Market analyst CACI has revamped its ACORN customer profile classifications with the help of House of Fraser customer data.
The company, already one of HoF's suppliers, used data from the retailer's loyalty card scheme to test new consumer archetypes. These are used by retailers to segment the populations within the catchment area of each store. They can help retailers to stock the most profitable products, and to decide the format and location of new stores.
CACI, which boasts Ikea, Mothercare and Selfridges as its top customers, regularly reviews its breakdown of the UK consumer body. But this latest update is unusual because it is based on the 2001 Census data, collected by the Office of National Statistics.
'ACORN is continually updated, but the new census data for the past decade is a calibration point where we rebuild the profiles from scratch,' said CACI director of business planning John Rae.
All the present ACORN archetypes have been reviewed to reflect changes that have taken place in UK society over the past decade. The 2001 Census revealed housing as being one of the biggest changes.
According to Rae, people at the upper end of the market have switched to a preference for bigger detached and semi-detached houses. More households than ever live in homes that have already been paid for. At the lower end, terraced housing is preferred by those renting, or living in student accommodation.
The growth of the divide between society's two extremes has been reflected in the spread of ACORN's 56 archetypes, with the majority being devoted to either poorer or more affluent sections. 'We've pulled the extremes apart so each type is a sharper representation. They should be able to help our customers get much better at predicting the incomes and investments of customers,' Rae said.
The new customer segmentations will make their debut next Monday at a briefing to be held at the Charlotte Street Hotel, London.
The full list of archetypes will be published at the launch. Some of the pre-released names include wealthy achievers, flourishing families, burdened singles and inner city adversity.
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