Using Two-Stage Clustering and Conjoint Analysis for Benefit Segmentation of Iranian Laptop Buyers

The arrival of the laptop and its rapid and widespread growth may well be seen as one of the most important developments in the fields of computer industry and information technology over the past three decades. Many previous research studies have offered market segmentation methods and using its in many fields, but few studies deal with in laptop industry and in developing countries. This paper focuses on benefit segmentation of Iranian laptop buyers, by using two-stage clustering and conjoint analysis. More precisely this paper used two-stage clustering for classifying customers into different segments based on main benefits derived from conjoint analysis. Conjoint analysis is used to balance different levels of customer needs. The data were collected through questionnaires from a sample of 760 consumers in March 2011 in Iran. Results indicated that the four most important determinants of laptop preferences for all the respondents were Price, Size, Processor speed and Guarantee duration. Besides customers was classified into four segments base on two-stage clustering approach. In addition, there are differences between customer needs in segments with each other. One way ANOVA was applied for evaluating the quality of the clustering results. This study provides insight for market researchers who deal with laptop markets in developing countries