It's hard to put people in boxes and stick labels on them, but that's part of what marketers have to do. As brands witness consumers shopping less by age or gender and more by their mindsets, the trend of putting consumers into "tribes" or "groups" rather than relying merely on demographics is more important than ever.

Many companies are using off-the-shelf consumer classification products, such as CACI's Acorn and Experian's recently updated Mosaic UK, which claim to make that job easier. Smaller companies may not be able to afford these, and may instead rely on their agencies, in-house teams or other market research-based methods. But regardless of what methods are used, this style of segmentation is growing increasingly popular.

Some of the "tribes" appearing in Mosaic's 2009 list include Active Retirement, Alpha Territory and Terraced Melting Pot, which are the names used to describe groups of consumers and their habits. The groups have been updated over the past 12 months to reflect the types of people now appearing in British society.

As part of reclassifying the consumer groups, Mosaic found there are now two distinct phases of retirement within our ageing society, as well as an enclave of extreme wealth, increasing multiculturalism and growth in both single households and broadband penetration.

These findings may not be surprising to brands that have already experienced some of these changes in consumers over the past few years, but it can help them refine and target campaigns rather than treating people of similar ages or incomes in the same way. Robert Haslingden, head of marketing for business strategies at Experian, suggests: "The manifestation of new "neighbourhoods" can capture marketers' imaginations."

Such tools aren't the only option for businesses wishing to glean a greater understanding of the population at large and how cultural attitudes affect spending. For example, "co-creation" specialist Promise has been working with financial services companies and Government departments to develop a better understanding of people coming to live in Britain from abroad and how best to communicate with them - with the aim of being able to produce more relevant products and services.

Following ethnographic research in targeted branches of a high street bank, Promise conducted focus groups in the respondent's mother tongue, wherever possible. Respondents were also able to bring along a friend, who might have a better level of English.