The vast array of products that consumers buy can be classified on the basis of shopping habits and are broken down into four main areas. List these four main classifications of consumer goods and explain what elements are included within.
Answer: The four main areas are: (1) Convenience goods are bought frequently, immediately, and with a minimum of effort; (2) shopping goods are goods that the consumer characteristically compares on such bases as suitability, quality, price, and style; (3) speciality goods have unique characteristics or brand identification for which a sufficient number of buyers are willing to make a special purchasing effort; and (4) unsought goods are those goods that the consumer does not know about or does not normally think of buying.