(Applicable to PRIZM® Premier, P$YCLE, P$YCLE Premier and ConneXions workspaces).
Segmentation directories are used in the following ENVISION tools:
- Import Customer Geocode tool for appending segment codes to customer records
- The Map Segments, Map SocialGroup or Map Lifestage Group tools at the ZIP+4 and block group Level
- Mapping Target Sets tool
Segmentation distributions are used in all other segmentation tools in ENVISION including:
- Profile Customers
- Profile Trade Area
- Profile Variable
- Ranking Areas Target Group
- Ranking Variables Target Group
- Target Set Builder
- Mapping Target Groups
Due to these differences, you may notice a difference in the top 10 segments in a Profile Trade Area report when compared to a block group map of the Top 10 Segments for the same geographic area. The Profile Trade Area report uses the counts of household by PRIZM Premier Segment provided by the PRIZM Premier Distribution file. The Map of top 10 segments at the block group level uses the PRIZM Premier Directory file. Each block group mapped in the geographic area receives a single segment assignment, which means all households in that block group receive the same segment assignment.
A noticeable difference may be that some of the segments listed in the Profile Trade Area report area are not shown in the Top 10 map of the same area. For a small area analysis, we recommend using the Map Segments tool at the ZIP+4 level. This map presents a good picture of how different segment assignments can be, even on the same street.