Personas, Segmentation & Customer Insight

If you’ve always sold through distributors or retailers, you might know your product inside out – but not the people who actually buy it. Moving into D2C means closing that gap. Customer insight is how you shift from product-first thinking to customer-first growth.

Done well, it helps you:

• Design products and bundles that meet real needs.

• Write content in the language customers use.

• Spend your marketing budget where it works hardest.

• Build loyalty and community that competitors can’t copy.

Segmentation: Breaking Down Your Audience

Segmentation is about grouping customers in ways that matter. Not just age or gender, but how they think and behave.

Common types of segmentation:

• Demographic: Age, gender, income, location.

• Behavioural: Purchase frequency, order value, channel preference.

• Attitudinal: Values, lifestyle, and mindset (eco-conscious, DIY enthusiast, luxury buyer).

For manufacturers, behavioural and attitudinal insights are usually the most useful. They show why people buy, not just who they are.

Personas: Putting a Face to the Data

A persona is a practical profile that turns a segment into someone you can picture and plan for.

Each persona should answer:

• Who are they?

• What motivates them?

• What problems do they face?

• How do they decide?

• What stops them buying?

Example persona:
Sarah, 32, eco-conscious homeowner. Researches heavily online before buying, influenced by sustainability claims, willing to pay a premium for products that last and align with her values.

Insight Methods for SMEs

You don’t need a huge research budget. Start small:

• Customer surveys: Short, focused, delivered post-purchase or via email.

• Analytics & heatmapping: See what products get attention, and where drop-offs happen.

• Social listening: Monitor reviews and conversations around your brand (and competitors).

• Customer interviews: 30 minutes with 5–10 real customers can be game-changing.

• Competitor benchmarking: What are others saying, promising, or failing to deliver?

Turning Insight Into Action

Collecting data is only half the job. The real value comes when you:

• Refine product ranges (e.g. smaller pack sizes for online).

• Adjust pricing to match willingness to pay.

• Shape content with customer language.

• Focus on channels where your audience actually hangs out.

• Improve service policies (e.g. easy returns, faster delivery).

Common Pitfalls

• Treating personas as glossy posters instead of working tools.

• Over-focusing on demographics while ignoring motivations.

• Gathering data but not acting on it.

• Assuming wholesale buyers and end-consumers think the same way.

Quick Wins

• Write down your top 2–3 personas today, even if rough.

• Use surveys to validate assumptions — don’t rely on guesswork.

• Build a simple customer journey map for one persona to spot friction points.

• Revisit personas annually — customers change, so should your insight.