What Are Consumer Products?
A shorter answer might be to list what aren’t consumer products, because just about everything we buy is a consumer product, aka a “final good” at the end of the manufacturing process. Consumer products are the things we buy online and off shelves.
Here are the main four consumer product categories:
- Convenience: Frequently bought products that customers rarely go without or even think about because they’re relatively inexpensive. These are products like toothpaste, most grocery items, and pens. They’re products you’d expect to find in any city or small town, mall or gas station, whenever you desire them.
- Shopping: Products that you buy less frequently and often consider more carefully are shopping products, items like clothing, electronics, furniture, airline tickets, or used cars. This is an area where quality and price make a great deal of difference for consumers.
- Specialty: The next tier of goods includes specialty brands or niche products. This includes items like high-end cars, designer clothing, or high-quality equipment for photography, sports, or music. Luxury watches and exotic perfumes also fall in this far more expensive category.
- Unsought: This section includes products you may not think or even know about under normal circumstances. Items like life insurance, engagement rings, and fire extinguishers are examples of rarely-made purchases in this category.
There are different types of marketing needs associated with each category to try and get those items into our lives, and money out of our pockets. For products and services you want or need, that’s an agreeable exchange, but what happens when you’re sold a misleading or defective product? Read on to find out who is responsible.