The Whole Product Concept

1. Generic product is considered to encompass the basic requirements—such as features and form factor—that the customer associates with the tangible product.

2. Expected product tends to be the intangibles, such as expected reliability, service expectations, and feature enhancements as compared to the generic product.

3. Augmented product describes those things that differentiate the expected product from competitors' offerings. The augmented product consists of intangible things such as enhanced customer service, as well as tangible things, such as features not offered by the competition.

4. Potential product provides the consumer with a glimpse of the future by offering a view of tomorrow's augmented and even expected product.