High involvement product

High involvement product
See also
Relationship selling Consumer markets Brand essence Special offering Selling process Hunger marketing Convenience product Sales discount Client satisfaction

High involvement product it is a type of product, which “purchase perceived risk" is high, and the price is also high. Purchase of this product is very important for customer, because of “high emotional involvement”. In general decision of purchase the high involvement product is very long and complex. Examples of high involvement products are cars, mobile phones, furnitures, bank accounts.

Product involvement

Involvement is related with “decisions- making process” by individual customers. The size of involvement affects the distinction two types of products: high-involvement products and low-involvement products. When product is buy routinely, consumers before purchase usually know what they want to buy, therefore decision process is short, and they buy several similar brands, then it is low-involvement product. Whereas, when product is buy rarely, consumers need more time to think about purchase, and they are search a lot of informations about the products, therefore decision process is extensive and long, then it is high-involvement product. The main difference between this two types of products is in consumer involvement, and in frequency of purchase.

Fig.1. High involvement product

High involvement product characteristics

In high involvement products, it is possible to distinguish a several important characteristics:

• high price
• complex features
• large differences between alternatives
• high perceived risks
• reflect self-concept of buyer

That type of products requires:

• differentiation
• brand valuation
• extensive availability of information (multiple sources)
• after sales service

Benefits for company

Consumer which buy high-involvement product, have in general high expectations related with the brand. Meet consumer expectations, bring a lots of benefits for a company:

• successful future relationship between consumer and brand (company)
• higher “perceived brand relationship quality”
• higher brand loyalty

Marketing of high-involvement products

High-involvement products need different type of marketing activities than others products. Mass advertising is a basic type of promotion use for many of products, but for higher-involved products it have a marginal meaning. The most effective in marketing promotion is announcement (advertising) targeted individually (“one-on-one”), and “maintenance options”. One of the most important thing in promotion which is addressed to target market, should be “informative and extensive ads”. High-involvement advertising should also gives a lot of informations, which are key for long decision-making process. Apart from that, the message should contain benefits and advantages of using the high-involvement product.

Footnotes

• Blakeman R., (2011), Strategic Uses of Alternative Media: Just the Essentials, ME Sharpe
• Dahlen M., Lange F., Smith T., (2010), Marketing Communications: A Brand Narrative Approach, John Wiley & Sons
• Güse K. S., (2011), Brand Personalities and Consumer-brand Relationship as Elements of Successful Brand Management, University of Bamberg Press
• Kumar S.R., (2008), Issues in Consumer Behaviour The Indian Context, Pearson Education India
• Lamb C. W., (2009), MKTG,Cengage Learning
• Porral C.C., Stanton J.L., (2018), Principles of Marketing, ESIC
• Saxena R., (2005), Marketing Management, Tata McGraw-Hill Education

Author: Kinga Dudek