Spa market segmentation according to customer preference

Abstract

Purpose – This paper aims to segment spa customers based on their preferences for a set of spa attributes. With the considerable growth rate of the spa market, it is vital for spa professionals to understand spa-goers’ preferences. However, academics and industry professionals have not devised a structured method by which to manage spa customers. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted using a face-to-face survey with visitors to Hong Kong who had visited a spa. By applying conjoint and cluster analysis, customers could be categorized into distinct segments. Findings – Four customer segments were identified: spa enthusiasts, high spenders, value seekers and price-sensitive spa-goers. Spa enthusiasts were the largest segment among the four, followed by value seekers, price-sensitive spa-goers and high spenders. Research limitations/implications – Given the limited academic interest in the area, this study contributes to the literature by providing insights into spa-goers’ preferences and how those preferences can be used to segment spa-goers. Practical implications – Based on the different needs, preferences and socio-demographic characteristics of the four segments – spa enthusiasts, high spenders, value seekers and price-sensitive spa-goers – spa industry managers could customize their strategies and design different spa services and packages to meet the needs of the four segments. Originality/value – The combined use of conjoint and cluster analysis provides a new method of market segmentation in the spa industry. This study could help spa professionals to design customized spa products for the distinct segments, and thus retain and attract more spa visitors.

A Hybrid Method with TOPSIS and Machine Learning Techniques for Sustainable Development of Green Hotels Considering Online Reviews

“…It helps the managers effectively discover the customers' satisfaction level from their services and detect their choice preferences [40]. Previous studies on customers' segmentation and preference prediction are mainly developed through survey data [47]. However, it is found that the use of machine learning techniques can be more effective in big data analysis and customer segmentation [48].…”

Exploring the Determinants of Hot Spring Tourism Customer Satisfaction: Causal Relationships Analysis Using ISM

“…Regarding hot spring tourism, consumers visit hot spring resorts with different purposes depending on their different regions [35]. A study showed that the consumers in Asia often pursue their personal inner peace (or peace of mind), so they pay more attention to seeking escape [36], a soothing experience [21,37], and tranquility [38], while in Western countries, visitors always focus on social factors in spas [21]. To reflect the strong customer demand, there is also a wide range of different types of service features or characteristics among establishments.…”

“…Under mass exploitation, researchers gradually became concerned with the comprehensive evaluation of exploiting hot spring resources. With the increasing awareness of the value of spa treatments, people began to attach importance to the commercial and economic value of hot springs, particularly the tourism industry, mainly for the behavior and demand characteristics of tourists [18], travel motivations [36,38,42,43], the geographical characteristics of customer marketing [15], as well as visitors' evaluation of spa experiences [44]. In addition to focusing on the value of hot spring resources, researchers later began to discuss the influencing factors of hot spring tourism development, such as hot spring hot brand [45], the coordinated development of the entire region's economy, and ecology at the external macro level [12,15,46,47], while other scholars studied the advantages and disadvantages of hot spring resorts with case analyses [12], focused on services and activities at hot spring destinations [48][49][50], and service quality and consumer preferences [15,22,35,48].…”

“…The problem of a hot spring development pattern is similar, with a lack of cultural characteristics and brand effect [87]. Previous studies [3,88,89] have shown that tourists may choose to visit hot springs to pursue leisure and the factors in personal internal peace, so they pay more attention to seeking escape [36], a soothing experience [21,37], and tranquility [38]. Thus, "Environment Quality" such as silence, cleanliness, ecology, cultural features, and recreational activities can be a staple attraction for many consumers, and managers should improve and focus on creating hot spring environment specialties to distinguish themselves from competitors.…”

Financial position of medical spas – The case of Slovakia

“…It was due to spas focusing on medical care (Smith and Puczkó, 2010) and the good standard of medical services rendered. In this segment, greater emphasis is typically placed on factors such as medicinal waters, medical assistance and staff (Alén et al, 2006), as opposed to the wellness segment, the preferences of which have been defined by Denizci Guillet and Kucukusta (2016), Kamata and Misui (2015). Concurrently, the number of domestic clients increased in the reporting period.…”