Skip to content

Thirty thousand new consumer products hit store shelves…

“Thirty thousand new consumer products hit store shelves each year. Ninety percent of them fail. Why? We’re using misguided market-segmentation practices. For instance, we slice markets based on customer type and define the needs of representative customers in those segments. But actual human…” quote by Harvard Business School Press
Download Open image
““Thirty thousand new consumer products hit store shelves each year. Ninety percent of them fail. Why? We’re using misguided market-segmentation practices. For instance, we slice markets based on customer type and define the needs of representative customers in those segments. But actual human beings don’t behave like statistically average customers. The””

Harvard Business School Press

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Many products fail because segmentation treats customers as averages, ignoring real behavior.

In simple terms: Segmentation often misrepresents real customers.

Key Takeaway

Use real‑world data over averages.

Themes

marketing product development statistics

Mood

analytical critical

Type

business educational

When to use this quote

  • product launches
  • consumer research
  • sales strategy

Key Concepts

behavioral economics data analysis

Questions to Reflect On

  • How can you capture true customer behavior?
  • What alternatives to segmentation exist?
A Different Perspective

Data may be noisy; over‑reliance on models.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet

More by Harvard Business School Press

Explore all 67 Harvard Business School Press quotes

More Consumer quotes

Browse all 475 Consumer quotes