Lead-in:
1. consumer products
2. convenience goods
3. shopping goods
4. specialty goods
5. advertisements
6. durable goods
7. luxury goods
8. necessities
Nowadays most marketing specialists divide the consumer products, into three groups: convenience goods, shopping goods and specialty goods.
Convenience goods are the products that consumers buy quickly and often and that are readily available, low priced and heavily advertised. Usually they are inexpensive items like toothpaste, soda, razor blades. People use them every day and don't even think about their prices or brands. A very important role in buying this or that item plays a habit to a particular sort of food, brand of cigarettes or whisky, to some familiar shops or supermarkets. But there exist some other goods the purchase of which requires more thought.
These are fairly important things that a person doesn't buy every day, like a new stereo, a washing machine, a good suit etc. These are shopping goods, products for which a consumer spends a lot of time in order to compare prices, quality and style. Various sources of information are consulted advertisements, salespeople, friends and relatives.
People use a different approach when they shop for specialty goods, items that have been mentally chosen in advance and for which there is no acceptable substitute. These are things like Chanel perfume, M.Voronin suits, etc goods the buyer especially wants and will seek out, regardless of location or price.
The English marketing specialists divide goods into almost the same subgroups, but name them normal, durable and luxury goods. Also they define the inferior goods which tend to be low-quality goods for poor people. For low-quality goods there exist high-quality but more expensive substitutes.
It is also useful to distinguish necessities. All inferior goods are necessities; necessities, hovewer, also include normal goods. Poor people satisfy their needs for food and clothing by buying low-quality goods. As their income rises, they switch to nicer food and clothing.
Luxury goods tend to be high-quality goods for which there exist lower-quality, but quite adequate substitutes. As income rise the quantity of food demanded will rise but only a little. So food cannot be a luxury, but it is not an interior good either.
Ø Questions for comprehension check-up and discussion:
1. What groups do marketing specialists divide the consumer products into?
2. What are convenience goods?
3. What plays a very important role in buying goods?
4. What are shopping goods?
5. What are specialty goods?
6. What examples of specialty goods can you name?
7. What groups do English marketing specialty divide goods into?
