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VOL. 8, ISSUE 4 (2026)
Market segmentation, target market selection and the product life cycle: A theoretical framework and strategic implications
Authors
Lung-Tan Lu
Abstract
Market segmentation, target market selection and the product life cycle (PLC) constitute core analytical instruments in modern strategic management and marketing science. Traditional research has for the most part treated the three as mutually independent, static analytical modules, and has seldom examined the bidirectional causality and dynamic co-evolutionary mechanisms among them, thereby producing strategic fragmentation in managerial practice and static prescriptions ill-suited to shifts in the industrial environment. Through a systematic literature review and theoretical integration, the present study constructs a Segmentation–Positioning–Life-Cycle Model (SPLM) dynamic integrative framework, systematically demonstrating that PLC stages systematically determine the maturity, identifiability and differentiation space of market segmentation; concurrently, the degree of refinement of a firm's segmentation strategy, its resource allocation logic and its iteration cadence in turn shape, prolong or shorten the evolutionary trajectory of the product life cycle. On the basis of this framework, three core strategic principles are distilled—dynamic fit, first-mover advantage and resource matching—incorporating contemporary segmentation paradigms such as customer lifetime value segmentation and hybrid multidimensional segmentation, and combining quantitative analytical tools including perceptual mapping and the Norton–Bass multigenerational diffusion model, so as to assemble a closed-loop strategic cycle running from market structure diagnosis, through target market resource decisions, to the construction of consumer mindshare positioning. It is found that in highly uncertain high-technology environments, dynamic strategic matching outperforms the pursuit of static optimality, and that a staggered multi-product life cycle portfolio can effectively smooth industrial cyclical fluctuations and reduce operational risk. The study addresses the integration gap between traditional STP theory and PLC theory, offers a unified analytical framework for dynamic strategy research, and provides actionable managerial guidelines for firms undertaking market segmentation, target market screening and positioning reconstruction at each stage of the product life cycle.
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Pages:42-53
How to cite this article:
Lung-Tan Lu "Market segmentation, target market selection and the product life cycle: A theoretical framework and strategic implications". International Journal of Management and Economics, Vol 8, Issue 4, 2026, Pages 42-53
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