Part 3: Lifestyle Segmentation and Consumer Behavior Trends

Lifestyle segmentation is one of the most powerful tools marketers have for understanding how consumers make choices. But to be effective, lifestyle segmentation must account for change. Consumer behavior is not static. It evolves with demographic shifts, political landscapes, cultural values, and economic conditions.

This post explores how lifestyle segmentation reflects these changes in real time. It uses a national study from New Zealand to show how marketers can track, interpret, and respond to evolving consumer trends.

A Case Study in Lifestyle Evolution: New Zealand (1989–2000)

Between 1989 and 2000, three major lifestyle segmentation studies were conducted in New Zealand by Lawson, Todd, and their colleagues. These studies were based on large-scale surveys using AIO (Activities, Interests, Opinions) inventories to segment consumers into lifestyle groups.

The longitudinal design allowed the researchers to observe how lifestyle segments emerged, evolved, or disappeared in response to national developments. This approach provided more than a snapshot of consumer preferences. It offered a dynamic model of how societal change shapes consumer behavior over time.

Key Lifestyle Segments and Trends

Across the three waves of the study, certain lifestyle segments remained stable, while others adapted or faded away. Here are a few examples that illustrate key consumer behavior trends:

Success-Driven Extroverts

Then: Ambitious, self-oriented consumers focused on career advancement and material success.
Now: Still present but showing signs of slowing growth. This may be due to generational shifts. There is increased attention to well-being over wealth.
Insight: This segment reflects enduring aspirations but may need new messaging that balances ambition with purpose or personal fulfillment.

Educated Liberals

Then: Socially progressive, urban, well-educated, and concerned with equality and diversity.
Now: Aging slightly, still vocal and influential, but now part of a broader cultural conversation about ethics, sustainability, and inclusion.
Insight: Marketers can engage this group with cause-based branding, inclusivity, and authenticity.

Pragmatic Strugglers

Then: Emerged in the 1990s, often single-parent families, politically conservative, resource-constrained, and skeptical.
Now: Facing growing insecurity, less optimistic about social mobility or systemic change.
Insight: This segment signals rising economic inequality and consumer frustration. Brands offering value, reliability, and practical solutions can resonate here.

Accepting Mid-lifers

Then: Middle-aged, relatively stable and politically disengaged, with low involvement in social issues.
Now: Growing in number due to population aging, still detached but increasingly influential.
Insight: While not brand-loyal or socially active, this group values simplicity and may respond to clear, functional value propositions.

Young Pleasure-Seekers (2000 addition)

Then: Represented Generation X with hedonistic values and a “live for today” mindset.
Now: Similar attitudes are evident in younger generations, though now influenced by social media, wellness culture, and financial precarity.
Insight: This segment underscores the rise of experiential consumption and brand engagement through entertainment, humor, and emotional storytelling.

What These Trends Reveal About Consumer Behavior

These evolving segments illustrate how lifestyle reflects deeper societal transformations. Lawson and Todd (2002) note that lifestyle segmentation captures inequality and cultural change in a way that class-based models cannot. For example:

• The disappearance of a “middle” lifestyle group in New Zealand signals widening resource gaps.
• New lifestyle categories mirror government policy shifts, like deregulation and reduced welfare.
• Cultural movements, such as environmentalism or digital connectivity, are expressed through changes in lifestyle preferences.

In other words, lifestyle segmentation is not just a marketing technique. It is a lens for understanding how societies are changing—and how consumers respond.

Applications for Marketers

For marketers, these insights are essential. Lifestyle segmentation helps answer:

• Who are our most responsive segments today?
• How are segments shifting in response to social or economic pressures?
• What values and behaviors are emerging or declining?
• How can we adapt our positioning and messaging to stay relevant?

By using lifestyle segmentation in this way, marketers gain a strategic advantage. They can align campaigns not just with current needs. They also align with the trajectories of evolving consumer behavior.

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Coming Next

Part 4 – Applying Lifestyle Segmentation in Marketing Strategy.
In the final part of the series, we will outline a practical framework for using lifestyle segmentation in real-world marketing. You will learn how to gather relevant data. You will identify meaningful segments. You will use this approach to inform brand strategy and communications.

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Reference:
Lawson, R., & Todd, S. (2002). Consumer Lifestyles: A Social Stratification Perspective. Marketing Theory, 2(3), 295–307.