Principles of Marketing, 17/e

Services Marketing

Author Comment

As noted at the start of this chapter, services are “­products,” too—intangible ones. So all the product topics we’ve discussed so far apply to services as well as to ­physical products. However, in this section, we focus on the special ­characteristics and marketing needs that set services apart.

Services have grown dramatically in recent years. Services now account for almost 80 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP). Services are growing even faster in the world economy, making up almost 63 percent of the gross world product.20

Service industries vary greatly. Governments offer services through courts, employment services, hospitals, military services, police and fire departments, the postal service, ...