What are the disadvantages of target marketing?

Risky if the research done to determine targeted customers had a high percentage of error.

If the target market is well studied and searched then, in my opinion, there is no disadvantage for it. on the contrary, it help the company to be well focused on their consumer and keep track of their needs and wants and customize the product to best suite them. 

The disadvantages of target marketing are: Expensive

Small companies spend lots of money on target marketing. They often conduct primary research to determine who buys their products, especially when servicing regional or national markets. Those who sell to multiple markets cannot identify their target audiences by simply doing a few hundred in-person surveys. Most small companies pinpoint target customers by conducting primary marketing research. The marketing research manager may hire a research agency to conduct phone surveys, which can costs tens of thousands of dollars.

Time-Consuming

It also takes a considerable amount of time to identify a target audience, analyze research data and develop advertising campaigns to reach them. Most small companies use the process of market segmentation to determine their target customers. Market segmentation entails developing customer profiles from demographic data. Marketers then determine if their target audiences are large enough from which to earn significant profits. Subsequently, they spend time searching for television programs or print media that reach their core customer group.

Omission of Other Customers

Business owners who promote strictly to target consumers may overlook other users. A significant number of consumers may fall outside the typical demographics of the average customer. For example, a small cereal manufacturer may advertise its new sweetened products during cartoons or kids' programs. However, many adults also may enjoy the cereals for breakfasts and late-night snacks. The failure to target secondary consumers may cause a small company to lose significant sales.

Considerations

Their are ethical ramifications to consider with target marketing, according to the University of Maryland's University College. It may be exploitative to some degree. For example, a small beer company may target less educated, poorer people with larger-sized bottles, based on consumption data obtained from market research. Similarly, fast food restaurants may locate most of their restaurants in lower income areas, subjecting residents to fattening foods and possible health problems.

Margin of error allowed a very small 

So a small mistake can happen to big problems future

A target market is a group of consumers most likely to use a company's products. These consumers usually have similar demographic characteristics, such as gender, age, income or education. They also may have similar interests or hobbies, beliefs and usage patterns. A usage pattern may include when a person buys or how they use a particular product or service. Target marketing is typically advantageous for small companies, as marketers can better match marketing strategies with core customers. There are, however, certain disadvantages to target marketing.

• Expensive
• Time-Consuming
• Omission of Other Customers
• Considerations

If the target market is well studied and searched then, in my opinion, there is no disadvantage for it

The disadvantages of Target Marketting are:

1.It can be at times Expensive since it involves spending lot of money on target marketing.

2.It takes lot of time in identifying the target audience for the product/service.

3.You may at times Omit or Neglect the other Customers.

So this helps us to reach to conclusion that  the disadvantages to market segmentation are: the cost is higher to market to a small group, it takes time to target that group, and mistakes can be made targeting a smaller group of customers.