customers that are brand-loyal– services to appeal to brand loyalists can be provided to
support them in their role as advocates of a brand, as suggested by Aaker and
Joachimsthaler (2000);
customers that are not brand-loyal– conversely, incentives, promotion and a good level
of service quality could be provided by the web site to try and retain such customers.
Such groupings can be targeted online by using navigation options to different con-
tent groupings such that visitors self-identify. This is the approach used as the main basis
for navigation on the Dell site (Figure 4.13) and has potential for subsidiary navigation
on other sites. Dell targets by geography and then tailors the types of consumers or busi-
nesses according to country, the US Dell site having the most options. Other alternatives
are to set up separate sites for different audiences – for example, Dell Premier is targeted
at purchasing and IT staff in larger organisations. Once customers are registered on a
site, profiling information in a database can be used to send tailored e-mail messages to
different segments, as we explain in the Euroffice example in Mini Case Study 4.2 below.The most sophisticated segmentation and targeting schemes are often used by e-retailers,
which have detailed customer profiling information and purchase history data and seek to
increase customer lifetime value through encouraging increased use of online services
through time. However, the general principles of this approach can also be used by other
types of companies online. The segmentation and targeting approach used by e-retailers is
based on five main elements which in effect are layered on top of each other. The number
of options used, and so the sophistication of the approach will depend on resources avail-
able, technology capabilities and opportunities afforded by the list:CHAPTER 4· INTERNET MARKETING STRATEGY
Figure 4.13Dell Singapore site segmentation
Source: http://www.ap.dell.com/content/default.aspx?c=sg&1=en&s=gen