Market Segmentation Strategies from Muqaddimah of Ibn Khaldun

Abstract

The concept of market segmentation strategies was firstly used by Wendell R. Smith (1956) in marketing literature. However, if we look carefully at the work of Ibn Khaldun, it is possible to see these strategies already in his Muqaddimah. Ibn Khaldun discussed these strategies nearly 650 years ago but because he didn’t conceptualize them, his analysis has not been given an adequate attention. The purpose of this study about market segmentation strategies is to present marketing literature and compare it to the Muqaddimah of Ibn Khaldun. For implementing this purpose, in the first section market segmentation strategies which are mentioned in marketing literature are determined and some of them are explained in detail. In the second section statements about market segmentation strategies are included from Muqaddimah of Ibn Khaldun and in the third section a comparison is done followed by a conclusion.

In his work Ibn Khaldun argues that the world can be segmented into two main parts, the north and the south. The northern part of the world is further segmented into seven climate areas. He indicates that for example people who live in the first, second, sixth and seventh areas have different requirements as those people from the third, fourth and fifth areas. He argues for the first group “Their houses are from mud and bamboo. They acquire their nutrients, millet and grass. Their clothes are from tree leaves or pelt.” For the second group, he also argues that “People of these areas are richer than the first group because of the climate condition. Their houses are from stone and their clothes, foods are more sufficient than the first group”. These terms show clearly that people who live in different areas have different requirements because of the climate conditions. This situation explains marketing literature as geographic segmentation. At the end of this study a conclusion is made that geographic segmentation, psychographic segmentation, geo-demographic and socio-economic segmentation strategies were already found in the Muqaddimah of Ibn Khaldun.