Goods and services are complementary concepts

In today's world, in our consumer society, the market for goods and services occupies almost the top position. So, probably, it should be, because everyone, to the best of his ability, buys various goods and uses the services he needs. And almost always goods and services are mutually complementary concepts that do not contradict each other. Sometimes even interpenetrating.

What is a product?

This term is understood to mean the product of labor, which, in the first place, has value. It is distributed in society in various ways (purchase and sale, exchange), and, of course, it is the subject of trade. Yet this is any thing, a product that has a material form, the dominant object that participates in the "seller-buyer" market relations. He does not have the quality of spirituality and always directly relates to material values.

Basic Classifications

All goods are divided into two groups:

• "A" - for industrial use;
• "B" - people's consumption.

Roughly speaking, the goods of the first group are used for industry and production, and the second, on the contrary, for personal consumption. Creating priorities for groups, the artificial allocation of one to the detriment of the other leads, as a rule, to deplorable results. A historical example: the beginning of "perestroika", when the so-called Brezhnev economic model collapsed, which primarily focused on the production of goods of the "A" group. We all remember the empty counters of shops and the total deficit even of the main products, the sale from under the floor, in familiarity! In general, the consumer society should be oriented towards the production of products of the "B" group, which also have several types.

Durable goods

Material products used by the buyer repeatedly. For example, household appliances, or hardcover books, or furniture and clothing.

Short-term goods

Material products used once or in several stages. For example, food or newspapers, magazines.

Everyday demand

Goods that buy often, without much hesitation, without making efforts to compare them with each other. For example, sugar, salt, cereals, sunflower oil, soap, matches.

Pre-selection

Goods that are purchased by comparing them by the buyer according to the criteria of quality, price, suitability. For example, various kinds of household appliances, or tableware, or some food products.

Special demand

Goods for the sake of which a person spends extra effort. These are, as a rule, branded products, priority in the modern market. For example, a Mercedes car or a Nikon camera.

Prestigious demand

Goods characterized by a certain degree of "elitism", through which the consumer shows his location on the social ladder. For example, yachts, concept cars, mansions. Goods of this kind are purchased not often, individually.

In general, both the product and the service are the original engines of the market. Often these concepts are interpenetrating, they accompany each other. And the full production of goods and services is a characteristic feature of the modern economic model of society. Therefore, both play an important role in the world of consumption.

Product and service

Having learned what is a commodity, let us now analyze the notion of "service". These are the kinds of different activities in which a product (a new one that did not exist before) is not created, but the quality of the already existing product is modified. Conditionally these are the benefits that are provided to the consumer not in material form, but in the form of any activity. This is a household, transport, communal service. This training, treatment, cultural education, all kinds of advice, the provision of various kinds of information, mediation in the conduct of contracts and business transactions. Goods and services differ mainly: the first is a concrete thing that has a material form, the second is the type of activity that is put up for sale.

Definition and classification

Entrepreneurial activity, which is aimed at the result - meeting the various needs of others - and called a service (at least, this is determined by law). It is characterized by a direct focus on consumers, has an inseparability from the source. The services are assigned to material, as well as socio-cultural.

Material - satisfaction of the individual needs of the individual. For example, repair of various products, utilities, catering, transportation.

Socio-cultural - the satisfaction of the spiritual, intellectual needs of a person, the maintenance and maintenance of his health, the increase of mastery in various professions. For example, cultural services, medical, tourism, education. And today the goods and service are so intertwined that the service acts as a commodity. Example - all sorts of educational video courses, master classes. They are becoming more and more an excellent virtual product!