Nordstrom Consumer Profile

The purpose of this research is to develop a consumer profile for Nordstrom, Inc. The firm is an upscale fashion department store, and is the fastest growing department store chain in the United States, in terms of annual sales.

The consumer profile for a firm is a reflection of the firm's market segmentation. Market segmentation is an outgrowth of product differentiation (Kotler, 1987). As products proliferated in terms of sizes, models, options, and other characteristics, marketers required new procedures for identifying customer groups. Market segmentation was the solution to their problem.

As opposed to product differentiation, which distinguishes product possibilities, market segmentation distinguishes customer groups and customer needs. Market segmentation is

. . . the subdividing of a market into distinct subsets of customers, where any subset may conceivably be selected as a target market to be reached with a distinct marketing mix (Kotler, 1987, 221).

Market segmentation was first applied in the contexts of distinguishing geographic and demographic characteristics.

These segmentation procedures were quickly followed by the introduction of behavioristic bases of segmentation, such as purchase occasion, benefits sought through purchase, user status, and several others. The most recent market segmentation procedure is psychographics (Kotler, and Armstrong, 1989; "Proper Applicatio

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s to the distinctive mode of individual or group orientation toward consumption, work, or leisure ("Attitudes Developed . . .," 1985). When dividing buyers according to personality differences, marketers attempt to develop product brand personalities, or images, which are designed to appeal to corresponding consumer personalities (Kotler, 1987). Psychographic segmentation describes . . . the entire constellation of person's attitudes, beliefs, opinions, hopes, fears, prejudices, needs, desires, and aspirations that, taken together, govern how one behaves, and, in turn, finds holistic expression in a lifestyle (Mitchell, 1983, vii). Psychographic segmentation is, obviously, a complex and demanding procedure. While its use offers the competent mar keter significant potential advantages, significant risks are associated with its use for the careless marketer ("Attitudes Developed . . . ," 1985). The most significant development in psychographics research is the Values and Lifestyles Program (VALS) developed at SRI International, formerly Stanford Research Institute (Atlas, 1984). VALS divides the American population into nine 5 life style classifications, which are,

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