Segmenting Internet Users Using Emotions

No study to date has empirically examined online emotions as a basis to construct typologies of internet users. To address this gap, focus groups with internet users were conducted to enhance the Consumption Emotion Set and adapt it to the online environment. Following, an internet survey was conducted in the UK, US, Australia and Canada. Four cross-national market segments are identified, namely “nervous”, “invisible”, “confident but reserved” and “confident & carefree”. These clusters discriminate on the basis of age, working status and perceptions towards online brands. Findings suggest that emotions could be used effectively as a basis to segment international markets into clusters that cut across cultures.

Citation:

George Christodoulides, Nina Michaelidou, and Nikoletta-Theofania Siamagka (2011) ,"Segmenting Internet Users Using Emotions", in E - European Advances in Consumer Research Volume 9, eds. Alan Bradshaw, Chris Hackley, and Pauline Maclaran, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 424-425.