Leveraging Customer Segmentation to Boost AOV in B2B

Ryan is Vice President of Strategy and Marketing Services at Elevation Marketing, works with Fortune 100 institutions to innovative start-ups, managing the delivery of integrated marketing programs, and believes strongly in strategy, not just tactics, that effectively aligns sales and marketing teams within organizations. 7 minute read

Nowadays, it’s more challenging than ever for B2B companies to stand out and keep customers returning.

But there’s a strategy that can really pay off – getting to know your customers better so you can give them more of what they want! By dividing up your customer base into different groups based on their needs and purchase habits, you can offer each segment tailored options that speak directly to them.

This helps increase the amount each customer spends per order over the long term. Taking the time to truly understand your customers gives you the insight you need to boost average order value across your client base. And in today’s competitive landscape, knowing your customers better than the next guy can make all the difference.

Defining Customer Segments

When dividing your customers into groups, you want to segment them based on attributes that provide meaningful differentiation. Some specific ways to slice and dice your customer base include:

  • Demographic factors – Group by industry, company size, geography, etc. This gives insight into their business needs.
  • Past purchase behavior – Segment by purchase frequency, spending habits, products purchased, channel preferences, etc. This reveals how they like to buy from you.
  • Role in the buying process – Separate into economic buyers, end users, influencers, decision-makers, etc. This shows how involved they are in purchases.
  • Psychographics – Divide by attitudes, interests, values, motivations, etc. This taps into why they buy from you.
  • Potential value – Group high-value customers separately from lower-value ones. This lets you focus on significant opportunities.

The goal is to land on descriptive, meaningful segments that allow you to speak directly to groups of customers with everyday needs. This helps you craft targeted offers and messaging to increase order values over time.

Analyzing Each Segment

Now that you’ve grouped your customers, it’s time to dig into each segment to unlock insights that can boost order values. Here are some useful areas to explore for every group:

  • What’s their average order size right now? That’s your starting point.
  • How often are they buying from you? Monthly, quarterly, sporadically?
  • Which products do they tend to purchase together? Bundles that drive higher spending?
  • Any cycles or trends in their buying? Seasonal spikes and dips?
  • How do they evaluate options and make purchase decisions? Where’s your chance to influence?
  • What pains and challenges are they facing? Areas you can swoop in to solve?
  • What motivates them most? Convenience, top service, prices?

Getting very familiar with each segment’s profile gives you the inside scoop on their needs and behaviors as buyers. And that’s a power you can use to tailor offerings and messaging that speaks directly to raising their order values over the long haul.

Identifying Cross-Sell and Upsell Opportunities

Armed with a detailed understanding of your segments, you can determine potential cross-sell and upsell opportunities to raise AOV incrementally.

For instance, reviewing current customers’ purchase histories and product mixes can reveal logical add-ons or premium options you can highlight to boost cart value. You may uncover bundles or kits that resonate with particular segments.

Likewise, analyzing pain points and motivations can inform relevant services or offerings to present. For example, a segment focused on convenience may appreciate premium expedited shipping options or auto-delivery subscriptions.

Timing your cross-sell and upsell offers well is also essential. Trigger points like cart abandonment, onboarding, renewals, and loyalty milestones present natural opportunities to surface value-adding promotions.

Optimizing Offers for Each Segment

With high-potential cross-sell and upsell options identified, the next step is to tailor your offers and messaging for each segment.

For example, promotional messaging for first-time buyers may focus on accessible get-started bundles, while offers to established big spenders would emphasize VIP benefits and premium products. Buyers motivated by price may appreciate limited-time discounts, while convenience-focused segments could be offered free expedited shipping. 

Testing different offers and creatives for each segment will allow you to refine your approach and improve performance over time. The goal is to present relevant value propositions that align with the needs of each audience. Fortunately, optimizing offers for each segment aligns perfectly with the best practices of many marketing methods, from programmatic advertising to PPC, organic to influencer marketing. It’s a win-win. 

