Differentiating Between Services and Goods Business & Marketing Essay

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Differences between Services and Goods
Introduction
In business and marketing, services and goods are usually pronounced in the same breath. The growth of any business depends on how it combines customer-oriented services and quality of goods. However, unlike goods, services can only be performed and technology has allowed employees to provide customized services. Therefore, not only are services inseparable and intangible, technology has improved the quality of service production and the ability to collect consumer data.
Characteristics of Services Compared with Goods
* Inseparability
Inseparability or simultaneity of services implies that any form of service cannot be divorced from its consumption and the service provider. As a result, services cannot be taken to the consumer without the service provider because services are generated and consumed within the same time frame (Wolak et al., 2018). Consequently, the inseparability nature of services makes it difficult to own or transfer their ownership to the customer. In contrast, goods can be produced by one organization and transferred to another entity that will consume them or sell them at a later date.
* Intangibility
Intangibility is used in marketing to describe a state where a customer purchases something but he/she cannot see, taste, or touch it. Intangibility is the most defining feature of services because customers cannot assess their value using any tangible evidence. As a result, customers can only offer honest opinions about the quality of services after consuming them. Due to the intangibility state of services, marketing them is extremely challenging. In contrast, it is easier to market goods because they can be displayed for customers to see, feel, and assess before purchasing them. However, organizations can easily market their services by establishing rel...