Market segmentation techniques and analyses have received considerable
attention in the academic literature. This paper compares and contras
ts the results from conducting cluster analysis and factor analysis on
two data sets, one which is genuine and the other which has been rand
omly generated. This analysis helps test claims about the validity and
effectiveness of such techniques and looks at the reliability of the
output. The findings suggest that researchers need to be careful to ca
rry oat valid preliminary work before presenting their results. Withou
t such preliminary work it may be difficult to justify the segments wh
ich emerge.