Product mix, also known as product assortment, refers to the total number of product lines that a company offers
to its customers. For example, a small company may sell multiple lines of products. Sometimes, these product
lines are fairly similar, such as dish washing liquid and bar soap, which are used for cleaning and use similar
technologies. Other times, the product lines are vastly different, such as diapers and razors. The four dimensions
to a company’s product mix include width, length, depth and consistency.
Width
The width of a company’s product mix pertains to the number of product lines that a company sells. For example,
if a company has two product lines, its product mix width is two. Small and upstart businesses will usually not
have a wide product mix. It is more practical to start with some basic products and build market share. Later on, a
company’s technology may allow the company to diversify into other industries and build the width of the product
mix.
Length
Product mix length pertains to the number of total products or items in a company’s product mix, according to
Philip Kotler’s textbook “Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, Implementation and Control.” For
example, ABC company may have two product lines, and five brands within each product line. Thus, ABC’s
product mix length would be 10. Companies that have multiple product lines will sometimes keep track of their
average length per product line. In the above case, the average length of an ABC Company’s product line is five.
Depth
Depth of a product mix pertains to the total number of variations for each product. Variations can include size,
flavor and any other distinguishing characteristic. For example, if a company sells three sizes and two flavors of
toothpaste, that particular brand of toothpaste has a depth of six. Just like length, companies sometimes report the
average depth of their product lines; or the depth of a specific product line.
Consistency
Product mix consistency pertains to how closely related product lines are to one another–in terms of use,
production and distribution. A company’s product mix may be consistent in distribution but vastly different in use.
For example, a small company may sell its health bars and health magazine in retail stores. However, one product
is edible and the other is not. The production consistency of these products would vary as well.
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