Ongoing Segment Evaluation

Customer segments are not static. It is crucial to monitor the performance of your AOV initiatives for each segment and adjust your approach accordingly.

Key metrics to track include:

  • AOV by segment
  • Purchase frequency
  • Conversion rates on cross-sells/upsells
  • Product mix purchased

Look for changes in segment behaviors and needs over time. Some segments may expand while others shrink. New niche segments may emerge that warrant dedicated offers.

By continually evaluating performance, you can double down on what works and modify tactics that underperform. This will ensure your AOV strategy evolves alongside your customers.

Executing a thoughtful customer segmentation strategy takes work upfront but pays long-term dividends through higher customer lifetime value. 

The insights uncovered around customer needs, motivations, and purchase behaviors will inform an AOV-boosting approach tailored to your unique audience segments.

With testing and optimization, you can progressively increase order values and drive business growth. Here are some additional tips for implementing a successful customer segmentation strategy:

  • Choose the Right Data: Leverage internal data like sales history, CRM data, and external demographic and firmographic data. Identify attributes most relevant to AOV.
  • Define Segments Thoughtfully: Aim for between 5-10 meaningful segments. Avoid overly broad or narrow segments. Name them descriptively.
  • Analyze Behavior Holistically: Look beyond just firmographics to understand motivations, pain points, and seasonality across the customer journey.
  • Refresh Segments Periodically: Customer data and behaviors change. Re-evaluate segments every 6-12 months to ensure alignment.
  • Document Learnings: Track insights uncovered for each segment and refine them over time. Share across teams to inform strategies.
  • Test Cross-Sells Rigorously: Pilot offers before rolling out broadly. Measure adoption rates and revenue impact.
  • Provide Personalization: Layer personalized recommendations onto segment-based offers to boost relevance.

With a data-driven, customer-centric approach, you can turn segmentation insights into concrete AOV-boosting actions tailored to your unique B2B audience. The end result is higher lifetime value and sustainable business growth powered by optimized customer value propositions.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

While customer segmentation can be highly effective, there are a few common mistakes to watch out for:

  • Relying on Demographics Only: Psychographic and behavioral data often provide more actionable insights for AOV strategies than firmographic or demographic data alone.
  • Creating Too Many Segments: Resist the urge to over-segment your customer base. Stick to 5-10 meaningful segments for a manageable strategy.
  • Ignoring Segment Interactions: Look for potential synergies between segments that could inform complementary cross-sell offers.
  • Not Testing Offers: Don’t assume you know what each segment will respond to. Test promotional messaging and offers before full rollout.
  • Offering Discounts Only: While discounts can help, focus on providing value through new products, services, and packaging tailored to segment needs.
  • Forgetting About Current Customers: Focusing segments on new customer acquisition is tempting. Be sure to analyze and service existing customers as well.

You can hone a practical segmentation approach that drives measurable AOV growth through optimized customer value propositions by avoiding these common missteps. Get started today by taking a fresh look at your customer base and identifying opportunities to boost order values strategically and sustainably.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, taking the time to really understand your customers is what segmentation is all about. Dividing them into groups with everyday needs lets you tailor offerings that provide genuine value. Start by identifying the proper criteria to split up your customer base meaningfully. Dig into the data to see what makes each segment tick. Then you can determine smart cross-sells and upsells that align with their motivations.

Remember to test different approaches to find what resonates best with each segment. And keep evaluating things over time since customers evolve. Adopting this customer-centric process gives you the blueprint to boost AOV across your roster in a strategic fashion.

While it takes effort up front, the long-term payoff of higher lifetime value is well worth it. Use these segmentation insights to optimize your marketing, tailor your catalog, and transform how you engage with your customers. Providing segments with products, messaging, and experiences that speak to them builds loyalty and opens the door for natural AOV expansion.



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