplies and others.
He is an accomplished author of thousands of insightful articles, including in-depth analyses of brands and companies. Holding an MBA in Marketing, Hitesh manages several offline ventures, where he applies all the concepts of Marketing that he writes about. While on the other hand, concentration allows companies to establish a strong foothold in the market. A concentrated market also makes it easier for an existing player to dominate the market and increase their profits. You can also look at the amount of innovation and R&D in a market to get a sense of whether it is fragmented or not.
Fragmented market is here to stay and it would do well for businesses trying to enter such as market to understand it in detail. Download your free copy now and start tailoring your strategies to meet the exact needs of every market segment.
It can increase competition, innovation, and the personalization of products. But it can be a challenge for brands who don’t know what market fragments to go after or those that don’t have the means to do so—but there are solutions to help with that. Market research provides the means to identify and hone in on a fragment and understand their specific preferences and habits as compared to the rest of the market. Marketing can then take this information to micro-target or adopt advertising with specific elements that appeal to their fragment in question. On the upside, fragmentation can be a catalyst for competition and innovation, often resulting in better quality products and services for more customers.
- Smaller companies that focus on distinct fragments can focus their efforts on building relationships with a unique set of consumers—and making those consumers feel special.
- Effective market research is almost always a prerequisite for any company leveraging market fragmentation.
- ‘How to Drive Profits with Customer Segmentation’ is your free guide to mastering this craft.
- It’s all about turning the challenges posed by a fragmented market into opportunities by creating targeted groups within your audience.
Download the infographic below to see an agile solution that provides tangible answers that enable you to build products and content that speak directly to your evolving consumer fragments. New regulations can fragment markets by creating space for alternative products that comply with new rules. What we often find here is that compliance with the changed regulations becomes the new fragment’s unique selling point. The creation of https://www.investorynews.com/ the internet led to the music market – once dominated by generic radio stations and music channels – receiving a new fragment in the form of online streaming. Spotify then used technology to offer personalized music experiences that fragmented the music industry even further. Market fragmentation happens when multiple competing firms offer highly-incompatible technologies or technology stacks, likely leading to vendor lock-in.
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The consumer push for products that align with their values and lifestyle is a major fragmentation driver. As new trends take hold and old ones fall out of favor, consumer preferences are in a constant state of flux – markets respond by splitting https://www.currency-trading.org/ into niches. Recall how Henry Ford established assembly lines to make it easier and more efficient to build standardized vehicles. In other words, it avoids standardizing products to homogeneous groups and instead seeks to personalize them.
Market fragmentation often spells trouble for an industry’s big guns – the giants who’ve long relied on casting a wide net to catch as many customers as possible. These larger enterprises, with their mass-market strategies, suddenly find that their one-size-fits-all approach starts to look a little out of touch. Market segmentation is a strategic tool companies use to deliberately divide a broad market into manageable, targeted groups based on specific characteristics like demographics or behavior. Market fragmentation, on the other hand, occurs naturally as consumer interests and market conditions evolve, leading to a scattered landscape of niche groups. Watching for new entrants in fragmented markets can provide trading opportunities, especially if they appear poised for growth. To begin trading fragmented markets today, first open a FOREX.com account and deposit some funds.
It provides the insights needed to identify the unique needs, preferences and habits of a specific target audience. Once a business understands its chosen fragment, it can effectively personalize itself to that particular group. A business leveraging market fragmentation is also empowered to allocate their resources in a more cost effective way. That’s because, instead of trying to cater to everyone and spreading themselves too thin, they can tailor their products, services and marketing efforts to resonate deeply with a well-defined audience.
This first-mover advantage means that a business can establish strong ties with its customer base early on and set the stage for robust brand loyalty – which itself can often lead to word-of-mouth promotion and repeat purchases. For some businesses – especially the larger industry incumbents – market fragmentation often spells trouble. One big market transforming into multiple smaller ones will naturally lead to a rise in competition that can compromise a once dominant position for the clear leader.
Strategies to overcome the challenges of a fragmented market
Version fragmentation happens when a firm offers multiple incompatible versions or variations of a single product, either in tandem or over time as a result of accumulated changes to product specification. Fragmented markets provide more choice, catering to a wider array of tastes and preferences. It means people can find products or services that feel like they were made just for them, rather than settling for something generic. Fragmentation becomes a greater factor over time as a market grows, so it’s no surprise that today we can see many that are heavily fragmented.
Thanks to the fragmentation of markets, businesses can develop a local marketing strategy that will help them to gain a competitive edge over larger businesses. By focusing on local communities and forming relationships with potential customers, small businesses can achieve sustainable growth. While in a concentrated market, it is difficult for new players to enter the market and become successful straight away.
Make no mistake, these big guns will still often do very well and maintain more than enough influence for one business – look at Starbucks in the fragmented coffee industry – but fragmentation will pose a threat to their market share. The impact of that threat can be mitigated through regular market research, helping a business stay well acquainted with their evolving market. Market fragmentation isn’t random; it’s typically the result of various evolving forces within the marketplace. Here’s a breakdown of the major causes and real-world examples of their impact. Market fragmentation is the concept that a marketplace can divide into many small markets, each containing customers with distinct preferences or requirements.
Instead of one or two dominant chains serving identical products, today there’s a whole range of smaller niches, from artisanal spots to specialty bean roasters, and themed cafes to coworking spots. The fragmented market is defined as a marketplace where no single organization has enough influence to move the industry in a single direction. Fragmented market consists of several small and medium organizations that compete with one another and with large organizations, but there is no one single company that dominates the entire market. Businesses generally need to establish a brand reputation that not only resonates throughout the marketplace but also sets it apart from its competitors. Advancements in technology will typically lower a market’s barriers to entry for new competitors and enable the creation of tailored products. We’ve quickly seen how the advent of online marketplaces and social media has empowered small businesses to reach specific customer groups more easily.