Setting Product Strategy
What is a Product?
Components of the Market Offering
Durability and Tangibility
Use
Consumer Goods Classification
The Product Hierarchy (using life insurance example)
Product Systems and Mixes
Product Line Analysis
Packaging , labeling warranties
Packaging Objectives
Functions of Labels
2. Chapter Questions
• What are the characteristics of products and
how do marketers classify products?
• How can companies differentiate products?
• How can a company build and manage its
product mix and product lines?
3. Chapter Questions (cont.)
• How can companies combine products to
create strong co-brands or ingredient brands?
• How can companies use packaging, labeling,
warranties, and guarantees as marketing tools?
4. What is a Product?
A product is anything that can be offered to a market
to satisfy a want or need, including physical goods,
experiences, persons, places, properties,
organizations etc.
6. Five Product Levels
1. Core benefit: the benefit the customer is really buying. A hotel
guest is buying rest and sleep.
2. Basic product : Hotel room include bed, bathroom, towels etc
3. Expected product : Set of attribute buyers normally expect
when they purchase the product
4. Augmented product : Exceeds customer expectations.
5. Potential product : Here companies search for new ways to
satisfy customers and distinguish their offering.
8. Durability and Tangibility
1.Nondurable goods: tangible goods normally consumed. Ex.
Soft drinks ,shampoos. These goods are purchase frequently.
Appropriate strategy is to make them available in many location.
2. Durable goods : tangible goods normally survive many uses.
Refrigeration , machine tools , cloth. Product require more
personal selling and service & require more seller guarantees.
3.Services : are intangible , inseparable and perishable products
9. Consumer Goods Classification
• Convenience: Frequently, immediately and with min effort.
• Staples : Goods purchase on regualr basis
• Impulses: Purchase without any planning ex. Chocolates, potatoes chips
• Emergency Goods : When need is urgent. Ex. Raincoat, sweater etc
• Shopping
• Specialty : unique characteristics . Ex. Cars , men’s suits
• Unsought: Consumer does not know about or normally thinking
of buying, such as smoke detectors.
10. Industrial Goods Classification
1. Materials and parts
1. Raw material
1. Farm Products (wheat , cotton , fruits, vegetable
2. Natural Products (crude petroleum, oil )
2. Manufactured materials and parts
1. Component material (iron ,cement, wires)
2. Component parts (small motors , tires)
2. Capital items
1. Installation
2. Equipment
3. Supplies/business services
11. Product Differentiation
• Product form : Size , shape , or physical structure
• Features :
• Customization
• Performance
• Conformance Quality
• Durability : measure product’s expected operating life under
natural or stressful condition
• Reliability : Buyers will pay premium for more reliable product
• Style
12. Service Differentiation
• Ordering ease : How easy it is for customer to place an order
with company.
• Delivery
• Installation
• Customer training
• Customer consulting : Data, information system and advice
services
• Maintenance and repair
• Returns
13. The Product Hierarchy
(using life insurance example)
Need family
Product family
Product class
Product line
Product type
Item
14. Product Systems and Mixes (Page No 303)
• Product system is group of diverse but related items that function in
compatible manner. Ex. I pod = headphone + headset + cables + cases,
power and car accessories.
• Product mix is set of all product and item a particular seller offer for sell. It
consist of various product line. Ex. Sunfeast, Nestle, HUL
• Depth of product mix is how many variants available. (Lux : Rose)
• Length is total number of items in product mix.
• Width is how many different product line that company carries
• Consistency is how closely related the various product lines are in end use
15. Product Line Analysis
(Graph page No 305)
• Sales and Profit
• Every company’s portfolio contain product with different
margin.
• Supermarket make almost no margin on bread and milk but
better margin on flower. Ex. Recharge shop
• Market Profile
• Product line manager must review how the li eis positioned
against competitors
16. Line Stretching
• Every company’s product line cover certain part of
total possible range. Ex. BMW upper price range
1.Down-market stretch
2.Up-market stretch
3.Two-way stretch
17. Product-Mix Pricing
• Product-line pricing : Companies normally develop product lines
rather than single products. Ex. Men jeans Rs.500 , 1000, 1500
• Optional-feature pricing : companies offer optional product, feature
and service with their main product. Ex. Automobile advertise entry
level model at low prices to pull people into showroom
• Two-part pricing : consist of fixed fee + variable usage fees. Cell
phone users pay min fees + charges calls. Fixed fees should low
enough to introduce purchase ,profit can then come from usage fees.
• By-product pricing : the production of certain goods like petroleum
and other chemical often result in by products that should be priced
on their value.
18. What is the Fifth P?
Packaging , labeling warranties
Packaging, sometimes called the 5th
P, is all the activities of
designing and producing the container for a product.
Package might have up to 3 layers.
1.Primary Package (Basic Bottle)
2.Secondary package (cardboard box)
3.Shipping Package (contain six dozen box)
19. Factors Contributing to the
Emphasis on Packaging
• Self-service
• Consumer affluence : Rising affluence means consumer are
willing to pay little more for the convenience , appearance, and
prestige of better packing
• Company/brand image
• Innovation opportunity
20. Packaging Objectives
• Identify the brand
• Convey descriptive and persuasive/credible
information
• Facilitate product transportation and protection
• Assist at-home storage
• Aid product consumption
21. Functions of Labels
• Identifies : product or brand
• Grades : Oil like pure or Veg / Non Veg
• Describes : Who , when made it
• Promotes : bright graphics
22. Assignment
• What is a Product Line? Discuss some decisions
related to the Product Line Length with a suitable
example