Features and Benefits are the two terms that are always used interchangeably for each other. No one has ever imagined that the two terms are different from each other and don’t mean the same. In the corporate sector, the complete marketing strategy is based on these terms. The company focuses on how well the features are of their product and how it will make a difference in the user’s life. Although the meaning may resemble similar, the concept of the terms is completely different from each other.
Features vs Benefits
The main difference between Features and Benefits is that features consist of the statements or words that specify the qualities of the given product or service that is being talked about, whereas comparatively, on the other hand, the benefit consists of the statements or words that shows how the product or service has improved or revolutionized the customer life.
Features are something that explains the qualities that are possessed by the given product or service offered by the company. For example – A razor with three blades that are meant for smooth gliding on the skin with detachable quality for changing it after getting blunt. For the above-mentioned product, the quality of the detachability is the feature.
Benefits is the term used for the output or observations they experienced after using the particular product or service offered by the company. The benefits are linked with the problems faced by the customer because of it only consumer purchases products to resolve them with the benefits provided by the product or service.
Comparison Table Between Features and Benefits
| Parameters of Comparison | Features | Benefits |
| Meaning | It is something that helps in determining the qualities of the product or service | It is something that is seen after using the product or service by the customers |
| Tells Customer | What is good | Why it is good |
| Shows | Specifications or the different facts for the given product or service | Emotional connectivity that can be built by the customers while using it |
| Provide | Details of the service or product that is been talking about | Changes in the life of the user after buying it |
| Lies In | Within the product or service | Customer |
What are Features?
The characteristics that are persisted by the product are determined by the qualities consisted of them. The features related to the product are released or given by the given company itself. In the corporate sector, the term feature is very important for the company as it is the main prospect for them to sell their product or service. These characteristic or qualities that comprise the term feature is their appearance, color, odor, quality of the material, and many more.
For example – A company is selling a microwave consisting of three types of baking system, grilling, convection mode, with additional rotisserie mode. And with the purchase of the microwave, the customer will receive the bowls, two grills, and a rotisserie pin. In this, the three types of different baking modes, rotisserie mode is the features provided by the company.
These features are basically provided by the company depending on the needs of the customer over time. Thus it is said that they lie within the given service or product.
What are Benefits?
The term is related to the observations or output received or experienced by the customer by themselves after the use of their respective products or services given by the company. The corporate sector is majorly dependent on the marketing of their product or service, and this is hence done with the help of counting the future benefits that will be received by the customer.
Referring to the above-given example – A company is selling a microwave consisting of three types of baking system, grilling, convection mode, with additional rotisserie mode. And with the purchase of the microwave, the customer will receive the bowls, two grills, and a rotisserie pin. Here, the bowls, two grills, and the rotisserie pin is the benefit received by the customer as they won’t have to purchase them additionally.
Hence, it is stated that the benefits lie in the customer experience and the emotional connectivity they formed with those products.
Main Differences Between Features and Benefits
- The meaning of the term Features is related to something that helps in determining the qualities of the product or service for the customers who is about to use it, whereas comparatively, on the other hand, the meaning of the term Benefit is related to something which is observed after consuming the services of the product by the customer.
- Through the term Features, the customer tells what is good about the service or product whereas comparatively, on the other hand, through the term Benefit the customer tells why the product or service is good.
- The term features show the facts and specifications of the product and services that are discussed, whereas comparatively, on the other hand, the term benefits show the emotional connection made by the customer after the usage of the given product or service.
- The term features provide detailed information or knowledge about the given product or service, whereas comparatively, on the other hand, the term benefits provide information about the changes they experienced after the use of the given product or service.
- The product or service features lie in themselves they aren’t mentioned externally, whereas comparatively, on the other hand, the benefits are explained or majorly output experienced by the customer.
Conclusion
To conclude, the discussion of the given terms is that they might be used as interchangeable normally in daily lives. These are the terms that are very common in use for referencing the interchangeable meaning of one another. Practically the customer purchases any product or service because of the reason of the benefits that will be observed or will be experienced by them while determining the given specifications or facts in mind. In short, features are explained by the salesman to explain the benefits received by the customer in the future.
Example – the product likes AC, refrigerator, microwave, washing machine, mobile phones, etc. are chosen on the basis what are their specifications that is features and what will be the benefits that will be experienced by the customer after their use.
References
- https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/jluenvl23&div=18&id=&page=
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1054139X1600046X
- https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/340779
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0743016701000171