Customers can be profiled based on different personal aspects and this information can be used by firms to analyze buying behavior. Customers can be profiled based on their geographic location. If a firm wants to sell toward a specific market located in one area, like a tourist or resort town for example, then this type of information may be useful. Demographic information is also collected of customer and this includes aspects like age, sex, religion, race, and income. These aspects are very useful to study when determining which particular group to market a product/service toward.

Another profiling aspect is psychographic, which takes into consideration a customer's personality and lifestyle choices. Buyer behavior is the last customer profile aspect discussed in this chapter and this refers to how and why customers buy what they do. For example, are buys loyal to a specific brand, and if so, how does that effect the marketing of a new company. All of these aspects should be considered when determining which market to reach through a firm's marketing efforts.

How have you seen profiling operate in your environment? How might one leverage profiling? What cautions might you need to be aware of when profiling?