In today’s hyper-connected world, traditional demographic segmentation—categorizing consumers by age, gender, income, or location—no longer suffices to understand and engage modern buyers.
At De Grijff, we recognize that to truly connect with customers, businesses must delve deeper into behavioral cues and intent signals that reveal the motivations behind purchasing decisions.
The Limitations of Demographic Segmentation
Demographics provide a broad overview of potential customer groups but often fail to capture the nuances of individual behaviors and preferences. For instance, targeting “women aged 25-34” assumes homogeneity in interests and needs, overlooking the diversity within this group. Such generalizations can lead to missed opportunities and ineffective marketing strategies.
Moreover, reliance on demographics can result in significant oversights. Google’s research indicates that marketers who focus solely on demographics risk missing over 70% of potential mobile shoppers. For example, 40% of baby product purchasers live in households without children, highlighting the pitfalls of demographic assumptions.
Understanding Customer Intent
Customer intent refers to the underlying motivations and goals driving consumer actions. By analyzing behaviors such as search queries, website interactions, and engagement patterns, businesses can gain insights into what customers are seeking at any given moment.
For example, a user repeatedly searching for “best running shoes for flat feet” demonstrates a clear intent to purchase specialized footwear. Recognizing and responding to this intent allows brands to offer timely and relevant solutions, enhancing the customer experience and increasing conversion rates.
Intent Is Contextual: Why Timing, Environment, and Emotion Matter
Understanding customer intent is not only about identifying what someone is doing—it’s about understanding why they’re doing it at that specific moment. Context is the unseen layer that turns data into meaning.
For instance, a person browsing luxury watches at 2am may not be in a “ready-to-buy” state—but may be driven by aspiration, envy, or research. Contrast that with a customer who spends 15 minutes comparing delivery terms and checking stock availability—clear indicators of high purchase intent.
This is where behavioural context bridges the gap demographics never could. CRMs that pull in timestamped actions, device usage, location data, or even referral sources give teams a much fuller picture. Are users discovering you organically or through a competitor’s product review? Did they browse after receiving a marketing email or come back after abandoning their cart?
Intent emerges at the intersection of emotion, behaviour, and circumstance. Successful brands—especially those in competitive markets—are learning to listen not only to the voice of the customer, but to the mood of the moment.
The Psychology Behind Intent: Why It’s a Matter of Relevance and Control
At De Grijff, we often draw from behavioural science to guide strategy—and this is especially relevant when moving beyond demographics.
Customers today aren’t just evaluating brands on quality or price—they’re scanning for relevance and control. These are deep psychological needs. Relevance makes a message feel meaningful. Control makes a choice feel empowered.
Intent-based marketing satisfies both. When a customer receives a product recommendation that aligns with what they’ve been researching—at the time they’re most receptive—it signals to their brain: this brand gets me. There’s no need for persuasion or pressure because the experience feels personal and intuitive.
Compare this to demographic-based messaging, which often misses the mark. A 40-year-old professional male receiving ads for generic “men’s lifestyle” items may scroll past. But if the message is based on his recent exploration of sustainable fashion and minimalist design blogs, he’s more likely to engage—not because of who he is demographically, but because of what he wants now.
Intent gives the customer a sense of being seen. And that emotional payoff is what builds long-term loyalty.
From Segments to Signals: Evolving Your Marketing Model
To operationalise intent, businesses need to shift from static segmentation to dynamic signal interpretation.
Here’s what that transformation looks like in practice:
Replace buyer personas with behavioural clusters
Instead of saying, “Sarah, 32, loves fitness and works in tech,” shift to “Cluster A: users who revisit product pages three times before converting, prefer late-night browsing, and engage more with video content.” Behavioural clusters are actionable and predictive.
Create intent-based content tracks
Map content and campaigns to user signals. For example:
- Browsing educational resources? Serve how-to guides and comparison tools.
- Repeated product views? Use urgency messaging or social proof.
- Price filtering? Offer bundles or value-based testimonials.
CRM systems integrated with marketing automation platforms allow you to set up workflows that respond to these micro-signals in real time.
Rewire KPIs for behavioural insight
Instead of just tracking opens or clicks, focus on engagement depth, return frequency, and path deviation (where users drop off vs. where they convert). This helps marketers distinguish between curiosity and genuine intent.
