A Study of Customer Segmentation Based on Brand Experience in The Luxury Restaurant Segment

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to (1) identify what kinds of brand experiences there are in the restaurant industry, (2) investigate whether or not restaurant patrons can be grouped into distinct subsegments based on brand experience, and (3) find whether or not there are statistical differences among the subsegments based on demographic characteristics and dining-related information. First, after conducting principal component factor analysis, this study divided the twelve brand experience items into four factors. Second, with K-means cluster analysis, this study identified four groups defined as “those who are mainly affected by sensory stimuli”, “those who are mainly affected by affective stimuli”, “those who are mainly affected by behavioral stimuli” and “those who are mainly affected by intellectual stimuli.” Finally, the result of Pearson’s chi-squared test showed that there were statistically significant differences in gender, age, education, and expenditure among the four groups. In the latter part of the study, we suggested meaningful implications in developing marketing strategies based on brand experience in the restaurant industry.