Page 6 - DMGT510_SERVICES_MARKETING

Tanima Dutta, Lovely Professional University Unit 1: Introduction to Services Marketing

Unit 1: Introduction to Services Marketing Notes

CONTENTS
Objectives

Introduction
1.1 Defining Services
1.2 Understanding Service Characteristics
1.2.1 More Intangible than Tangible
1.2.2 Simultaneous Production and Consumption

1.2.3 Less Standardised and Uniform
1.2.4 Perishability
1.3 Product vs. Services

1.4 Classification of Services
1.5 Summary
1.6 Keywords
1.7 Review Questions
1.8 Further Readings

Objectives

After studying this unit, you will be able to:
Describe the concept of services marketing

Define services

Discuss the service characteristics

Distinguish between products and services

Classify services

Introduction

As India moves increasingly toward a services economy, marketers need to know more about
marketing service products. On a simplistic note, one can say that services are activities or
benefits that one party can offer to another that are essentially intangible and do not result in the
ownership of anything. Thus we see how services are different from goods.
During the past decade services have increasingly assumed an important role in the Indian
economy. Ever since this trend was set in the nineties, services have gained dominance. The
competition, simultaneously, in service organisations, is becoming intense and severe. As a
result these organisations have to have a more professional approach to managing their
businesses. Perhaps it is in this context that the role of marketing is gaining importance in
service organisations. In this unit, you will be introduced to the concept of services.

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