Consumer Products

Consumer products are those bought by last consumers for personal consumption. Marketers typically classify these goods further based on how consumers go regarding buying them. Consumer products include shopping products, ease products, specialty products, and unsought products. These products vary in the ways consumers buy them and so in how they are marketed

• Convenience products are consumer products and services that the customer generally buys frequently, instantly, and with a minimum of comparison and buying attempt. For examples: candy, soap, newspapers, and fast food. Convenience products are frequently low priced, and marketers place them in various locations to make them readily available when customers need them.
• Shopping products are less frequently purchased consumer and services and products that customers compare carefully on quality, price, appropriateness and style. When buying shopping services and products, consumers spend much time and effort in collecting information and making comparisons. For Examples clothing, furniture used cars, main appliances, and hotel and motel services.
• Shopping products marketers typically distribute their products through fewer outlets but offer deeper sales support to help customers in their comparison efforts.
• Specialty products are consumer products and services having unique characteristics or brand reorganization for which important group of buyers is eager to make a special purchase effort. For Examples particular brands and types of cars, designer clothes, high- priced photographic equipment and the services of legal specialists or medical. A Lamborghini automobile, for instance, is a specialty product because buyers are typically willing to travel great distances to buy one. Buyers usually do not compare specialty products. They invest just the time needed to reach dealers carrying the needed products.
• Unsought products are consumer products which the consumer either does not know regarding or knows about but does not usually think of buying. Mostly major new innovations are unsought till the consumer becomes alert of them through advertising. Classic instance of known but unsought services and products are life insurance and blood donations to the Red Cross. By their very nature, unsought products require a lot of personal selling, advertising and other marketing efforts.