Agricultural production, as well as any other branch of economics, comply with the basic economic laws within any economic system. In present conditions when transition to exchange relations and providing to agricultural commodity producers of business freedom have led to dismantle of managing mechanism existing in planned-distributive economic, commodity producers are compelled to transfer to frames of his competence and strategic interests many functions in sphere of planning, pricing, market studying etc.
Necessity of autonomous search by the enterprises of agroindustrial complex of outlet market products drives the need for application of strategic marketing toolkit.
Lately marketing considerably evolved: for the first arising of the economics as an activity on distribution and sailing of the goods, it has gradually turned to all-round system of principles on which basis of the enterprises can establish productive and economic communications. It gives the grounds for the confirmation about formation of marketing of interaction. [1]
In conditions of changing inquiries and requirements of buyers their account in the course of manufacture and realization of agricultural production becomes more actual that causes necessity of gradual updating of manufacture and improvement of production quality.
In the light of modern representations any enterprise, operating in sphere of agroindustrial manufacture, should gravitate to deep studying of possibilities both own manufacture, and competitors. It allows, as practice shows, to take the enterprises, executing such analysis, the certain, steady position in the market. Thus it is necessary to develop a marketing strategy, oriented on certain segments of the market, and to provide realization competitive advantages against other enterprises — manufacturers of similar production. Thus for the agroindustrial complex enterprises is expedient using of corresponding information system for the market analysis. The collected information is used on different channels, including for segmentation of the market of agricultural products.
Market segmentation — is a division of the markets on accurate groups of buyers (market segments) which can request different products and to which is necessary to make different marketing efforts, the Firm defines different ways of market segmentation, makes profiles of received segments and values appeal degree of each of them.
The analysis of a market segment is a tracing of fluctuations in request and an explanation why they occur (that, in turn, predetermines satisfaction of the consumer). Consequently, this aspect of competitive rationality of enterprises isn't less important, than explanation of expenditures structure. The representation which has enterprise about the buyers and how it segments them, is the basis for working out and positioning of products in the target market that finally defines sales volume and profits.
The enterprise having most effective and rational model of segmentations, will be more competitive even if it is not a producer of the output goods and even if it is not the cheapest producer. Thus, more effective model of segmentation will help the enterprise to get possession of market3.
Segmentation of the market of agricultural products and positioning of agricultural products create possibility to focus structure, entering in the separate agroenterprise or in any its cooperational-integrated form, on concrete requirements of separate groups (segments) of consumers and to direct their efforts to satisfaction of these requirements. A necessary condition for any economic unit is sample of the most one favorable or several strategic segments of market space, having carried out their comparative analysis. [2]
With a view of optimum efficiency to the enterprises of agrarian sphere it is inexpedient in the conditions of absence of free financial assets and time to make deep segmentation on the basis of multifactorial segmentation. Such approach can be under force to large research centers. Definition process «a target segment» brings to application of criteria of segmentation.
The criterion of segmentation is a factor on which validity of a choice of this or that segment for the enterprise is estimated. The most widespread criteria of segmentation: quantitative parameters of a segment (segment capacity); availability of a segment to the enterprise; essentiality of a segment: profitableness; compatibility of a segment with the market of main competitors; overall performance on the chosen segment of the market; protectability of the chosen segment from a competition.
Segmentation as an element of strategic marketing predetermines first of all consumer studying in constantly changing market environment. The given occurrence first of all bears in itself practical actuality against growing competition in the food markets of agrarian production.
Researches of consumers allows to define and analyses a complex of factors by which consumers are guided at purchase of agricultural products.
Because of division of the markets into segments appears possibility to bring into accord market capacity (more precisely, capacity of the sum of segments of all markets) and productive capacities of the enterprises. Also a forecasting becomes more proved (for example if agricultural production is calculated for delivery in schools, the capacity of such segment can be calculated with very big accuracy and to define its prospects, relaying on reports of statistical bodies and a policy in the field of the education, made by local authorities and the government).
Market information security on market behavior of defined product is the defining factor of successful functioning of any of the agricultural enterprise. Process of gathering similar information with a view of revealing of one or several segments is a strategic business environment forming indicator for concrete enterprise or their integrated form of association. [3]
Segmentation of the agricultural market is expedient to make on two groups: individual users and industrial consumers. The last also are important from the point of view of marketing. In the agricultural products markets, where the category of buyers is represented by other enterprises (often named customers), segmentation first of all is made by such obvious criteria as the scale of the organization of the customer and its potential growth.
Here as organizations-customers can act enterprises of process industry, the enterprise of feedstuff industries, state procuring organizations, delivering agricultural production in the state food funds etc. For example, for manufacturers cattle raising products can be used the following segmentation of the market of industrial requirements: agricultural enterprises, tanneries, the enterprises of wholesale and retail trade, the state enterprises and establishments.
As cattle raising economics realize its production, mainly, in the market of industrial consumers the estimation of this market from the point of view of marketing is of great importance. Here more time takes negotiations, widely disseminated direct communications whereas purchases are made less.
Each agroindustrial enterprise depending on realizing goods and features of their consumption able to develop own rules (approaches) of segmentation. Successfully made segmentation will allow to receive good commercial results and economy of the means intended for carrying out of marketing actions, especially on a DCSP. [4]
The choice of the market purposes and efficient control formation and marketing strategy control are derived as a result analyse of market possibilities of the enterprise and demands carrying out of detaled analysis and the forecast of demand of consumers on concrete agricultural production. In this case as the catalyst of researching occurrences as integral part of marketing element, may act also market segmentation representing the administrative approach to a choice of the market purposes and definition of market potential.
For an estimation of availability of a segment of the market the enterprise should receive the information on, whether there is a basic possibility to begin introduction and advancement of the goods on this or that kind of market, whether it is possible to overcome input barriers, whether is accessible and how much effectively the marketing network operates, what stimulus perceives consumer.
References
1. Bagisov G. L., Tarasovich In M, Annas X. Marketing. — m: «Economy». — 2001.
2. Kotler F.Marketing-menedzhment / the Lane with English under the editorship of L. A. Volkovoj, J.Kapturevsky. — SPb.: Peter Kom, 2000.
3. Loginov D. A.organization and development of marketing activity in agriculture. — М: Agroprogress, 2003.
4. Day D. Strategic marketing. — М: Est. The EKSMO-PRESS, 2002.
