Abstract:

The intent of this paper is to present researchers with an innovative use of state-of-the-art tools to solve problems that are too often glossed-over. The usual and standard tools and methods of benefit segmentation as practiced by most researchers are critically examined and new ways of renewing market segmentation through methods of measuring benefit importance and performing segmentation analysis on the resulting data are suggested. Maximum Difference Scaling, a more powerful method for measuring benefit importance that is scale-free and thus very applicable to international segmentation research, is introduced. The paper describes how Maximum Difference Scaling can be combined with Latent Class Analysis to obtain international benefit segments. An example of how these methods were used in a cross-national business-to-business study is provided.