20 Differences between Consumer Goods and Agricultural Goods
Distinction between Consumer Goods and Agricultural Goods
The following are some of the differences between Consumer goods and Agricultural Goods.
| Consumer Goods | Agricultural Goods |
|---|---|
| 1. Production is not generally influenced by natural factors, i.e., weather and climatic conditions. | 1. Production is very much influenced by natural factors. |
| 2. Consumer goods are perishable in nature. | 2. Agricultural goods are perishable in nature. |
| 3. Production takes place generally during the whole year. | 3. Production is seasonal. |
| 4. Consumer goods are not bulky in nature. | 4. These goods are bulky in nature. |
| 5. Each product has unit value. | 5. The unit value of most agricultural goods, with the exception of a few, is negligible. |
| 6. Consumer goods can directly be used. | 6. Generally agricultural goods cannot be directly consumed. They need to be cooked. |
| 7. Certain consumer goods are durable in nature. e.g., furniture, television, fridge, etc. | 7. These get exhausted quickly. |
| 8. It is possible to control the quality of goods. | 8. It is not possible to control the quality of goods. |
| 9. Substitutes are always available in the market for consumer goods. | 9. Perfect substitutes are not available for agricultural goods |
| 10. Price fluctuation is an important feature of consumer goods market. | 10. Price uniformity is an important feature here. |
| 11.Brand image plays a crucial role in determining the demand. | 11. Brand has no relevance in agricultural marketing. |
| 12. Advertising plays an important role in consumer goods marketing. | 12. Advertising does not play an important role in agricultural marketing. |
| 13. Standardisation is important. | 13. Grading is important here. |
| 14. After-sale service is important in the case of consumer durables. | 14. After-sale service has no relevance in agricultural goods marketing. |
| 15. Consumer goods are affected by fashion and style changes. | 15. Such changes have no relevance for agricultural goods. |
| 16. Emotional factors such as status, prestige, ego, etc. influence demand. | 16. Such factors have no relevance at all here. Buying is always influenced by need. |
| 17. Inducements like free gifts, discounts etc., are always expected by the buyers. | 17. Such inducements are generally absent in marketing agricultural goods. |
| 18. There is elasticity in demand, i.e., when price goes up demand falls and vice versa. | 18. Demand for agricultural goods is always inelastic. This is because, such goods are necessaries of life. |
| 19. There are generally such middlemen as wholesalers, retailers or dealers for consumer goods. | 19. In the market for agricultural goods, one finds in addition to wholesalers and retailers several other middlemen like commission agents, brokers and others. |
| 20. A retailer selling consumer products, these days, provides several shopping comforts to his customers like an air-conditioned showroom, self-service, acceptance of credit card etc. | 20. All these facilities are absent in a typical market for agricultural goods. |