B2B is Not Immune: Intent-Led Strategy in Complex Journeys
Often overlooked, B2B companies stand to gain even more from intent-driven marketing. Why? Because B2B buyer journeys are long, nonlinear, and high-stakes.
Decision-makers don’t want to be sold to—they want to be understood. And their intent signals are often embedded in subtle actions:
- Returning to a case study three times
- Downloading a whitepaper after a product demo
- Comparing feature lists across competitors
These are golden indicators of readiness. A CRM that flags these behaviours in real-time allows your sales team to reach out at the perfect moment—not when a lead “matches a persona,” but when their behaviour signals curiosity, concern, or intent to act.
High-value deals are won not by demographic alignment but by anticipatory relevance.
Building for the Future: AI, Privacy, and Ethical Personalisation
As brands gather more behavioural and intent data, two challenges arise: privacy and responsible personalisation.
Modern customers are wary of brands that “know too much.” The key is transparency and value exchange. Always explain why data is collected, and how it improves the user experience. When done ethically, customers are willing to share more in return for better experiences.
Artificial intelligence will increasingly assist in parsing these complex behaviours. But AI is only as good as the human strategy behind it. At De Grijff, we advocate for human-led AI—systems that surface insights, but rely on human judgement for implementation.
Intent should empower—not manipulate. That’s not just a moral standpoint; it’s good business. Trust, after all, is still the currency of loyalty.
The Power of Behavioral Data
Behavioral data encompasses the actions users take, providing a window into their preferences and decision-making processes. This includes metrics like page views, click-through rates, time spent on site, and purchase history.
By leveraging behavioral data, businesses can:
- Personalize Experiences: Tailor content and recommendations to individual user behaviors.
- Predict Future Actions: Anticipate customer needs based on past interactions.
- Optimize Marketing Strategies: Allocate resources effectively by focusing on high-intent users.
Notably, a study by Google and Ipsos found that video ads aligned with user intent achieved a 100% higher lift in purchase intent compared to those based solely on demographics.
Integrating CRM Systems for Deeper Insights
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems play a crucial role in capturing and analyzing behavioral data. By integrating CRM tools, businesses can:
- Centralize Customer Data: Consolidate information from various touchpoints for a holistic view.
- Automate Personalized Outreach: Trigger communications based on specific behaviors or milestones.
- Enhance Customer Segmentation: Group customers by behavior patterns rather than static demographics.
This approach enables more nuanced and effective engagement strategies, fostering stronger customer relationships.
Real-World Impact: From Insights to Measurable Growth
Adopting an intent-based approach isn’t just about improving customer experience—it delivers quantifiable business value. When marketing strategies shift from generic outreach to personalised relevance, businesses see measurable lifts in engagement, loyalty, and revenue.
Retailers using intent signals to personalise product discovery have reported up to a 28% increase in average order value. This is not just a reflection of better targeting—it’s evidence of deeper resonance. Customers are more likely to spend when they feel understood.
Moreover, brands embracing intent-led segmentation typically experience lower customer acquisition costs. Instead of casting a wide net based on assumed profiles, they invest in more efficient micro-targeting—focusing on customers who are already in-market, already curious, already searching. This sharpens return on ad spend and reduces the risk of wasted impressions.
For subscription-based and SaaS businesses, understanding intent becomes even more critical across the funnel—from acquisition to onboarding to retention. Behavioural triggers such as feature usage, login frequency, or support ticket themes can be powerful signals to either nurture engagement or pre-empt churn.
Intent is the New Demographic
The age of intent is not about abandoning demographic data altogether—it’s about adding depth. Demographics tell you who. Intent tells you why, when, and how to help.
Moving beyond demographics means embracing complexity, context, and real-time responsiveness. It means building systems that treat each customer as a unique moment—not a static profile.
At De Grijff, we help brands integrate CRM systems, behavioural insights, and psychological understanding to create journeys that feel natural, personal, and meaningful—at scale.
Let’s Talk!
If you’re still segmenting your audience by static profiles, you’re missing the full picture—and likely leaving growth on the table.
Let’s change that. De Grijff is ready to help you move from assumptions to insights. From generalised messaging to moments that matter.
Contact us today to learn how we can uncover true customer intent—and build smarter, more human experiences.
