Alternative bases for market segmentation : an empirical investigation of low and middle income black and white consumers of clothing items

Using an undisguised structured questionnaire, data was obtained via personal household interviews conducted by black and white female interviewers. Black female interviewers interviewed black female respondents; while white female interviewers interviewed white female respondents to control for race and sex biases.

The major findings of the research were that no overall significant differences exist between black and white female sample respondents perceptions, perceived familiarity and shopping and purchase behavior for the dress and slack clothing product classes studied. Within black subgroup and between race perceptions of the national and private dress and slack product classes studied revealed statistically significant differences. However, these findings may be attributable to the education and income effect more so than race differentials. In the black subgroup, significant income differences were found in this research. Findings revealed that lower income black respondents patronized black owned and/or managed businesses to a greater degree than middle income blacks. However, these findings may be attributable to education more so than income. Relative to respondents' shopping behavior, the information-advertising source importance were different from that hypothesized. Middle income blacks considered information-advertising source importance attributes to be more important than lower income blacks when shopping for branded name dresses and slacks.

While lower income black consumers considered price to be more important when purchasing dresses and slacks than comparable income whites, middle income black and white respondents revealed no significant differences. The same explanation may be offered for lower income black and white respondents relative to the style and fashion consciousness variables. While the national and private brand hypotheses (H₁₁ and H₁₂) were basically untestable, in part, black and white sample respondents were more "latest style conscious" (innovativeness) than their older black and white counterparts.

While recognizing that the original objective of managerially interpreting each result of the hypotheses tested in this research was not possible, there appears to be fewer differences between blacks and whites than expected, thus arguing for not assuming in advance that separate segments exist.

Areas of limitations of this study are generalizability of study findings, measurement, statistical techniques utilized to analyze the data collected, and the income categories classifying low and middle income respondents. It is hoped that the research reported herein has made a positive contribution to the black buyer behavior segmentation area.