Retail Terms: Must Read

demographic segmentationA method of segmenting a retail market that groups consumers on the basis of easily measured, objective characteristics such as age, gender, income and education.
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fashionCategory of merchandise that typically lasts several seasons, and sales can vary dramatically from one season to the next.
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functional needsThe needs satisfied by a product or service that are directly related to its performance.
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Geo-demographic segmentationA market segmentation system that uses both geographic and demographic characteristics to classify consumers.
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Geographic segmentationSegmentation of potential customers by where they live. A retail market can be segmented by countries, states, cities, and neighborhoods.
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habitual decision makingA purchase decision involving little or no conscious effort.
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identifiablyPermits a retailer to determine a market segment ’s size and with whom the retailer should communicate when promoting its retail offering.
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impulse buyingA buying decision made by customers on the spot after seeing the merchandise.
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information searchThe stage in the buying process in which a customer seeks additional information to satisfy a need.
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internal sources of informationInformation in a customer’s memory such as the names, images, and past experiences with different stores.
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knockoffA copy of the latest styles displayed at designer fashion shows and sold in exclusive specialty stores. These copies are sold at lower prices through retailers targeting a broader market.
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lifestyleRefers to how people live, how they spend their time and money, what activities they pursue, and their attitudes and opinions about the world they live in.
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lifestyle segmentationA method of segmenting a retail market based on how consumers live, how they spend time and money, what activities they pursue, and their attitudes and opinions about the world they live in.
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Mass-market theoryA theory of how fashion spreads that suggests that each social class has its own fashion leaders who play a key role in their own social networks. Fashion information trickles across social classes rather than down from the upper classes to the lower classes.