这两种方法在使用时并不是非此即彼的，而且只需要简单的常识企业就能快速选择合适的国家以及合适的目标客户类型，不过这通常需要大量的调研工作。

识别适当的市场需要就一系列因素进行甄别。一些因素对某些公司的关联度比别的公司更高，但对利润至关重要的领域在于市场规模、人口结构、收入与财富、商业环境、仓储和运输设施、政治环境、本地竞争形势等。

Adoption of either of these approaches does not necessarily rule out the other and plain common sense may enable the firm immediately to select suitable countries and target consumer types. Normally, however, a significant amount of research is required.

ldentifying appropriate markets involves screening countries against a series of factors. Some factors will be more relevant to some companies than will others, but the key areas of interest are as follows: market size, structure of the population, income and wealth, business environment, storage and transport facilities, political considerations, local competition, etc.

市场细分意味着要将整个市场的消费者分割成独立而又比较类似的群体，每个群体有其特殊需求和特征。这就使得企业能够调整其产品、广告信息和促销措施以适应特定细分市场的需求。精确的市场细分可以使企业找准销售机会，制定满足客户需求的营销措施。

有关消费者的年龄、性别、收入状况、职业、教育背景、婚姻状况以及社会地位的数据对于识别潜在市场非常有用。每次分析中加入一个新的变量，目标市场的选择范围就缩小。这样更为精确定位的消费者类型所带来的结果可以帮助企业确定针对该细分市场的促销方式。这样也产生了一个问题：市场定义得太狭窄，大量真实的客户被排除在外，这样一来，设计广告信息时没有考虑到吸引这个客户群。因此，市场细分的目标应当是在不丧失真正机会的情况下，对市场进行精确地细分。

Market segmentation means breaking down the total market into self-contained and relatively homogeneous subgroups of consumers, each possessing its own special requirements and characteristics. This enables the company to modify its output, advertising messages and promotional methods to correspond to the needs of particular segments. Accurate segmentation allows the firm to pinpoint selling opportunities and to tailor its marketing activities to satisfy consumer needs.

Data on consumers'ages, sex, income levels, occupations, educational backgrounds, marital status and social class can be extremely useful in identifying the whereabouts of potential markets. Each time a fresh variable is added to the analysis the narrower the target market becomes. These results in a more precise specification of the customer type being sought, hence enable the firm to identify an assortment of promotional methods that cater for this segment. A problem arises in that the market definition may become so narrow that a large number of genuine prospects are excluded, so that messages are not drafted to appeal to these consumer groups. The objective, therefore, is to subdivide the market accurately without precluding bona fide opportunities.

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