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Home→The Westburn Dictionary of Marketing→A→adopter categories

adopter categories

Definition:
A classification of users or buyers of an innovation according to time of adoption. Everett Rogers identified five categories within the ADOPTION CURVE which he described as conceptualizations based on his own observations of the diffusion process. Rogers' categories are defined in terms of percentage groupings within the normal distribution of the adoption curve as follows: innovators - first 2.5% of all adopters early adopters - next 13.5% of all adopters early majority - next 34% of all adopters late majority - next 34% of all adopters laggards - last 16% of all adopters. Research has shown that these groups of adopters have different characteristics regarding social class, age, education, ATTITUDES, and other variables. Most attention has been focused on the first group of adopters. The characteristics and behaviour of innovators are studied in order to identify the most likely early purchasers of new products. The desired aim is to target marketing launch efforts more accurately and efficiently towards the most receptive buyers of a new product.

Cross-References:
[adoption curve] [attitude]

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© Westburn Publishers Ltd 2002, The Westburn Dictionary of Marketing edited by Michael J Baker, ISBN 978-0-946433-01-8. www.themarketingdictionary.com. Entry: [Michael Saren and Michael J. Baker], [1998].