Types of Consumer Offerings
The four categories of offerings are discussed and why a single offering might be marketed differently to different types of customers is explained.
Products and services are divided into four general categories for purposes of marketing:
- Convenience offerings
- Shopping offerings
- Specialty offerings
- Unsought offerings
Convenience Offerings
Convenience offerings are products and services consumers generally don't want to put much effort into shopping for because they see little difference between competing brands. Marketing strategy may be limited to simply trying to get the product in as many places as possible where a purchase may occur. Impulse offerings are most closely related to convenience offerings, with Life Savers as the classic example of an impulse buy.
Shopping Offerings
A shopping offering is one for which the consumer will make an effort to compare and select a brand. Consumers believe there are differences between shopping offerings and want to find the right one and/or the best price. They will visit multiple retail locations or spend a considerable amount of time visiting Web sites and reading reviews about the product, such as reviews found in Consumer Reports. Consumers tend to be more brand conscious with shopping offerings.
Specialty Offerings
Specialty offerings are highly differentiated offerings, and the brands under which they are marketed are very different across companies. Marketing specialty offerings requires building brand-name recognition in the minds of consumers and educating them about products' key differences. Examples: exotic perfumes, custom-made motorcycles, fashion goods.
Unsought Offerings
Unsought offerings are those offerings that buyers don't generally shop for until they need them. Examples include funeral home, towing, and locksmith services. It is difficult to market these products. Some organizations try pre-selling, emphasizing cost savings. Others try to create strong name awareness so that when the need for the product arises, their name will come to the mind of the consumer.