5.8.1 Final consumer product concept

The product prototype is built up to the total product concept, which is accepted by the consumer and the society. The company core product with its attributes and packaging has been optimised in the previous stage, but the final aesthetics of product and packaging, the brand, the name, the price, the advertising and the promotion are added to give the commercial company product. In other words the marketing attributes of the product are added to give the final product image.

The raw materials from the primary production, the ingredients from the primary processing, and the processing during manufacturing of the consumer products, are included, as these are important areas of concern for the consumers and the society. In building the final consumer concept, it is important to include the consumers' environment, what is happening and predicted to happen. The consumer's product concept is influenced by:

     competitors;

     social, political, economic, physical environments;

     media and communication;

     consumers' own behaviour towards the product.

The consumer product concept is designed to convey to the consumer that the product satisfies the consumers' eating needs and wants, nutritional require- ments, availability, use of appropriate materials, reliability, maximum safety, good appearance, low cost and psychological acceptability. But this has to be located in the environment surrounding the consumers, and has to be related to the correct target consumers. The product is rated with the competitors, showing product leadership, product parity or product loser. The relationship between price and the user-perceived quality is carefully evaluated to fit the consumers' perceived value for money. They may accept a high price indicating high quality, or a low price indicating ease of purchase, or they may have in-between attitudes trading off quality and price.