In response to Elizabeth V's Question

Do you think that having a coupon for a product will make you want to buy it more even if you weren't planning on buying it in the first place?

I feel like the answer to this question is both yes and no. I think that anway you can save money is worth it especially in our current economy. If I get a coupon that I feel is a good deal and have the extra money to spend, then I will impulse buy. But if the product is something I don't need then the coupon doesn't mean anything to me. Sometimes I get coupons for soap or razor blades and if I need them soon anyways, I will buy them a little early and use the coupon. Who doesn't love coupons?
I think there is a difference between using them when you need them and using them when you don't need them. If the product is something you will need soon then coupons are totally worth it but if you are spending your money just because you got a coupon then isn't that called impulse buying in a way. You weren't planning on buying the product and then all the sudden you got a coupon in the mail or at the register and you feel as though you need to use it right away. Coupons personally annoy me and I feel like people never read them carefully enough. They bring them up to the registers and most of the time they have the same brand but don't read the fine print on the coupon itself to see what you have to actually buy to get the deal. There is also big problem with people using a coupon for every single product. I'm all for saving money but come on, that's a little extreme and shouldn't be done all at once. That is how you hold everyone else up, especially if your the type who likes to get in and get out.

Do you feel that people have to many coupons sometimes? Should they break the coupons up (make a couple trips to the store) or do them all at once? Are you a coupon user or have family or friends who are? Do coupons get you to buy the product even if you don't need it anytime soon?

Product differentiation

Some of the most important characteristics of products are the elements that distinguish them from one another. Product differentiaton is the process of designing and creating products so that people can perceive them as different from competing products. The differences in products may include: styling, price, image, quality and even features. The one way that you can tell the difference between one product and another is by the brand.
Product quality refers to the overall characteristics of a product that allow it to perform as expected in satisfying customer needs. As expected as far ase the product goes means something different to each person. They could believe the product's durability means quality and the product's ease of use also means quality. For me when I say "I want a product with good quality," typically I mean that I want it to last and or not fall apart or break a few days after I buy it.
The level of quality is the amount of quality a product possesses. The quality level of one product is hard to describe unless you compare it to another product that is similar. I just purchased a cord that allows me to play my Ipod through the radio and heard that the less money you spend on one the worse it comes in, so I bought the expensive one and it works great. I went with the brand thats more known and with better quality in comparison to the others.
Consistency of quality is the degree to which a product has the same level of quality over time. This just means that the customers are getting the quality that they expect every time the buy it. I love ocean spray cranberry juice and I know that no matter what store I buy it from, I will still enjoy it.

When you shop in stores or even online do you look for product quality? Or do you not care
and just go for the cheapest product? Do you have certain brands and products you buy every week because you know what to expect from them or do you switch it up and try something new?