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Abstract: The main objective of this research is to segment the Romanian cheese market using segmentation variables along with consumer and purchasing behavior. Descriptive research design was used to describe cheese consumer and buying behavior. The data was collected through personal interviews supported by a questionnaire. Convenience sampling technique was used in data collection in hypermarkets. The sampling contains 887 completed questionnaires. Consumers from five big cities in Romania (Arad, Bucuresti, Cluj-Napoca, Iasi, and Timisoara) were asked to participate in the study. The cluster analysis revealed four homogenous segments: cluster 1 - Medium consumers and purchasers, cluster 2 - Hedonic hard consumers but moderate purchasers, cluster 3 - Hedonic hard traditional consumers and hard purchasers, cluster 4: Hedonic, healthy hard traditional consumers but moderate purchasers. This study extends the knowledge of cheese consumer behavior in Romania. Also, this particular study has important managerial implication in targeting cheese consumers. This research was made in collaboration with Babes-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca Faculty of Economics and Business Administration and Unilact Romanian cheese producer company.
KEYWORDS: segmentation, cluster analysis, cheese market, consumer behavior, Romania
JEL Classification: M31
1. Introduction
Market segmentation is still a very used marketing strategy from the '50s to present times. The concept of market segmentation is linked to the name of Wendell R. Smith. During his life he has been employed as a marketing professor, marketing consultant, and corporate executive, apart from serving as President of the Marketing Science Institute. Wendell R. Smith became a marketing leader introducing the concept of market segmentation in the literature with the article entitled "Product Differentiation and Market Segmentation as Alternative Marketing Strategies" in 1956.
According to Smith, market segmentation "consists of viewing a heterogeneous market as a number of smaller homogeneous markets in response to differing product preferences among important market segments. It is attributable to the desires of consumers or users for more precise satisfaction of their varying wants'' (Smith, 1956: 6).
In over 60 years, the main concept of market segmentation didn't change in the theoretical and practical literature. However, the method itself has been improved regarding the use of variables, classification techniques, data interpretation and results implementation.
According to the American Marketing Association, the market segmentation "is the process of subdividing a market into...