Consumers face the age-old battle of products versus services everyday without even realizing it because of clever marketing, business strategies and the way that buyers can now obtain goods that are only a tap-click away. Since purchases can be made at the speed of light over smartphone mobile apps, tablets and even over the old fashioned land-line upon viewing TV infomercials, it may be all the more necessary to take a moment to be thoughtful about what is actually being purchased. 5 services that are better than a consumable product include yard care, debt and finance management, extended warranties, software and subscriptions.
Yard Care and Home Office, Finance Management
Enlisting a year-round yard care service trumps shelling out bucks for standard pieces of maintenance equipment any day. Scheduling to have a yard mowed or tended to for snow removal can now be scheduled directly online. Companies that offer these services have created a network of professional landscapers who conveniently add your address to their daily agenda and carry out all services requested professionally and affordably.
Managing debt and personal finances is another area where service triumphs over products. Services like budget apps or online banking and bill pay allow consumers to track, update and set-aside funds in order to stay on budget and tackle their obligations. Digital alerts are popular for letting customers know when they’re approaching pre-set limits and to tell them when deposits arrive in their online checking account.
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Extended warranties, Software and Subscription Services
Purchasing an extended warranties or any type of product insurance is an excellent move to protect a previously bought good. Since warranties go hand in hand with a product, consumers should weigh the value of adding these types of service. While they are invaluable for expensive equipment and considerably extend product life-cycle, shorter durations of coverage may be sufficient for things that become obsolete after time.
Cloud solutions have continued to develop since the ’50’s into the services we enjoy today. Cloud computing services essentially allow consumers to share resources and software as a service rather than purchasing the technology in product form. The Cloud and the Internet are one in the same. Along the lines of technology, one of the newer services hype leads us to subscription services. Buyers can sign up for every service imaginable and enjoy entertainment, consumable snacks or even real products each month, as desired. An example of subscription service is online movie streaming.
In many situations, services can be better than tangible products because it reduces waste, only requires that consumers pay for what they’re actually using and because it supports an on-the-go lifestyle. Humanity requires connectivity to the services that manage our lives day in and day out, so it makes perfect sense to establish a virtual “home base” for many routine activities. Externally, companies continue to compare and investigate the way purchases are evolving since services are respectively cost-effective for operations as well. Virtual services are essentially buy versus rent, and often it just doesn’t make sense to commit long-term these days.