Product Mix

PRODUCT MIX

Product mix, also known as product assortment, refers to the total number of product lines that a company offers to its customers. For example, a small company may sell multiple lines of products. Sometimes, these products lines are fairly similar, such as dish washing liquid and bar soap, which are used for cleaning and use similar technologies. Other times, the product lines are vastly different, such as diapers and razors. The four dimensions to a company’s product mix includes width, length, depth and consistency.

Product width

The width of a company’s product mix pertains to the number of product lines that a company sells. For example, if a company has two product lines, its product mix width is tow. Small and upstart businesses will usually not have a wide product mix. It is more practical to start with some basic products and build market share. Later on, a company’s technology may allow the company to diversify into other industries and build the width of the product mix

Product length

Product mix length pertains to the number of total products or items in a company’s product mix, according to Philip kotler’s textbook “marketing management: analysis, planning, implementation and control.” For example ABC company may have two product lines and five brands within each product line. Thus, ABC’s product mix length would be 10. Companies that have multiple product lines will sometimes keep track of their average length per product line

Product depth

Depth of a product mix pertains to the total number of variations for each product. Variations can include size, flavor and any distinguishing characteristic. For example, if a company sell three sizes and two flavor of toothpaste, that particular brand of toothpaste has a depth of six. Just like length, companies sometimes report the average depth of their product lines; or the depth of a specific product line.

Product consistency

Product mix consistency pertains to how closely...