Today’s class started with a conversation about women gamers and what kinds of games they prefer. 87% prefer puzzle games compared to 57% of men.
Then we talked about the testing process.
Testing Process:
reasons for conducting a test: standard practice (test all marketing programs), strategic question (reactivate lapsed customers), tactical questions (which incentive to use)
Design a Test:
what market variables (price, etc.), type of test (a/b, control/A), sample population size
Establish test metrics:
significance, cut-off date
Execute and monitor results
Analyze and report test results
Then we went over ways to get data:
purchase, census, associations, research firms, survey/questionnaire, focus groups, and websites
The hierarchy of cutomer-focused marketing strategies:
(from top to bottom) Customization, personalization, transactions, interaction, information
Complex role of search:
according to a 2004 study we learned that search played a role in 1/2 of purchases, early searches used generic keywords not brands, closer to purchase brand names used, most people concluded search well before purchase, and few searched and purchased in one online session.
Most people in the class agreed that this was similar to their own experiences when it came to big purchases, but not small ones (like sandwiches as one person said).
Segments of internet users:
rural residents are less likely to be online (but in the opinion of the class more likely to purchase online because of convenience as opposed to urban residents who can access products easily). teenagers are heavy communicators – frequent social networking and gaming sites. seniors are less likely to be oniline. usage segments include connectors, simplifiers, routiners, surfers, bargainers, and sportsters. broadband access in the home is key to behavioral segmentation.