Gaining grip on the market: how Carhartt Workwear EMEA got to know its customer groups better
1889—an era of steel, steam and locomotives. In a small loft in Detroit, Hamilton Carhartt launched his first clothing line for railroad workers. He had two sewing machines, a half-horsepower electric motor, and a big idea. After a series of early failures, he decided to stop guessing what customers wanted and simply ask them. By speaking directly with workers, he discovered what they truly needed: tough, practical workwear built to last.
More than 130 years later, that same principle remains at the heart of Carhartt’s success. Only now the playing field is larger, the customer base more diverse, and the world more complex. From Amsterdam, Carhartt Workwear EMEA steers the brand across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The ambition: to keep growing in both new and existing markets—without losing the essence of the brand. And just like in 1889, it starts with one question: who are our customers, really?
The need for deeper insight
Carhartt EMEA is responsible for the go-to-market strategy across a region stretching from Scandinavia to South Africa. Collections are developed in the United States, but it is up to the EMEA team to make that globally consistent identity locally relevant. That is no simple task. The audience is broad—from tradespeople and outdoor enthusiasts to consumers who wear the brand as a lifestyle statement. And every country has its own preferences, buying behaviour and relationship with the brand.
To communicate more effectively, Carhartt wanted a clearer understanding of how these customer groups differ—not only demographically, but also in values, motivations and behaviour. The EMEA team partnered with MarketResponse to bring those insights to the surface. Together, they developed a customer segmentation programme to create concrete guidelines for marketing, product development and customer relationships.
A multidisciplinary approach
The collaboration between Carhartt and MarketResponse was built in phases over four months. In the initial stage, interviews were conducted with internal stakeholders and existing customer data was mapped. Based on that analysis, a project plan was created that combined quantitative research with qualitative depth.
Using MarketResponse’s CMNTY Platform, customers from multiple countries were invited to share their experiences and preferences. The power of this approach lay in combining data with dialogue: hard numbers on purchasing behaviour gained meaning through the stories behind them. This revealed why customers in some countries prioritise functionality and durability, while elsewhere identity and brand experience weigh more heavily.
The project was delivered by a multidisciplinary team from Carhartt and MarketResponse, bringing together expertise in data science, research, brand strategy and customer experience. Short iterations, co-creation sessions and regular check-ins kept the programme agile and focused on insights that could be applied in practice.
From insight to change
The segmentation programme gave Carhartt EMEA a sharp view of the most important customer groups in the region. The results offered insight not only into demographic and geographic differences, but also into drivers and loyalty. This enables campaigns, product selections and service concepts to be better tailored to local needs—without compromising global brand consistency.
The organisation also gained a shared language for talking about customers. Marketing and sales teams can now align their strategies more effectively, and collaboration with resellers has a stronger foundation. By translating insights into concrete action plans—for example around content development and assortment decisions—segmentation became a compass for growth.
The developed personas as mannequins in the showroom.
The power of continuous learning
What Hamilton Carhartt did intuitively in 1889 is now supported by data, research and technology. Yet the core hasn’t changed: listening to customers and understanding what drives them. Thanks to the partnership with MarketResponse, Carhartt EMEA now has the structure and insights to do this at scale.
The programme provides a sustainable foundation for customer-centric work across the entire region. In that way, the modern Carhartt organisation connects seamlessly with the heritage of its founder: delivering honest work for honest value—only now in a way that fits today’s world.
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