Indonesian pharmacy retailer segmentation using recency frequency monetary-location model and ant K-means algorithm

Abstract

We proposed an approach of retailer segmentation using a hybrid swarm intelligence algorithm and recency frequency monetary (RFM)-location model to develop a tailored marketing strategy for a pharmacy industry distribution company. We used sales data and plug it into MATLAB to implement ant clustering algorithm and K-means, then the results were analyzed using RFM-location model to calculate each clusters’ customer lifetime value (CLV). The algorithm generated 13 clusters of retailers based on provided data with a total of 1,138 retailers. Then, using RFM-location, some clusters were combined due to identical characteristics, the final clusters amounted to 8 clusters with unique characteristics. The findings can inform the decision-making process of the company, especially in prioritizing retailer segments and developing a tailored marketing strategy. We used a hybrid algorithm by leveraging the advantage of swarm intelligence and the power of K-means to cluster the retailers, then we further added value to the generated clusters by analyzing it using RFM-location model and CLV. However, location as a variable may not be relevant in smaller countries or developed countries, because the shipping cost may not be a problem.