Birth order as a market segmentation variable

Abstract

Birth order studies have an established history in the academic world just as demographics have an established history in marketing. Discusses how birth order may influence several socio‐economic mechanisms and thereby influence select consumption behaviors. As a likely influence of certain consumption behaviors, birth order may be useful in segmenting certain markets. Offers a corporate advertising example to demonstrate the practical significance of investigating links among birth order, consumption, and market segmentation. Analysis of responses from 156 subjects who were shown the advertisement revealed birth order relationships. Few, if any, empirical studies currently link birth order, consumption, and segmentation, perhaps because of a priori convictions that such links do not exist. The time is at hand, however, to refute or confirm the existence of such links empirically. Offers five hypotheses for initiating research. Postulates characteristics of first borns, only children, middle borns and last borns with regard to selling. Discusses managerial implications.

Are laterborns more innovative and nonconforming consumers than firstborns? A Darwinian perspective

“…Birth-order data can be used, first and foremost, to segment the market into distinct birth-order groups (see Claxton, 1995 for a discussion on the efficacy of birth order as a variable for market segmentation). These segments could then be targeted by distinct marketing programs and communication strategies, especially in the context of newproduct introductions.…”

“…Claxton (1995) advocated the use of birth order as a segmentation variable. He proposed (without conducting the appropriate empirical tests) that advertising appeals should be tailored to the characteristics associated with different birth orders.…”

Market segmentation in the European airport sector

“…A review of the literature reveals how such techniques have been applied. There are varied attempts to segment consumers by life-stage (Moschis et al, 1997;Silvers, 1997), by patronage activity (Larrew, 1998), by birth order (Claston, 1995), by ethnic origin (Kinra, 1997) and by sector (Harrison, 1994). In addition, the role of segmentation in industrial markets has attracted considerable academic attention (Bonoma and Shapiro, 1983;Choffray and Lilien, 1978;Plank, 1985;Hlavacek and Reddy, 1986;Rao and Wang, 1995).…”

Spending time, spending money: passenger segmentation in an international airport

“…There are varied attempts to segment consumers by life-stage (Sudbury and Simcock, 2009), by patronage activity (Larrew, 1998), by birth order (Claston, 1995;Reisenwitz and Iyer, 2007), by the level of acculturation (Palumbo and Teich, 2004) as well as by ethnic origin (Kinra, 1997;Souiden, 2002) and sector (Ansell et al, 2007).…”