• The Open University

The Digital Economy: Success through Market Segmentation

Explore how and why market segmentation can be used to improve business performance.

26,481 enrolled on this course

  • Duration

    4 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours

Marketing is all about putting the customer at the centre of the business. But what exactly does that mean for today’s organisations, and what challenges do marketers face in satisfying ever more demanding customers in the age of digital disruption?

In this free online course, you look at the challenges marketers are facing today and how they can gain a competitive advantage by using the vast amount of customer data available to segment, target and personalise products for their customers.

Tailor your offers to your customer’s needs

This course provides an in-depth grounding in market segmentation as a process, revealing how you can adapt it to improve business performance, whether in a start-up or an established firm.

You will learn how data-driven segmentation can lead to long term success in competitive markets. You will grasp the relevance of the three stages of segmentation, targeting and positioning, and develop critical insights into how to apply it to gain a competitive advantage.

Thrive in the digital economy

The Digital Economy: Success Through Market Segmentation is one of four courses from The Open University about the digital economy, designed to help experienced managers get to grips with today’s technology-enabled business environment.

The course has been developed by The Open University Business School – a pioneering institution that is triple accredited by AMBA, EQUIS and AACSB.

Holders of FutureLearn Certificates of Achievement for all four Digital Economy courses can earn 15 UK credits towards The Open University Business School’s flexible MBA by passing a linked Open University assessment module (requiring separate OU registration and fee).

What topics will you cover?

  • What the digital economy means for the function of marketing
  • What market segmentation is and why market segmentation matters
  • The link between business strategy and marketing
  • The process of segmentation, targeting and positioning
  • Ethical issues in market segmentation
  • The explosion of information and data in the digital age

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Identify and understand the impact of the digital economy on why and how market segmentation is used by organisations
  • Summarise and link segmentation strategy to an organisation’s overall strategic direction, recognising the impact of the digital economy
  • Produce and use market segmentation to improve your organisation’s performance in the digital world
  • Demonstrate sensitivity to ethical issues arising from market segmentation in the digital economy

Who is the course for?

This course is intended for learners wanting to know about how the digital era is affecting market segmentation strategies of organisations, their customers and stakeholders. You do not require any previous knowledge or experience of marketing to study this course but you could benefit from having some knowledge of business in general.

Find further information about OU registration, the assessment module and MBA in the entry requirements. The Open University does not operate in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria. This means that Learners based in those countries will not be able to convert their participation in this Program to Open University course credits.

Who will you learn with?

Hilary is a senior lecturer in executive education with research interests in the economic and cultural role of the creative industries. She researches academic identity and the future of work.

Who developed the course?

The Open University

As the UK’s largest university, The Open University (OU) supports thousands of students to achieve their goals and ambitions via supported distance learning, helping to fit learning around professional and personal life commitments.

  • Established

    1969
  • Location

    Milton Keynes, UK
  • World ranking

    Top 510Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn

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Get a taste of this course

Find out what this course is like by previewing some of the course steps before you join:

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