Missionary Selling (also Product Detailing)

A sub-category of the order influencer sales classification in which salespeople make sales calls to those who influence others, through advice or requirements, to make purchases the most common of which are found in the pharmaceutical and higher education textbook industries.

Actual Product

A component of the Total Product offered by the marketer, this represents part of the product that is used (i.e., product features) as well as other elements that are included such as branding, packaging and labeling.

Convenience Products

A category of consumer products with characteristics that include: appeals to large market segment, purchase is frequent; pricing is relatively low; and product is widely distributed.

Individual Product Branding

A branding strategy in which products are given brand names that are newly created and generally not connected to names of existing brands offered by the company.

Total Product

Represents the sum of all tangible and intangible offerings and benefits a customer obtains from a product and includes three key elements: core benefits, actual product and augmented product.

PLC – Product Life Cycle

Used as a tool for depicting the concept that products go through several stages of “life” with each stage presenting the marketer with different challenges that must be met with different marketing approaches.

Augmented Product

A component of the Total Product offered by the marketer, this represents goods and services that surround the Actual Product in order to provide additional value to the customer’s purchase and include guarantees, warranties and training services.

Complementary Products

Products viewed as add-ons to a main product which are designed to enhance the main product by making it easier to use, improving overall styling or extend functionality.

Emergency Products

A category of consumer products which customer purchase due to sudden events and which often involve little pre-purchase planning.