Products, Classes and Characteristics for SS 1

Class: SS 1
Term: First Term
Week: 9
Age: 15 years
Duration: 60 minutes
Subject: Marketing
Curriculum Theme: Principles and practices of marketing
Focal competence: Identifying and categorizing products and markets to make informed marketing decisions
Key competencies/values: Creativity and Innovation; Communication; Information Literacy; Responsibility; Innovation

Skills:

• Classifying products and markets

Previous Lesson: Types of Marketing Concepts and Their Differences
Topic: Classification Of Products And Markets
Subject Matter: Meaning of product, Classes of products, Characteristics of each class of products

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils/students should be able to:

Cognitive Domain

• State the meaning of product.
• Discuss the classes of products and their characteristics.
• Define market and the types of markets.
• State the characteristics of each class of products.
• Explain how the various classes of products differ from each other.

Affective Domain

• Appreciate the importance of classifying products and markets.
• Participate actively in group discussions about product types.

Psychomotor Domain

• Categorise given examples into different product classes.
• Differentiate between tangible and intangible products.

Reference Materials

The following resources were used in planning this lesson:

• 2025 New Revised Senior Secondary Education Curriculum (SSEC)
• Relevant State Unified Scheme of Work
• A suitable Marketing textbook for SS 1
• The HeadTeacher Scheme of work For The New Revised Senior Secondary Education Curriculum (SSEC)

Instructional Materials

The teacher will teach this lesson with the aid of:

• Textbooks and workbooks
• Whiteboard and markers
• Charts illustrating product classifications
• Pictures of various products (goods, services, ideas)
• White board computers (if available)
• Internet (if available)
• Projectors (if available)

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is important because it lays the foundation for understanding how businesses develop and market their offerings. By learning about product and market classifications, students gain insight into consumer behaviour and the strategies companies use to meet diverse needs, which is essential for future marketing studies and practical applications.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Students should have a basic understanding of what marketing is and some common items bought and sold in their daily lives.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Classification Of Products And Markets

Meaning of Product

A product in marketing refers to anything that can be offered to a market to satisfy a want or need. It can be a physical good, a service, an experience, an event, a person, a place, an organisation, an idea, or a combination of these. Products are created through effort and are exchanged for money or other value.

Classes of Products

Products can be broadly classified into different categories based on their nature and purpose.

Industrial Products

Industrial products are those purchased by individuals or organisations for further processing or for use in conducting a business. They are not bought for personal consumption.

Characteristics of Industrial Products:

1. Derived Demand: Their demand is derived from the demand for consumer goods. For example, the demand for steel depends on the demand for cars.
2. Fewer Buyers: There are generally fewer industrial buyers compared to consumer buyers.
3. Larger Orders: Industrial buyers typically purchase products in larger quantities.
4. Direct Purchasing: Industrial buyers often purchase directly from the manufacturer, especially for complex or expensive items.
5. Professional Purchasing: Industrial purchasing is usually done by trained purchasing agents who follow specific procedures.
6. Geographically Concentrated Buyers: Industrial buyers are often concentrated in specific geographical areas.

Consumer Products

Consumer products are goods and services purchased by the final consumer for personal consumption. They are bought to satisfy individual or household needs and wants.

Characteristics of Consumer Products:

1. Mass Market: They cater to a large number of buyers.
2. Emotional Buying: Purchase decisions are often influenced by emotions, personal preferences, and branding.
3. Small Quantity Purchases: Consumers typically buy in smaller quantities.
4. Indirect Distribution: Products often pass through multiple intermediaries (wholesalers, retailers) before reaching the final consumer.
5. Extensive Promotion: Requires significant advertising and sales promotion to reach the mass market.
6. Price Sensitivity: Consumers are often sensitive to price changes.

Tangible Products

Tangible products are physical goods that can be seen, touched, felt, tasted, or smelled. They have a physical form and can be owned.

Examples: Cars, books, food, clothes, electronics, houses, land.

Characteristics of Tangible Products:

1. Physical Presence: They have a concrete physical form.
2. Ownership Transfer: Ownership can be transferred from seller to buyer.
3. Storage: They can be stored and inventoried.
4. Standardisation: Often easier to standardise quality and features.
5. Returnable: Can typically be returned if defective or unsatisfactory.

Intangible Products

Intangible products are services, ideas, or experiences that do not have a physical form. They cannot be seen, touched, or stored in the same way as physical goods.

Examples: Haircuts, medical consultations, education, legal advice, banking services, tourism, entertainment, insurance.

Characteristics of Intangible Products (Services):

1. Inseparability: Services are often produced and consumed simultaneously. The service provider is part of the service.
2. Perishability: Services cannot be stored for later use or sale. An unused airline seat or hotel room for a night is lost revenue.
3. Variability: The quality of services can vary greatly depending on who provides them, when, where, and how.
4. Intangibility: Services cannot be seen, tasted, felt, heard, or smelled before they are bought.
5. No Ownership: Buyers do not gain ownership of a service; they only experience it.

Meaning of Market

In marketing, a market refers to the set of all actual and potential buyers of a product or service. It is not just a physical place, but a group of individuals or organisations with needs, purchasing power, and the willingness to buy.

