Product Classifications Revisited with Transparency Effect

Abstract

It is appropriate and useful to interpret some product classification schemes as buyer behavior models; such classifications permit investigations of discrepancies between classification predictions and actual buyer behavior. We review existing product classifications and identify underlying behavioral assumptions of various classification schemes that have been used in the marketing discipline for more than nine decades. Recognizing the irrelevance of existing product classifications for current products, we propose a new reclassification framework by incorporating transparency concepts. Based on this extended product classification, we highlight the potential roles of product classification study as an important link between consumer research and marketing strategy, emphasizing behavioral implications.

Keywords

• classification
• behavior-based classification theory
• transparency
• marketing strategy