jessehatfield-rshta

A recent purchase I have made is a Vornado VFAN Mini Vintage Fan. Where I’m from, humid Summers are common, and a fan goes a long way to beat the heat. When choosing my fan, I thought of many things including price point, size, design, and how durable my fan would be. These needs and desires for a product, as well as my own personal preferences and identity are all taken into account by companies like Vornado through segmentation.

A segment that Vornado appeals to with the VFAN is Gen Z, specifically adults aged 18-29. The design is vintage inspired, featuring a metal body and muted color palette reminiscent of midcentury modern design. On Gen Z’s preferences for nostalgic designs, Kim Cook writes “But there’s also an emotional component. After years of digital overload and pandemic-era disruptions, we’re gravitating toward styles that feel warmer, softer — more human, even.” (2026). A further segment of the market would be people who look for unique decor, since the fan has a less utilitarian design compared to the rest of the available options. A geographic segment would be areas that are experiencing rising temperatures, specifically Summer becoming an approaching season.

The strategy Vornado used to target these segments was to make the product available through retailers with a large number of stores (including Target, which is where I purchased my fan). The product was further designed to capture the retro aesthetic to further target the segments identified. Some key points to remember when implementing segmentation strategies is to understand product differentiation, positioning, demand, and understanding Consumer Lifetime Value (CLV). These are important since 1. consumers view competing products as non-identical 2. how a product is perceived by a consumer shape how a consumer values a product 3. products with little demand will not be worth the resources to create and market the product and 4. understanding how the approximate worth a consumer has will further influence what a firm produces.

As anyone who has shopped for groceries in the past year has noticed, protein has become a massive trend that many brands have used to signal that certain options were healthier. Fiber is an emerging trend that I feel has been growing, with content creators, dieticians, and some brands promoting the essential part of our diets. “Protein captivated consumers and food companies in 2025, but fiber is increasingly stealing the scene as people place an increasing emphasis on promoting gut health.” (Laya Neelakandan, 2025). The segment that chose protein-based food was largely comprised of people taking semaglutides due to the side effects of the injections. Fiber, however, seems rooted in dieting from the information I have seen on the topic. The segment of people who want to eat healthier is one that is emerging and would be one that I personally would enjoy researching further.

Targeting this segment would rely on social media marketing since the segment seems to exist largely online. Consumers in this segment would care more about perception of a product, due to the psychological nature of the want. Consumers in this segment care more about appearance, so the product would have to be perceived as high in fiber. To further capitalize on the trend of healthier eating and lower-processed foods, the product would need to require less additives and transparent ingredients lists. Finally, the product would need to be widely available through big box retailers such as Walmart or Target.

References

Cook, K., & Press, T. A. (2025, October 17). Gen Z’s yearning for a world before tech ruined everything fuels retro design boom: “Nostalgia-driven design choices become comforts that help us cope.” Fortune. https://fortune.com/2025/10/17/gen-z-fashion-nostalgia-retro-tech-backlash-millennials/

Laya Neelakandan. (2025, December 12). “The next protein”: Fiber is shaping up to be the latest grocery obsession. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/12/fibermaxxing-high-fiber-foods-pepsi-nestle-olipop.html