Meaning & use
product mix in marketing
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablebusinesstechnical
The full set of different product lines and items that a company offers for sale at a particular time.
Grammar: Usually used with 'a' or 'the': 'The company changed its product mix.' It can be plural in theory but is rarely used that way.
Patterns
- a company's product mix
- change the product mix
- broaden the product mix
The store's product mix includes clothing, electronics, and home goods.
Analysts said the company's product mix was too narrow and needed more variety.
By adding a budget line, the firm widened its product mix to reach more customers.
nouncountablebusiness
The proportion or balance of different kinds of products that a business sells, seen as a whole.
Grammar: Often used when talking about strategy or results: 'a profitable product mix'.
Patterns
- a profitable product mix
- the product mix of a company
- shift the product mix
The firm shifted its product mix toward higher-margin items.
A healthy product mix can protect a business when one product stops selling well.
They studied the product mix to decide which lines to expand.
Common combinations
- product mix strategy
- The marketing team discussed a new product mix strategy for next year.
- product mix analysis
- A product mix analysis showed that most profit came from just two items.
- broaden the product mix
- To reduce risk, the company decided to broaden its product mix.
- narrow the product mix
- They narrowed the product mix and focused on their best sellers.
- product mix decision
- The product mix decision affected how much shelf space each item received.
Synonyms and how they differ
- product assortment
- Very similar, but often emphasizes the variety of items rather than the strategic balance; common in retail.
- product portfolio
- Focuses on the collection of products as investments or business units, often used in larger companies.
- product range
- A more everyday British term for the set of products a company makes or sells.
Word family
Commonly confused: product mix in marketing or product line? product mix in marketing or marketing mix?
product mix in marketing vs product line
A product line is a group of similar products (e.g., all soft drinks from one company), while the product mix is the total of all lines and items a company offers.
product mix in marketing vs marketing mix
The marketing mix refers to the four Ps (product, price, place, promotion), not just the products themselves.
Practice
A company sells shoes, bags, and belts. Which term best describes the full collection of these different items?
Choose one answer.
The full collection of different product lines and items is the product mix. 'Product line' refers to just one group of similar items (e.g., only shoes), 'marketing mix' is about the four Ps, and 'product life cycle' is about stages over time.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “product mix in marketing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.