The marketing mix is a marketing tool that is made up of the four Ps – product, price, place and promotion. For a successful marketing mix, all elements must work together effectively.
The product element refers to the products or services the business sells.
A business should conduct market researchMarket research involves gathering data about customers, competitors and market trends. to find out the needs and wants of its target marketA group of people or area of a market that a business aims to sell its products to..
Goods are a tangible Something that can be touched and physically held, for example, a book. item that a customer can physically touch, for example a mobile phone or a chocolate bar. In contrast, a service is an intangibleSomething that is not made of a physical substance and cannot be touched product that cannot be touched, such as a spa day experience or having a haircut.
A business needs its products to stand out from the products of its competitors so that customers buy from it. To do this, a business creates a unique selling pointThe distinctive factors that make a product or brand stand out from rivals. (or USP). For example, a business might emphasise in its marketing that the bananas it sells are fair trade, and a web developer might be able to include artificial intelligence in a website.