Types of Markets

Markets can be classified based on various criteria, including the nature of buyers, products, or geographical scope.

1. Consumer Market: This market consists of individuals and households who buy goods and services for personal consumption.
2. Industrial/Business Market: This market consists of organisations that buy goods and services for use in the production of other products and services, or for resale, or for use in their operations.
3. Reseller Market: This market consists of individuals and organisations that buy goods and services to resell them at a profit (e.g., wholesalers, retailers).
4. Government Market: This market consists of government agencies that buy goods and services to produce public services or transfer them to others who need them.
5. International/Global Market: This market consists of buyers in other countries, including consumers, producers, resellers, and governments.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Discussion, Explanation, Question and Answer, Group Work, Visual Aids

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Activating Prior Knowledge

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the students and asks them to name some items they bought recently and why they bought them. The teacher then introduces the topic, “Classification Of Products And Markets,” explaining that today’s lesson will help them understand what products are and how they are categorised, as well as what a market means.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond by naming items they bought and stating their reasons. They listen attentively to the introduction.

Learning Point: Introduction to products

Step 2: Meaning of Product

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Group Discussion/Explanation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher divides students into small groups and guides them to discuss the meaning of “product” based on their understanding and examples. After group discussions, the teacher facilitates a whole-class discussion, consolidating their ideas to provide a comprehensive definition of a product, including goods, services, and ideas.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils discuss in groups, share their definitions, and contribute to the class discussion. They write down the agreed-upon meaning of product.

Learning Point: Definition of product

Step 3: Classes of Products (Industrial and Consumer)

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Categorisation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains the two main classes of products: Industrial Products and Consumer Products. Using examples, the teacher clarifies the difference between products bought for further processing or business use (industrial) and those bought for personal consumption (consumer). The teacher also highlights the characteristics of each class.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, ask questions for clarification, and take notes on the definitions and characteristics of industrial and consumer products.

Learning Point: Industrial and consumer products

Step 4: Classes of Products (Tangible and Intangible)

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Differentiation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces another classification: Tangible and Intangible Products. The teacher provides clear examples of goods (tangible) and services/ideas (intangible), explaining the unique characteristics of each, such as physical presence for tangible products versus inseparability and perishability for intangible products.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils identify examples of tangible and intangible products. They note down the characteristics and differences between these product types.

Learning Point: Tangible and intangible products

Step 5: Differentiating Product Classes

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Comparative Analysis

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads a brief discussion on how the various classes of products differ from each other, encouraging students to compare and contrast their characteristics. This reinforces their understanding of the distinctions.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils actively participate, highlighting differences and similarities between the product classes discussed.

Learning Point: Product class differentiation

Step 6: Meaning and Types of Market

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Definition/Listing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher defines “market” in a marketing context, explaining it as more than just a physical place. The teacher then lists and briefly explains the different types of markets, such as consumer, industrial, reseller, government, and international markets.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen and copy the definition of market and the various types of markets into their notebooks.

Learning Point: Market definition and types

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher evaluates the learning by asking the following questions:

1. What is a product in marketing?
2. Mention two classes of products and their characteristics.
3. Define a market.
4. List three types of markets.
5. How do tangible products differ from intangible products?

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Product and market understanding

Step 8: Note-Taking

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Writing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher guides pupils/students to copy the essential Board Summary notes on the meaning of product, classes of products, their characteristics, meaning of market, and types of markets into their notebooks.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils/students copy the notes carefully into their notebooks.

Learning Point: Recording lesson content

Step 9: Conclusion

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Consolidation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher briefly summarises the main points of the lesson, reiterating the importance of understanding product and market classifications for effective marketing. The teacher encourages students to observe different products and markets around them.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen and ask any final questions.

Learning Point: Lesson summary and reinforcement

Continuous Assessment/Further Study

Type: Homework/Project

Instruction: Individually, develop a poster that illustrates the four main classes of products (Industrial, Consumer, Tangible, Intangible). For each class, include at least two examples and briefly list three key characteristics. Be creative with your design.

1. Define “product” in your own words.
2. Give two examples of an industrial product and two examples of a consumer product.
3. List three characteristics that differentiate a service from a good.
4. Identify a market type that primarily deals with selling goods to other businesses for resale.

Lesson Keywords

• Product – Anything offered to a market to satisfy a want or need.
• Industrial Products – Products bought for further processing or business use.
• Consumer Products – Products bought for personal consumption.
• Tangible Products – Physical goods that can be seen and touched.
• Intangible Products – Services or ideas without physical form.
• Market – All actual and potential buyers of a product or service.
• Derived Demand – Demand for industrial products based on consumer product demand.
• Perishability – Characteristic of services that cannot be stored.

Differentiation

For students who grasp concepts quickly, encourage them to research specific examples of how marketing strategies differ for industrial versus consumer products. For students needing more support, provide simplified examples and visual aids, and pair them with stronger students during group discussions.

Suggested Lesson Videos

YouTube search for “classes of products and markets marketing SS1”