Product Mix

Product Mix, also known as product assortment or product portfolio, refers to the various product lines and individual products offered by an organization in the market. Focusing on the product assortment helps companies analyze customers’ requirements and introduce more products to fulfill the demand better.

A product portfolio’s primary function is to give organizations an understanding of a specific product and the techniques to advertise it to as many consumers as possible. The right combination of product lines can offer extensive information regarding all products and the target customers. There are four elements of product mix — length, depth, consistency, and width.

• Product mix meaning refers to the complete set of products in a company’s portfolio. A prudent mix can increase sales and help maintain a stellar brand image. Moreover, it helps fulfill consumer demand.
• There are four dimensions or elements of the product mix. They are length, width or breadth, consistency, and depth.
• Multiple factors impact a business’s product portfolio. A few common ones are the impact of marketing mix elements and the organization’s production capabilities.
• A key difference between a product line and a mix is that there can be multiple product lines. However, a business cannot have multiple product portfolios.

Product mix meaning refers to the complete range of products sold by a business. It varies across different organizations. While multiple companies only have a limited number of offerings, various organizations offer different kinds of products grouped under separate product lines.

An organization’s product portfolio plays a crucial role in maintaining and enhancing its image, and it helps the business manage inventory and fulfill customers’ requirements better. Moreover, it helps businesses identify loyal customers and spot consumers switching to competitors’ offerings.

The larger a company’s product assortment, the more it can help the business formulate strategies to increase sales. On the other hand, businesses can incur significant losses if the product portfolio consists of a product with no customer demand. Hence, organizations focus on selling products that are popular among consumers. This helps them compete with their peers in the market. Moreover, it directly enables them to develop a strategy to increase efficiency and improve sales.

If the product mix is incorrect, for example, suppose there are not enough products in a product line, a business’s sales can decrease. Hence, companies must ensure that the products complement each other rather than compete.

Let us look at some factors affecting a business’s product assortment:

• The effect of different marketing mix components.
• Government-issued advisory concerning the products.
• The product cost involved narrowing and widening the mix.

Lastly, a business’s production capabilities are a factor affecting product assortment.

Let us look at the dimensions or elements of the product mix:

#1 - Length

The length is the total number of products in a product portfolio. In other words, businesses can determine their product mix’s length by adding all the products. For instance, let us say that a company has five product lines and ten products in each of the lines. In this case, the length will be fifty.

#2 - Consistency

This refers to the relationship between the different products in the mix. The relationship can be regarding the production process, distribution channels, etc. Focusing on this element can help organizations reduce production costs. Moreover, it ensures that a company’s brand image is synonymous with its offerings. One must remember that the higher the number of products offered, the lower the consistency.

#3 - Depth

Depth is the different types or variations of products in a particular product line. Generally, the variations depend on the products’ features like size, shape, etc. For example, a company sells fruit juices of different flavors (guava, orange, apple, etc.) falling into the same product line.

#4 - Width

Commonly referred to as breadth, width is the total number of product lines offered by a business to consumers. For example, if a fast-moving consumer goods or FMCG company sells potato chips and soaps, it has two product lines. However, it will have three product lines if it starts offering biscuits.

Let us look at a few product mix examples to understand the concept better. 

Example #1

Sinomax USA has decided to expand its product mix by acquiring the exclusive license for Vibe-branded bedding products and mattresses, which were only sold to consumers through Amazon. Sinomax secured the agreement via Kimberly LLC.

The Chief Executive Officer of Sinomax, Frank Chen this that Vibe is an exciting addition to their brand portfolio as it provides quality products with supporting social proof. He remains confident that the vertical integration with global and domestic capabilities will keep improving the brand’s reputation.

Example #2

Suppose Company XYZ has two product lines: biscuits and potato chips. So, all the products sold fall into the FMCG category. The production and distribution procedures for both product lines are the same.

In this case, there are two product lines. Hence, the width of the product portfolio is two. The mix length is the different product types under each product line. For example, suppose the company offers two flavors of biscuits and four flavors of chips. The length will be six. The depth of the biscuit product line is two, and that of the chips product line is four. Here the consistency is high as all products belong to the FMCG segment.

Let us go through the following points to understand the importance of product mix in marketing.

• It helps organizations focus on the primary business. This enables them to boost overall growth.
• A prudent mix helps a business maintain the right supply-to-demand ratio, enabling it to change the production process duration according to consumer demand.
• Lastly, it helps organizations fulfill customers’ demands and maintain their brand image.

Let us look at the differences between a product line and a product mix in marketing.

• A product line is a group of products with similar characteristics or attributes. On the other hand, a product portfolio refers to an organization’s complete set of products.
• A product line is a part of the product mix. But, on the other hand, product mix covers all aspects concerning products, including product line.
• Some factors impacting product line are brand, target audience, price range, etc. In contrast, some aspects affecting a product portfolio are production capabilities, brand identity, and financial standing.
• A business can have various product lines. However, an organization cannot have more than one product mix.
• Unlike product assortment, the product line has a narrow span.

The terms product mix and marketing mix often confuse Individuals new to the business world. One must know their critical differences to avoid confusion and understand these concepts. So, let us look at their distinct characteristics.

This article has been a guide to what is Product Mix & its meaning. We explain its comparison with the product line, elements, importance, & differences with the marketing mix. You may also find some useful articles here -

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