There are five factors that distinguishes services marketing from product marketing. Comment on any three of these factors.

Essay by AZITAUniversity, Bachelor'sA-, May 2004

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The three factors that distinguishes services marketing from product marketing are Intangibility, Inseparability and Heterogeneity You cannot own and store a service like you can a product. Services are used or hired for a period of time. For example when buying a ticket to the USA the service lasts maybe 9 hours each way , but consumers want and expect excellent service for that time. Because you can measure the duration of the service consumers become more demanding of it.

You cannot hold or touch a service unlike a product, so it is difficult for clients to tell in advance what they will be getting In saying that although services are intangible the experience consumers obtain from the service has an impact on how they will perceive it. What do consumers perceive from customer service? the location, and the inner presentation of where they are purchasing the service?.

Inseparability of production and consumption as the service is being produced at the same time that the client is receiving it (eg during an online search, or a legal consultation).

Services cannot be separated from the service providers. A product when produced can be taken away from the producer. However a service is produced at or near the point of purchase. Take visiting a restaurant, you order your meal, the waiting and delivery of the meal, the service provided by the waiter/ress is all apart of the service production process and is inseparable, the staff in a restaurant are as apart of the process as well as the quality of food provided.

Services last a specific time and cannot be stored like a product for later use. If travelling by train, coach or air the service will only last the duration of the journey. The service is developed and used almost simultaneously.