Segmenting the Dog Food Market

The dog food market can be segmented in many ways. Many companies use the dog's size or weight, while others look at the type of nutrition a dog may need, such as food that is higher in calories for active, growing puppies or one that contains easily digested ingredients for ill or elderly dogs. But pause for a moment and consider: Why do people have dogs in the first place? And what do those reasons imply about dog food segments? One company researched this question and came up with the four segments shown in the table below.

Functionalist	Family Mutt	Baby Substitute	Nutritionist
U.S. Central/South Low income Have children	Broad, suburban geography Average to middle income Have children	Coastal/urban High income No children	Coastal/urban High income No or few children
Several dogs	One medium dog	One small dog	Several large dogs
Low attachment; outdoor dog	Little attention; playful dog	High attachment; fragile dog	High attachment; energetic dogs
Basic, low-priced, dry dog food	Heavy usage; economical, bagged, dry dog food	High-priced or organic canned dog food; frequent treats	Many feedings; high-priced, canned dog food geared to dog's stage of life

Note the third segment, which consists of people who have dogs as substitutes for babies. You can imagine owners or renters of small apartments in a metropolitan area like New York City who fall in this category. Are these dog owners likely to be price-sensitive? Absolutely not—these "pet parents" want the best food for their canine companions! You can even imagine the kind of dog they are likely to have—a small, cuddly, furry dog— compared to a large dog that a rural farmer might have for practical uses. Asking why gives more insights into potential demographic and/or sociographic measures for segmenting consumers, such as feeding behavior and price sensitivity, than simply segmenting the market by the size or the type of dog.