This article is part of a series called Working Smarter and Staying Ahead featuring highlights from the annual KBIS Insights Breakfast presentation. Check out our previous posts for Part 1 and Part 2. 

Once you understand the various segments of your market, then you can make more informed decisions about how and where to adjust your strategies. We have shown you some ways that designers and dealers are adjusting their approach. But now it’s time to look at ways to get the most out of your efforts. 

Identifying Shared Characteristics

Start by looking at the characteristics that your segments share.

• Both Young Starters and Moving-Ups have active lifestyles and are looking for faster and more efficient cooking options. 
• The Moving-Ups and Midlife Made-Its want larger kitchens. 
• The Moving-Ups and Older Next-Phasers both seek healthy home environments and look for products that support that lifestyle. 
• The Midlife Made-Its and the Older Next-Phasers will spend more to get what they want, and they want the kitchen to reflect well on them. 

If you want to target certain segments of your customer base, you also can focus on their unique characteristics.

• Young Starters want more smart/connected kitchens and focus on fitness and healthy eating, and they also typically want more than what they can afford.
• Moving-Ups heavily factor kids into their kitchen remodeling decisions and safety features are important.
• Midlife Made-Its tend to be passionate about cooking and want a kitchen that is built for entertaining.
• Older Next-Phasers are looking for smaller kitchens and also focus on universal design. 

Addressing Unique Challenges

Each segment also presents unique challenges, and those in the survey suggested that the Young Starters are the most challenging group to sell to for a variety of reasons. They come in with lots of knowledge about products and have done their research using social media. Because they are also very tech-savvy, it’s hard to keep up with them. They design around their wishlist first and then spend more on sub-par items that won’t last. 

The Moving-Ups represent the second most challenging segment. This group wants everything they see, which also includes everything their neighbor has, but often don’t want to spend the money to get what they want. They also come in pretty knowledgeable and tend to trust their own knowledge and experience more than that of a salesperson. 

Adjusting Your Approach

We know that you have seen these tendencies reflected on your showroom floor. The research shows some predictable behavior, and at Riley & You, we can help you adjust your marketing approach so that you are serving all your customers and using your marketing dollars to make specific choices. Let’s start the conversation about how to reach your customer base more effectively!