The Death of the Average Shopper: Why Segmentation Must Be Behavioural, Not Demographic
- Peter Luff
- Oct 23
- 2 min read
Retail teams don’t need personas. They need patterns.
For decades, retail segmentation has relied on demographic assumptions:📍 Age📍 Gender📍 Income📍 Location
These categories are tidy. They’re familiar. And they’re increasingly misleading.
Because in physical retail, behaviour doesn’t follow the script.
🧠 The Problem with Demographic Segmentation
We assume older shoppers dwell longer. We assume Gen Z wants speed and immersion. We assume high-income visitors convert faster.
Sometimes that’s true. Often it’s not.
Demographics tell us who someone might be. Behaviour tells us what they actually do.
👣 What Behavioural Segmentation Reveals
With the right infrastructure—especially Re-ID—retail teams can segment by:
Dwell time: Who lingers, and where?
Zone transitions: Which paths are common, and which are skipped?
Repeat visits: Who returns, and how often?
Associate impact: Does staff presence change engagement?
Drop-off points: Where do visitors hesitate or disengage?
These aren’t guesses. They’re observable, measurable, and actionable.
🔍 Why Re-ID Changes the Game
Re-identification (Re-ID) technology enables anonymous tracking of visitor journeys—without identifying who someone is.
It uses non-biometric markers like clothing, gait, or movement patterns to distinguish repeat visits, zone transitions, and associate interactions.
✅ GDPR-compliant✅ Anonymous by design✅ Scalable across time and space
Re-ID doesn’t just count heads. It reveals patterns.
🛠️ Strategic Use Cases
Experience design: Build environments that respond to actual behaviour
Marketing attribution: Link physical engagement to campaign timing
Tenant mix: Guide leasing decisions based on real visitor flow
Staffing strategy: Align associate presence with behavioural hotspots
Accessibility planning: Identify friction points for different movement styles
📣 Final Thought
The “average shopper” is a myth. And demographic segmentation—without behavioural insight—is a blunt instrument.
Re-ID turns assumptions into evidence. It's time to stop guessing who people are—and start understanding what they do.
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