Consumer and Business Products

AuthorThomas Baird, Earl Meyer, Sharon Slick
Pages139-141

Page 139

The classification of products and services is essential to business because it provides one of the factors for determining the strategies needed to move them through the marketing system. The two major classes are consumer products and business products.

CONSUMER PRODUCTS

Consumer products are products purchased for personal, family, or household use. They are often grouped into four subcategories on the basis of consumer buying habits: convenience products, shopping products, specialty products and unsought products.

Consumer products can also be differentiated on the basis of durability. Durable products are products that have a long life, such as furniture and garden tools. Non-durable products are those that are quickly used up or worn out, or that become outdated, such as food, school supplies, and disposable cameras.

Convenience Products

Convenience products are items that buyers want to purchase with the least amount of effort, that is, as conveniently as possible. Most are non-durable products of low value that are frequently purchased in small quantities. These products can be further divided into three subcategories: staple, impulse, and emergency items.

Staple convenience products are basic items that buyers plan to buy before they enter a store, and include milk, bread, and toilet paper. Impulse items are other convenience products that are purchased without prior planning, such as candy bars, soft drinks, and tabloid newspapers. Emergency products are those that are purchased in response to an immediate, unexpected need such as ambulance service or a fuel pump for the car.

Since convenience products are not actually sought out by consumers, producers attempt to get as wide a distribution as possible through various marketing channels—which may include different types of wholesale and retail vendors. Convenience stores, vending machines, and fast food are examples of retailer focus on convenience products. Within stores, they are placed at checkout stands and other high-traffic areas.

Shopping Products

Shopping products are purchased only after the buyer compares the various products and brands available through different retailers before making a deliberate buying decision. These products are usually of higher value than convenience goods, bought less frequently, and are durable. Price, quality, style, and color are typically factors in the buying decision. Televisions, computers, lawn mowers, bedding, and appliances are all examples of shopping products.

Because customers are going to shop for these products, a fundamental strategy in establishing stores that specialize in shopping products is to locate near similar stores in active shopping areas. Promotion for shopping products is often done cooperatively with the manufacturers and frequently includes the heavy use of advertising in local media, including newspapers, radio, and television.

Specialty Products

Specialty...

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