market segment: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1-C2Formal / Business / Technical / Academic
Quick answer
What does “market segment” mean?
A specific, identifiable group of consumers with shared characteristics, needs, or behaviours targeted by a company's products or marketing.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A specific, identifiable group of consumers with shared characteristics, needs, or behaviours targeted by a company's products or marketing.
A subdivision of a larger market, created by market segmentation, where the members respond similarly to a given marketing strategy. This forms the basis for targeted marketing, product differentiation, and positioning.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical or semantic differences. The concept and terminology are identical in both business cultures.
Connotations
Neutral technical term in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally common and standard in UK and US business and academic contexts.
Grammar
How to Use “market segment” in a Sentence
VERB + market segment (e.g., target, identify, analyse)ADJECTIVE + market segment (e.g., primary, niche, demographic)market segment + VERB (e.g., grows, shrinks, responds)market segment + OF + MARKET (e.g., a market segment of the automotive industry)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “market segment” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The consultancy will help us segment our market more effectively.
- We haven't yet segmented the market for our new service.
American English
- The company needs to segment the market before launching the product.
- They segmented the audience by income and lifestyle.
adverb
British English
- The data was analysed segmentally.
- The approach was segment-wise more efficient.
American English
- The campaign was rolled out segment by segment.
- They viewed the performance segmentally.
adjective
British English
- Our segment-specific strategy paid off.
- The report contained detailed segment analysis.
American English
- We need a segment-focused marketing plan.
- They conducted a segment-by-segment review.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Central to marketing strategy discussions: 'Our marketing campaign is focused on the luxury car buyer market segment.'
Academic
Used in marketing, economics, and business studies papers analysing consumer behaviour and strategy.
Everyday
Rare in casual conversation. Might be used by someone discussing their job or business ideas.
Technical
Precise term in marketing science, with specific methodologies for segmentation (e.g., cluster analysis).
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “market segment”
Strong
Neutral
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “market segment”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “market segment”
- Using 'sector' interchangeably with 'segment' without nuance (sector=industry, segment=consumer group).
- Treating it as a physical location: 'I visited the market segment' is incorrect.
- Incorrect plural: 'markets segments' instead of 'market segments'.
- Using it as a verb form: 'We need to market segment this' is wrong; correct is 'We need to segment this market.'
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Very similar, and often used interchangeably. However, a 'target market' is the specific segment a company chooses to aim for, while 'market segment' is a more general term for any identifiable subgroup within a market.
No. The word 'segment' can be used as a verb ('to segment a market'), but the noun phrase 'market segment' itself is not a verb.
A niche is a very small, specialised, and well-defined market segment, often with specific needs not fully addressed by mainstream providers. All niches are market segments, but not all segments are niches.
Through market segmentation, using criteria like demographics (age, income), geography (location), psychographics (lifestyle, values), or behaviour (usage rate, brand loyalty).
A specific, identifiable group of consumers with shared characteristics, needs, or behaviours targeted by a company's products or marketing.
Market segment is usually formal / business / technical / academic in register.
Market segment: in British English it is pronounced /ˈmɑː.kɪt ˌsɛɡ.mənt/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈmɑːr.kɪt ˈsɛɡ.mənt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “To carve out a market segment”
- “To dominate a market segment”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a market (like a fruit market) divided by SEGMENTS of an orange. Each segment contains a different type of customer (e.g., one segment for families, one for students).
Conceptual Metaphor
THE MARKET IS A WHOLE (A CAKE, A PIE, A TERRITORY) THAT CAN BE DIVIDED/CUT INTO SEGMENTS/SLICES/SECTORS FOR CONSUMPTION OR CONTROL.
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is the BEST definition of 'market segment'?