Building a needs based segmentation for a leading connectivity provider

Our client's Home Portfolio team had an ambitious goal: to accelerate growth and innovation by delivering best-in-class home connectivity across Europe.

However, existing insight was primarily device led and fragmented, limiting its ability to inform:

• Product and proposition development
• Commercial and bundling strategies
• Targeted marketing and communications

To unlock growth, they needed a holistic, needs-based segmentation rooted in real consumer behaviours, attitudes, and connectivity use case,  moving beyond traditional demographic targeting to encompass attitudinal and behavioral insights that could pull audiences apart and support their ambitious strategy for more targeted growth

Bryter designed a multi-stage research programme to build a robust, actionable segmentation and set of connectivity personas.

1. Foundation & hypothesis building

• Meta-analysis of existing data and prior research
• Internal workshops to align stakeholder perspectives
• Development of an initial hypothesis around connectivity needs and household dynamics 

2. Qualitative deep dive

• In-depth interviews across key European markets (UK, Germany, Italy, Spain)
• Exploration of:
  - Home life and the role of connectivity
  - Pain points with broadband and Wi-Fi
  - Language consumers use to describe connectivity
  - Emerging and unmet needs
• Identification of key “jobs to be done” and emotional drivers 

3. Quantitative segmentation

• Large-scale survey (n≈4,200 across EU markets)
• Measurement of:
  - Demographics and household composition
  - Connectivity behaviours and set-ups
  - Attitudes towards technology and smart home solutions
  - Brand engagement and affinity toward Vodafone
• Advanced analytics to develop a needs-led segmentation model rooted in attitudes, behaviours, and connectivity requirementnts

4. Persona development

• Translation of segments into clear, actionable personas
• Integration of:
  - Needs and motivations
  - Connectivity pain points
  - Technology engagement levels
  - Purchase drivers and barriers
• Creation of “golden questions” to identify personas in future research and activation

Bryter delivered a future-facing segmentation framework centred on how people engage with connectivity... not just who they are.

A model built on tech engagement

The segmentation differentiated audiences based on their relationship with technology, ranging from:

• Highly engaged, opportunity-driven users
• Functional users with moderate reliance
• More disconnected or indifferent audiences

This reframed the category around mindset and behaviour, rather than demographics alone.