What are product attributes and benefits?
Show A product’s attributes are what makes it distinct from other products. Attributes include things like size, color, flavor, package type and other features that are relevant to the category. From a consumer perspective, these attributes are what determine the consideration set and influence the ultimate purchase decision. From a retail perspective, product attributes help define how aisles, departments and shelf sets are organized. Manufacturers use attributes to help define their products’ competitive set. (Note: “Attributes” are also known as “characteristics,” depending on your data supplier.) When thinking about products, the largest thing is usually a category while the smallest is an individual item. There are times when you need to look at the entire category (to see if it’s just your brand that’s declining, for example, or the whole category) and other times when you need to look at items (to show retailers where your items rank within the category when selling in new items or when recommending changes to item assortment). There are also many other levels between category and item that are important and useful to look at. Product attributes tell you something about various aspects of a product and allow you to get at these other levels. Looking at product segments based on different attributes allows you to keep on top of important trends and more easily identify growth opportunities: Which is growing faster – small or large sizes? sweet or savory flavors? cans or pouches? floral, herbal, fresh or unscented? low sodium or gluten free? You get the idea! The most commonly used product attribute is probably brand, one of the many attributes available for all items in your database. Take a look at the following table to see some of the attributes associated with 3 different beverage products: There are 9 attributes listed and each attribute can have only one value. All the items that are in your database are coded for several different attributes, all of which must be visible by looking at the package. Some attributes apply to all products. These include things like Manufacturer, Brand, Category and Size. Other attributes are only relevant for certain categories. In the example above, the value for Sub-Brand for the Poland Spring item says “Not Applicable” because there is no Sub-Brand. Similarly, the attribute Sweetener is not relevant. Food and Beverage products have Flavor as an attribute, but Household and Personal Care products often have Scent or Fragrance instead. Due to the current interest in Health & Wellness among consumers, there are dozens of attributes just having to do with things like Organic, Sodium, Sugar, Fat, Gluten and other health claims. These extra attributes can be made available on your IRI/Nielsen database, but for an additional charge. SPINS is a company that specializes in the natural and organic space, and they offer the most extensive attribute coding related to Natural products and Health & Wellness claims. Once you are familiar with the attributes available in your database, you can look at the performance based on what’s important to you or your retail customers. Some examples using Beverages:
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Did you find this article useful? Subscribe to CPG Data Tip Sheet to get future posts delivered to your email in-box. We publish articles twice a month. We will not share your email address with anyone. Reader InteractionsTrackbacksWhat are the product attributes?Product attributes are the features that describe an item – objective and subjective details that can help a potential customer decide what to buy. These include, but aren't limited to, technical specifications, design features like color and size, materials used in manufacturing, and the price.
What are the 3 product attributes?What are product attributes? Product attributes are the properties that describe a product. They include details that are tangible and intangible, subjective and objective.
What are product benefits?What are product benefits? Product benefits are any positive impact that a good or service has on the experience of a consumer interacting with it. Customers may note immediate benefits or long-term benefits, which they might experience at increasing levels the longer they use your product or service.
What is the importance of product attributes?Product attributes are important to both consumers and marketers. The consumer uses attributes as the basis for evaluating a product since attributes provide benefits the consumer seeks when purchasing a product and comparing between competitive brands.
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