Role of Niche Marketing on the Growth of Youth Led Enterprises in Kiambu County Kenya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47941/jbsm.3906Keywords:
Niche Marketing, Youth-Led Enterprises, Enterprise Growth, Market Segmentation, Kiambu CountyAbstract
Purpose: This study sought to investigate the role of niche marketing on the growth of youth-led enterprises in Kiambu County, Kenya. The specific objectives were to: examine the impact of demographic niche marketing on the growth of youth-led enterprises; assess the influence of geographic niche marketing; analyze the role of behavioral niche marketing; and evaluate the effect of psychographic niche marketing on enterprise growth.
Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted, targeting 1,500 registered youth-led enterprises in Kiambu County. Using Yamane's formula, a sample of 316 was drawn through stratified random sampling. Primary data were collected using structured questionnaires, achieving an 84.5 percent response rate (267 respondents). Reliability was confirmed with Cronbach's alpha exceeding 0.79, and validity was established through expert judgment and Exploratory Factor Analysis. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis, with diagnostic tests confirming no violations of normality, multicollinearity, heteroscedasticity, or autocorrelation.
Findings: Correlation analysis revealed strong positive relationships between all independent variables and enterprise growth. Multiple regression analysis showed that all niche marketing dimensions collectively explained a substantial proportion of variance in enterprise growth. Psychographic niche marketing emerged as the strongest predictor, followed by behavioral, demographic, and geographic dimensions.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study contributes to theory by empirically validating the integrated application of five theoretical frameworks to explain niche marketing's role in youth enterprise growth. For practice, youth entrepreneurs should prioritize values-based segmentation and customer loyalty programs. For policy, county governments should integrate niche marketing modules into enterprise training programs and establish psychographic marketing labs to support youth entrepreneurs.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Diana Nyabuga Bitutu, Dr. Susan Naikuru (PhD)
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