Need-States 

Considering the unpredictable nature of consumers, confining them in distinct segments is often not congruent with their behaviour. According to Wendy Gordon (1995), “Brands are bought to reflect the needs of a particular context, be that a mood, an emotion, a habitual circumstance or a practical situation, and thus there are often more differences between the same individual on two different occasions than between two different individuals on the same occasion.”

Take for example the soft drinks buying behaviour of a consumer. On a sunny afternoon, in a mood to rejuvenate, he drinks a chilled cola. After exertion, he consumes an isotonic drink. For his daughter’s birthday party he buys large PET bottles of orange and cola. During the Christmas and New Year festive season, he purchased large multi-packs of different flavoured drinks. In his office, however he usually sips Jasmine green tea.

A soft drinks marketer may not be able to place this consumer as an individual, within a distinct segment. On the other hand, if she segmented the market in terms of need-states, it would better reflect his buying behaviour as he moves from one need-state to another.