Types of Products : Consumer Products and Shopping Products

Consumer Products

A consumer product is any tangible product for sale that is used by a person or household for non-business purposes.

A consumer product is generally any tangible product for sale that is used for personal, family, household or non-business purposes. To determine whether an item is a consumer product requires a factual finding, on a case-by-case basis. This will vary from one jurisdiction to another.

As an example, The United States Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA), enacted in 1972 by Congress, has an extensive definition of consumer product: “any article, or component part thereof, produced or distributed (i) for sale to a consumer for use in or around a permanent or temporary household or residence, a school, in recreation, or otherwise, or (ii) for the personal use, consumption or enjoyment of a consumer in or around a permanent or temporary household or residence, a school, in recreation, or otherwise; but such term does not include— (A) any article which is not customarily produced or distributed for sale to, or use or consumption by, or enjoyment of, a consumer”. It then goes on to list eight additional specific exclusions and some further miscellaneous details.

The act also established the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) as an independent agency of the US Federal Government and defined its basic authority. The act gives the CPSC the power to develop safety standards and pursue recalls for products that present unreasonable or substantial risks of injury or death to consumers. It also allows the CPSC to ban a product if there is no feasible alternative.

The CPSC has jurisdiction over more than 15,000 different products; however, the CPSA excludes from the CPSC’s jurisdiction those products that expressly lie in another federal agency’s jurisdiction, for example food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, tobacco products, firearms and ammunition, motor vehicles, pesticides, aircraft, and boats. These products may fall under the purview of agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration, the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the US Department of Agriculture, the US Department of Transportation, the US Environment Protection Agency, the US Federal Aviation Administration, and the US Coast Guard.

Another type of consumer products can be classified as products you don’t need, like candy, luxury goods, and toys. Following WWI, America went into a recession after manufacturing many war products and having to pay off all of its debts to factories and the common people. Under the Coolidge presidency, America started manufacturing consumer products to create more jobs and get people to start spending so the government could raise money.

iPod Classic: The iPod Classic is an example of a consumer product.

Thus, while consumer products may be seen as those not essential to life, they are nonetheless a large and crucial component of the US economy. The production and sale of consumer goods is an important sector of US GDP and creating employment.

Consumer products will generally be less expensive than professional-grade goods, but will lack the durability of the latter product class, and will reach obsolescence quicker.