List and briefly explain the four distinctive characteristics of services.
The four distinctive service characteristics that greatly affect the design of marketing programs are:
a. Intangibility: Services cannot be seen, tasted, felt, heard, or smelled before they are bought. To reduce uncertainty, buyers will look for evidence of quality by drawing inferences from the
place, people, equipment, communication material, symbols, and price.
b. Inseparability: Services are typically produced and consumed simultaneously. Both the provider and the client are a part of the service.
c. Variability: Because services depend on who provides them and when and where, and to whom, services are highly variable. Service buyers are aware of this variability and often talk to others before selecting a service provider.
d. Perishability: Services cannot be stored, so their perishability can be a problem when demand fluctuates. That is why public transportation companies must own much more equipment because of rush-hour demand than if demand were even throughout the day.