MARKET SEGMENTATION

The purpose for market segmentation is dividing a market into distinct groups of
buyers who have different needs, characteristic, or behaviour, who most likely to purchase
the offered products or programs. If the market was been segmented properly will help to
insure the highest return for your sales and marketing expenditure. In Students Residential
Halls of EON which is known as DPP EON, the market segmentation is target mostly on the
UUM students, lecturers, staffs and group visitors. The facilities and services that DPP EON
offered and provided are cafeterias, halls, accommodation, computer lab, and grocery shop.
The first market segmentation is psychographic segmentation. There have 15
Students Residential Halls in University Utara Malaysia in different region which are inside
campus and outside campus. DPP EON is located at route B where it is the most strategic
for others students from other Students Residential Hall access to DPP EON. Most of the
students, lecturers and staffs are attracted by the foods and drinks offered by EON cafeteria
where the most famous foods are Nasi Lemak and A La Carte. When the students were
bored with the foods in their own hostels cafeteria, they have alternative choices of foods.
So, our company plan to expand more local food stalls which is suitable with local and
international students appetite. The food server may also provide food delivery service
which imposed charge for it.
Other than that, there are a lot of events and activities that are organized by the DPP
EON students can generate more profit for DPP EON such as charity fair, event show and
so on. With those events launching in the hall of DPP EON openly to public and the same
time with strong promotion to outsider and UUM students through mass media and
distribution channel such as social website Facebook and Twitter to increase the public
awareness regarding those events. The hostel also provides car rental service to residents
of DPP EON where most of the students need it to run for their event or assignment purpose
at outside campus.
The second market segmentation is behavioural segmentation which refers to actual
customer behaviour toward products based on the benefits sought, usage rate, brand loyalty,
user status and occasion. The accommodation in DPP EON is the main income, so the
facility in the room should be well equipped and remain under good condition in order to
provide comfortable ambience of living. In general, the rooms were not fully occupied by
UUM students, so the non-occupied rooms can be sold to the outsider who wants to stay for
nights for the purpose of sport tournament, education tour, and student mobility. In order to
generate more profit to DPP EON, some of the blocks or rooms should be upgrade the room
equipment such as air conditioner and water heater in washroom which mean it should

impose high charges than other standard room. Those upgraded rooms were attracting
those international students very much and they willing to pay for their satisfaction.
Besides that, during the semester break season, there was no students stay in the
hostel even the cafeteria also stop their business for 2 and half months, so within this period,
the hostel can provide accommodation to the outside group visitors where mostly are
students and lecturers for the purpose of attend programmes, camp and etc. Therefore, with
launching some events and programmes in UUM during the break can stimulate the
attendees to purchase our products especially for the upgraded accommodation to provide a
comfortable living satisfaction to consumers.
In addition, through those 2 market segmentation that has been analysed, the target
market of DPP EON can be divided into two different season or period of occupancy which
are high occupancy period and low occupancy period. In high occupancy period, the target
market is focus on students because the room occupancy rate is high, guaranteed profit
returnable whereby the income that generates the most from accommodation, cafeteria,
grocery shop, printing service, and car rental services. However, during the low occupancy
period is during the semester break, the target market would turn to the outside group
visitors.

COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
The purpose of competitor analysis is to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the
competitors within our market and develop strategies that will provide us the distinctive
advantage. (Entrepreneur, 2006). The competitors of Students Residential Hall of EON
include the other Students Residential Halls, food court or cafeterias and also outside car
rental and taxi services.
a) Others Students Residential Halls
The strong competitor of DPP EON is DPP PETRONAS. DPP PETRONAS is known
to be the most strategic location for students convenience to access because it
located beside the Varsity Mall and it has its own Student Lounge which is good
place for study, group discussion and entertainment area for students. Besides,
there have also a barbeque area that rent for students to organize party or gathering
in leisure time. Although the DPP PETRONAS have so much competitive
advantages, but DPP EON also have advantages in strategic location which is
relatively near with other hostels compare to DPP PETRONAS where it located at
the centre of the route B. DPP EON would also provide printing service that
operated from day to night which benefits to those students from other hostels that
help to save their time and physical strength to walk so far distance to Varsity mall
and the bus was only operate at certain time such as once in an hour at evening
time. DPP EON also have their own futsal court and badminton court where the
students can plays sport with limited access time, because the sport center was
located very far away from route B.
b) Food Court or cafeteria
The second competitor is food court and cafeteria in UUM which includes Nasi
Kandar Yasmeen, Varsity Mall, Cengkih, Lego and also cafeteria at other hostels.
Most of the students and lecturers will have their breakfast and lunch at Nasi Kandar
Yasmeen, Lego and Cengkih because they have class in day time. However during
the dinner time, most of them were back to their own hostel, so they are most
probably choose to dine at cafeteria. Cafeteria DPP EON is famous with A La Carte
and Nasi Lemak which its price is fix and reasonable. The dining ambience and
environment in DPP EON is good and its building looks like Old Town White Coffee
feel. The cafeteria also installs a big screen projector for normal TV channels and
also sport channel for entertainment. The main attractive point to consumers is the
variety of food and beverages provided with its price affordable by consumers and
also the enough spaces that can accommodate many consumers in busy dining
time.

c) Outside car rental and taxi services.

The car rental and taxi service has become popular and competitive services among
students in UUM even students themselves who has legal sticker for their vehicles
also provide taxi service and car pool to students to gain some petrol fees. Besides
that, the car rental centers have many cars that could be rent for students in hourly
basis and also day basis as they required. However, sometimes the cars rented was
not proper maintained well is very dangerous to students to drive out of the campus,
and this will threats their personal safety. In additional, the rental fees was not fair
which it charge for an hour fees when it is past only 15 minutes for the next hour in
the time return back the car. It also takes long time to take the car and return back
the car where the car renter should send students back to their own hostel.
Therefore, the DPP EON provides the car rental service is known to be the most
convenience and safety to students to take the well maintained car in short time.
With the same charge of car rental fees, students save more time to take and return
back the car to hostel and the apply procedures is easy and convenience.

Bibliography
Entrepreneur. (2006, August 1). Retrieved December 9, 2014, from
www.entrepreneur.com/article/25756
NetMBA Business Knowledge Center. (2010). Retrieved December 7, 2014, from
http://www.netmba.com/marketing/market/segmentation/